Editing Song of the South (section)

== Release ==
[[File:Fox Theater night.jpg|thumb|The film premiered at the [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta)|Fox Theatre]] in Atlanta in 1946.]]
The film premiered on November 12, 1946, at the [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta)|Fox Theater]] in Atlanta.{{sfn|Gabler|2006|p=437}} Walt Disney made introductory remarks, introduced the cast, then quietly left for his room at the [[Georgian Terrace Hotel]] across the street; he had previously stated that unexpected audience reactions upset him and he was better off not seeing the film with an audience. James Baskett was unable to attend the film's premiere because he would not have been allowed to participate in any of the festivities, as Atlanta was then a [[racially segregated]] city.<ref>In an October 15, 1946 article in the ''[[Atlanta Constitution]]'', columnist Harold Martin noted that to bring Baskett to Atlanta, where he would not have been allowed to participate in any of the festivities, "would cause him many embarrassments, for his feelings are the same as any man's".</ref>

''Song of the South'' was re-released in theaters several times after its original premiere, each time through [[Buena Vista Pictures]]: in 1956 for the 10th anniversary; in 1972 for the 50th anniversary of [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]]; in 1973 as the second half of a double bill with ''[[The Aristocats]]''; in 1980 for the 100th anniversary of Harris's classic stories; and in 1986 for the film's 40th anniversary and in promotion of the 1989 opening of the [[Splash Mountain]] attraction at [[Disneyland]].

=== Spin-off comics and books ===
As had been done earlier with ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' (1937), ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940) and ''[[Bambi]]'' (1942), Disney produced a [[Disney comics#Comic strips|Sunday comic strip]] titled ''[[Uncle Remus and His Tales of Br'er Rabbit]]'' to give the film pre-release publicity. The strip was launched by [[King Features Syndicate|King Features]] on October 14, 1945, more than a year before the film was released. The previous comic strip adaptations of Disney films lasted for four or five months, but the ''Uncle Remus'' strip continued for almost thirty years, telling new stories of Br'er Rabbit and friends, until the strip was discontinued on December 31, 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toonopedia.com/brerrab.htm|title=Br'er Rabbit|publisher=[[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]|access-date=January 18, 2007|first=Don|last=Markstein|archive-date=May 27, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527120642/https://www.webcitation.org/6bDugm3on?url=http://toonopedia.com/brerrab.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Apart from the newspaper strips, Disney ''Br'er Rabbit'' comics were also produced for comic books; the first such stories appeared in late 1946. Produced both by [[Western Publishing]] and European publishers such as [[Egmont Publishing|Egmont]], they continue to appear.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://inducks.org/character.php/x/BR/date/42|title=Inducks.org}}</ref>

In 1946, a Giant Golden Book entitled ''Walt Disney's Uncle Remus Stories'' was published by [[Simon & Schuster]]. It featured 23 illustrated stories of Br'er Rabbit's escapades, all told in a Southern dialect based on the original Joel Chandler Harris stories.

In 1986, [[Floyd Norman]] wrote ''A Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Christmas!'' featuring Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit as that year's annual ''[[Disney Christmas Story]]'' newspaper comic strip.<ref name=Holtz>{{cite book |last1=Holtz |first1=Allan |title=American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide |date=2012 |publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]] |location=Ann Arbor, Michigan |isbn=9780472117567 |page=422}}</ref> When the ''Christmas Story'' strips were reprinted in the 2017 collection ''Disney's Christmas Classics'', this story was omitted—the only deletion in an otherwise complete run of the strip.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Korkis |first1=Jim |title=Disney Christmas Treats |url=https://www.mouseplanet.com/12260/Disney_Christmas_Treats |date=December 19, 2018 |website=Mouse Planet |access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref>

