After Failing on Splash Mountain, Fans Are Now Trying To Save ‘Song of the South'

It’s been years since Disney announced that Splash Mountain would close and be replaced by Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. It was, and continues to be, one of Disney’s most controversial decisions regarding ride replacements at its parks.

Despite their best efforts, Splash Mountain fans couldn’t save the ride, and despite its issues, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is now entertaining guests in Frontierland.

Now, Disney fans have turned their attention to Song of the South (1946), in an attempt to revive the film on which Splash Mountain was based. Splash Mountain fans are now petitioning the National Film Registry to get Song of the South onto the registry, saving it forever.

Disney has been trying for years to make fans forget about Song of the South and some of its racist undertones. Now, fans are trying to get the film out of the darkness and back into the public sphere. But why has Song of the South gotten so much ire from Disney?

The History Behind ‘Song of the South’

Coming out of World War II, Walt Disney Animation Studios was struggling. The international markets that helped make Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) a hit were no longer available.

The Disney Studios spent most of the war years making propaganda films and training videos for the government. It was steady work but not lucrative. Disney’s first release in the post-war years was Make Mine Music (1946), which was not a huge success, at least not compared to Disney’s previous animated films.

Disney was looking for a hit and thought he had found it in Song of the South. Before the war, Disney purchased the rights to the Joel Chandler Harris Uncle Remus storybook from his family for $10,000. Walt claimed he had heard the stories as a child and wanted to turn them into movies.

Throughout the war years, the Disney Animation Studios continued to develop ideas for the movie, initially pitching it as an entirely animated film. But other, more pressing projects got in the way during the war years.

But Walt could turn his attention to the film once the war ended. The film is set on a plantation in Georgia during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. Seven-year-old Johnny stays at his Grandparents’ plantation, where he learns that his parents will be living apart.

Johnny runs away, where he comes across Uncle Remus, an African American working on his grandmother’s plantation. Uncle Remus tells stories of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear. He convinces Johnny to return to his family, but later in the story, Johnny is attacked by a bull while trying to get back to Uncle Remus.

As he battles for his life, Johnny asks for Uncle Remus, who returns to tell the boy the stories of Br’er Rabbit, and the boy survives.

The movie debuted in Atlanta near the end of 1946. Walt Disney was present but did not stay for the film. He was concerned about how the audience would receive the film. James Baskett, who played Uncle Remus, was not allowed in the theater due to Atlanta’s Jim Crow Laws at the time.

The film was a box-office success for The Walt Disney Company. It was re-released four times and grossed over $65 million, including its re-releases.

The critical reception to the movie was mixed. The New York Times panned the film and said that Disney Animation lost some of its magic by including live-action characters.

This final line would heed the warning of things to come for The Walt Disney Company and Song of the South.

This thread is about how to nominate the purged 1946 film Walt Disney's Song of the South to the National Film Registry. The deadline is Aug 15. The form is in the next comment. You need reasons why it should be on the Registry & this thread will give you several. pic.twitter.com/LLXBPqbWF4

— Ed McCray (@Real_Ed_McCray) May 25, 2025

At the Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Score and won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” James Baskett won a Special Academy Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus.

Song of the South is accused of using racial stereotypes, especially in the character of Uncle Remus. However, Disney knew that the film would cause controversy when it was in production.

Disney hired African-American writer Clarence Muse as a screenplay consultant, hoping he could tamp down some of the racial issues in the writing. But Muse quit after his suggestions to portray African Americans with dignity and not to feed into racial stereotypes were ignored.

Disney has kept the movie locked away for years. It does not appear on Disney+ and was missing from Disney’s 100th Anniversary box set. However, it still has a strong following on social media and online.

For now, Disney fans just have to wait to see if Song of the South gets its day on the National Registry. It was an essential part of Disney’s history, but given its racist undertones, the company is hiding from its past.

What do you think of Disney’s decision to hide ‘Song of the South’ from the public? Let us know in the comments.