Erasing History: Disney's Song of the South

I had to make this video essay for my film theory class, and I had a lot of fun bringing this forgotten film into the light. It may be controversial to some, but it is important to have these conversations about films from different times in history. Enjoy!

Works Cited:
Diawara, Manthia. “Black Spectatorship: Problems of Identification and Resistance.” Screen, vol. 29, no. 4, 1 Dec. 1988, pp. 66–79, doi:10.1093/screen/29.4.66.

Disney Dave. “Whoopi Goldberg Want’s ‘Song Of The South’ Bringing Back .” YouTube,    • Whoopi Goldberg Want's "Song Of The South"...  . Accessed 07 June 2025.

Editors of Britannica. “Joel Chandler Harris.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Joel-Chandler-Harris. Accessed 07 June 2025.

Jimmie Baskett triumphs in Walt Disney's 'Song of the South'. (1946, Nov 23). The Chicago Defender (National Edition) (1921-1967) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/j...

Lattanzio, Ryan. “‘Song of the South’: 14 Things to Know about Disney’s Most Controversial Movie.” IndieWire, 12 June 2024, www.indiewire.com/gallery/song-of-the-south-disney-you-must-remember-this/film-and-television-416/. Accessed 07 June 2025.

LaMAR, L. F. (1947, Jul 26). 'Song of the south' winter book favorite for annual oscar award. The Chicago Defender (National Edition) (1921-1967) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/s...

“Lost Cause of the Confederacy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Cause_of_the_Confederacy. Accessed 10 June 2025.

NAACP disapproves film: DISNEY PIC UNDER FIRE BY GROUP. (1946, Dec 07). The Pittsburgh Courier (1911-1950) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/n...

People's Voice, 30 Nov. 1946, p. 22. Readex: America's Historical Newspapers, https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/rea.... Accessed 8 June 2025.

Snead, J. A. (1986, Dec 27). 'SONG' NOT ENDED FOR DISNEY: DISNEY'S 'SONG OF THE SOUTH'. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/historical-n...

Stewart, Jacqueline. “What to Know When Watching Gone With the Wind.” YouTube,    • What to Know When Watching Gone With the Wind  . Accessed 09 June 2025.

“Song of the South (Film).” D23, 1 Mar. 2018, d23.com/a-to-z/song-of-the-south-film/#:~:text=The%20film%20was%20nominated%20for,cartoon%20direction%20by%20Wilfred%20Jackson. Accessed 07 June 2025.

“Song of the South.” (1946) - Turner Classic Movies, Turner Classic Movies, 1 Jan. 1970, www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/90871/song-of-the-south#notes. Accessed 07 June 2025.

'SONG OF THE SOUTH' HIT AS SLY PROPAGANDA MOVIE. (1947, Jan 18). The Chicago Defender (National Edition) (1921-1967) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/s...

Videos Used:
Whoopi Goldberg Interview:    • Disney Legend Whoopi Goldberg wants to bri...  
Hattie McDaniel Oscar:    • Hattie McDaniel winning Best Supporting Ac...  
James Baskett Oscar:    • James Basketts award for playing Uncle Rem...  
Walt Disney talks about "Song of the South:"    • Walt Disney Talks about Song of the South  
"Breathless" Trailer:    • Breathless / À bout de souffle (1960) - Tr...  
"Gone With the Wind" 4K Trailer:    • Gone With the Wind - Theatrical Trailer IB...  
Scarlet and Mammy:    • Scarlet and Mammy  
Disneyland Splash Mountain Grand Opening:    • Disneyland Splash Mountain Grand Opening (...  
Disneyland Splash Mountain Ride POV:    • Splash Mountain Farewell Disneyland- FULL ...  
"Song of the South:" https://archive.org/details/song-of-t...

Music:
   • Splash Mountain - Queue Area Music Loop  

#songofthesouth #videoessay #disney #splashmountain