=== Home media ===
Disney has not released a complete version of the film in the United States on [[home video]], given the film's controversial reputation.<ref>{{cite journal|date=September 2012|title=Walt Disney's Song of the South and the Politics of Animation|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=79357348&site=eds-live|journal=Journal of American Culture|volume=35|issue=3|page=228|last1=Inge|first1=M. Thomas|access-date=July 2, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Snopes">{{cite web|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/song-of-the-south/|title=Disney (''Song of the South'')|date=July 12, 1997 |publisher=[[Urban Legends Reference Pages]]|access-date=January 18, 2007}}</ref> Over the years, Disney has made a variety of statements about whether and when the film would be re-released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/archives/shareholder07.html|title=News Archives: 2007 Disney Shareholder Meeting|publisher=Song of the South.net|date=March 8, 2007|access-date=April 20, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/2007/05/11/disney-backpedaling-on-releasing-song-of-the-south/|title=Disney Backpedaling on Releasing Song of the South?|date=May 11, 2007 |publisher=Song of the South.net|access-date=May 28, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hill|first=Jim|url=http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2007/07/06/as-tarzan-swings-off-broadway-is-beyonc-getting-ready-to-play-aida-in-disney-s-next-big-movie-musical.aspx|title=As "Tarzan" swings off Broadway, is Beyoncé getting ready to play Aida in Disney's next big movie musical?|publisher=Jim Hill Media|date=July 5, 2007|access-date=July 6, 2007}}</ref> From 1984 to 2005, then-Disney CEO [[Michael Eisner]] stated that the film would not receive a home video release in the United States, due to not wanting to have a disclaimer and fearing backlash and accusations of racism. Uncle Remus was not featured in the [[Splash Mountain]] attraction, instead being replaced as the narrator by Br'er Frog in the [[Tokyo Disneyland]] and [[Magic Kingdom]] versions of the ride. In March 2010, Disney CEO [[Bob Iger]] stated that there were no plans to release the film on DVD, calling the film "antiquated" and "fairly offensive".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/2010/03/16/disney-ceo-calls-movie-antiquated-and-fairly-offensive/|title=Disney CEO Calls Movie Antiquated and Fairly Offensive|date=March 16, 2010 |publisher=Song of the South.net|access-date=March 16, 2010}}</ref> In November 2010, Disney creative director Dave Bossert stated in an interview, "I can say there's been a lot of internal discussion about ''Song of the South''. And at some point we're going to do something about it. I don't know when, but we will. We know we want people to see ''Song of the South'' because we realize it's a big piece of company history, and we want to do it the right way."<ref>{{cite web|last=Head|first=Steve|url=http://www.post-movie.net/disney-producer-encouraging-about-song-of-the-south-release/|title=Disney Producer Encouraging About 'Song of the South' Release|date=November 20, 2010|publisher=The Post-Movie Podcast|access-date=November 16, 2011}}</ref> Film critic [[Roger Ebert]], who normally disdained any attempt to keep films from any audience, supported the non-release of the film, arguing that Disney films become a part of the consciousness of American children, who take films more literally than do adults.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brantley|first=Mike|url=http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/archives/mobileregister.html|title=Song of the South|date=January 6, 2002|work=Alabama Mobile Register|publisher=Song of the South.net|access-date=January 18, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/answer-man/movie-answer-man-02132000|title=Movie Answer Man (02/13/2000)|date=February 13, 2000|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC}}</ref>

Audio from the film—both the musical soundtrack and dialogue—was commonly used in home media tie-ins through the late 1970s. In particular, many book-and-record sets were released featuring the animated portions of the film or summaries of the film as a whole.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/records/index.html|title=''Song of the South'' Memorabilia|publisher=Song of the South.net|access-date=January 18, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213064927/http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/records/index.html|archive-date=February 13, 2007}}</ref> The Walt Disney Company has also included key portions of the film in VHS and DVD compilations in the United States, as well as on the long-running [[Walt Disney anthology television series]]. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" and some of the animated portions appear in an added feature on the 2004 ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' Special Edition DVD, as part of the 1950 Christmas special ''[[One Hour in Wonderland]]'', which promoted the then-forthcoming film. From 1986 to 2001, most of the musical segments – notably "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", "How Do You Do?", and "Everybody's Got A Laughing Place" – were included on the VHS and LaserDisc releases of the ''[[Disney Sing-Along Songs]]'' series.

