Disney Skeletons: Song of the South

Walt Disney's Song of the South: 1946

 

In 1946, the Walt Disney Company released their new movie Song of the South, soon to their regret. This movie is based around an African American man named Uncle Remus, who works at a family estate, supposedly for several years. He is known for his storytelling, so when the estate owner's daughter comes to visit with her son and husband, Uncle Remus decides to tell the son, Johnny, the stories that he had told Johnny's mother.

 

This results in the stories of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear, and Br'er Fox. Essentially, these are an adapted folk version of Aesop's Fables. After Johnny and his new friend Toby hear these stories, they engage in all kinds of mischief and tomfoolery.

 

Unfortunately, this movie has been labeled 'racist' by the general population for a few reasons.

The first of them being that all of the help on the family's estate is African American, which upon first glance could suggest that they are enslaved. However, towards the middle of the movie, Uncle Remus has multiple conversations with the matriarch of the estate that would completely contradict any type of enslavement, from the manners of both people in the conversation.

The second being that all of the help calls the estate owner and her family 'sir', or 'missus'. This is a common misconception that this is hardened proof of slavery, this was a common form of dialect for that time era, and in no way proves that they were enslaved. In fact, during multiple points of the movie, the matriarch is referred to as with various titles of authority besides 'Mother' or 'missus' by her daughter.

The third, and most concrete reason why this movie isn't racist,  is at the very end of the movie. Whenever Uncle Remus leaves to go get Johnny's father (before he was run over by the bull), there is no effort to stop him, and no repercussions whenever he returns. And not only is he taken into the house where Johnny is laying sick, he is asked  to go see Johnny. I'm no history professor, but I'm pretty sure slaves weren't treated with respect or courtesy.

So, in my opinion, this movie is anything but racist. Does it reinforce stereotypes? Yes, for all of the characters. Personally, I don't see how a movie that praises African American folk tales could be, by definition, be racist.