The full-length film has been released in its entirety on VHS and LaserDisc in various European and Asian countries. In the United Kingdom, it was released on [[PAL]] VHS between 1982 and 2000. In Japan, it appeared on [[NTSC]] VHS and LaserDisc in 1985, 1990 and 1992, with Japanese subtitles during songs. Most of the foreign releases of the film are literal translations of the English title; the German title ''Onkel Remus' Wunderland'' translates to "Uncle Remus's Wonderland", the Italian title ''I Racconti Dello Zio Tom'' translates to "The Stories of Uncle Tom",<ref name="IMDb-1">{{cite web|url=https://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0038969/|title=AKAs for ''Song of the South''|access-date=January 18, 2007|archive-date=February 25, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225091655/http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0038969/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Norwegian title ''Onkel Remus forteller'' translates to "Storyteller Uncle Remus".<ref name="Disney-spillefilmer">{{cite web|url=http://www.autographsnet.com/diverse/disney/helaftensspillefilmer.htm|title=Walt Disney's: helaftens spillefilmer 1941–1981|access-date=October 3, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510094101/http://www.autographsnet.com/diverse/disney/helaftensspillefilmer.htm|archive-date=May 10, 2011}}</ref>

In 2017, after being inaugurated as a [[Disney Legends|Disney Legend]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]] expressed a desire for ''Song of the South'' to be re-released publicly to American audiences and stated, "I'm trying to find a way to get people to start having conversations about bringing ''Song of the South'' back, so we can talk about what it was and where it came from and why it came out".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/first-act-disney-legend-whoopi-goldberg-tells-disney-stop-hiding-history-152327.html|title=In Her First Act As A Disney Legend, Whoopi Goldberg Tells Disney To Stop Hiding Its History|last=Amidi|first=Amid |author-link=Amid Amidi|publisher=Cartoon Brew|date=July 15, 2017|access-date=August 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Whoopi Goldberg Wants Disney to Bring Back 'Song of the South' to Start Conversation About Controversial 1946 Film|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/whoopi-goldberg-wants-disney-bring-back-song-south-start-conversation-controversial-1946-film-154030256.html|access-date=2020-09-01|website=www.yahoo.com|date=July 2, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref>

''Song of the South'' has never been available on Disney's streaming service, [[Disney+]], which launched in the United States in 2019.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bakare|first=Lanre|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/apr/23/disney-plus-streaming-site-will-not-offer-racist-song-of-the-south-film|title=Disney Plus streaming site will not offer 'racist' Song of the South film|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=April 23, 2019|access-date=September 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newsweek.com/song-south-not-disney-plus-racist-streaming-1471186 |title=Why "Song of the South" is not on Disney+ |website=[[Newsweek]] |date=November 12, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/business/media/not-streaming-on-disney-plus.html |title=Not Streaming: 'Song of the South' and Other Films Stay in the Past |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 12, 2019 |last=Barnes |first=Brooks |access-date=November 13, 2019 }}</ref> In 2020, Iger affirmed during a shareholders meeting that the film would not be getting a release on the service, even with an "outdated cultural depictions" disclaimer, stating that the film is "not appropriate in today's world".<ref>{{cite web|last=Grater|first=Tom|url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/bob-iger-song-of-the-south-disney-disclaimer-1202879464/|title= Bob Iger Confirms 'Song Of The South' Won't Be Added To Disney+, Even With Disclaimer|publisher=Deadline|date=March 11, 2020|access-date=March 11, 2020}}</ref> It has been noted on an unofficial [[fansite]], however, that the film would become available to the public in the United States again once it enters the [[Public domain in the United States|American public domain]] in 2041 when its copyright expires.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.songofthesouth.net/faq/index.html | title=Frequently Asked Questions About Disney's Song of the South }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.songofthesouth.net/news/2022/11/12/song-of-the-south-turns-76-19-years-until-public-domain/#google_vignette | title=Song of the South Turns 76: 19 Years Until Public Domain! &#124; Song of the South News | date=November 12, 2022 }}</ref>