The kindly story-teller Uncle Remus tells a young boy stories about trickster Br'er Rabbit, who outwits Br'er Fox and slow-witted Br'er Bear.The kindly story-teller Uncle Remus tells a young boy stories about trickster Br'er Rabbit, who outwits Br'er Fox and slow-witted Br'er Bear.The kindly story-teller Uncle Remus tells a young boy stories about trickster Br'er Rabbit, who outwits Br'er Fox and slow-witted Br'er Bear.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 1 nomination total
Georgie Nokes
- Jake Favers
- (as George Nokes)
Nick Stewart
- Br'er Bear
- (voice)
- (as 'Nicodemus' Stewart)
Johnny Lee
- Br'er Rabbit
- (voice)
Helen Crozier
- Mother Possum
- (voice)
Jessie Cryer
- Laughter
- (uncredited)
Babette De Castro
- Bird Voices
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Cherie De Castro
- Bird Voices
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter abandoning his studies of pharmacology for financial reasons, James Baskett supported himself as an actor, moving from his home town of Indianapolis, Indiana to New York City, New York and joining the company of Bill Robinson, better known as Mr. Bojangles. After achieving moderate success on the stage, Baskett and his family moved to Hollywood where he found work in a couple of films. In 1945, he auditioned for a bit part of voicing a talking butterfly in this film. "I thought that, maybe, they'd try me out to furnish the voice for one of Uncle Remus' animals," Baskett remarked. Upon review of his voice, Walt Disney wanted to meet Baskett personally, and had him tested for the role of Uncle Remus. Not only did Baskett get the part of the butterfly's voice, but also the voice of Br'er Fox and the live-action role of Uncle Remus as well. Additionally, Baskett filled in as the voice of Br'er Rabbit for Johnny Lee in the "Laughing Place" scene after Lee was called away to do promotion for the picture. Disney liked Baskett, and told his sister Ruth [Disney] that Baskett was "the best actor, I believe, to be discovered in years". This was one of the first Hollywood portrayals of a black actor as a non-comic character in a leading role in a film meant for general audiences. Even after the film's release, Disney maintained contact with Baskett, where the two became close friends, like brothers. Disney also campaigned for Baskett to be given an Academy Award for his performance, saying that he had worked "almost wholly without direction" and had devised the characterization of Remus himself. Thanks to Disney's efforts, Baskett won an Honorary Academy Award in 1948. Four months after the Academy Awards ceremony, James Baskett died from heart failure resulting from diabetes. After his death, James' widow, Margaret, wrote a letter to Disney and told him that he had been a "friend indeed and [we] certainly have been in need."
- GoofsBefore Uncle Remus tells the story about the Laughing Place, the mud on Ginny's dress disappears and reappears between shots.
- Quotes
Uncle Remus: You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far.
- Alternate versionsOn a 1991 British VHS release and a British television broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2006, the "The End" card was displayed on a blue background instead of the original 1946 cream one.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Magical World of Disney: Donald's Award (1957)
Featured review
Think it over before you react
This film will never receive a clean bill of political correctness, but neither will any film made before the 1960s. In fact, Song of the South presents some of the least offensive portraits of African Americans you can find from the time. If you really need to compare, go find any other film starring Hattie McDaniel start with Gone With the Wind and note how much more dignity she has in the Disney movie. Uncle Remus (James Baskett, who is utterly, utterly exceptional) is perhaps the most charming character you'll find. He's much more stereotypical of an elderly man than a black man. A smart man with strong morals and a clever way of delivering them, he seems to see things more clearly than anyone else in the film. No, Uncle Remus is a kind man who loves humanity, and this love is infectious. The movie made me very happy to be alive. A more politically correct version of the film would have him rebelling against white society with violence. It's kind of sad that we can't abide blacks and whites actually getting along, preaching brotherhood. The live action bits are very good (although I think Bobby Driscoll is a bit weak in the lead), but it is the animated pieces (and the live action/animation sequences) that make Song of the South great. Br'er Rabbit, Fox, and Bear are wonderful characters, and these three segments represent some of the best animation Disney ever did. The mixed scenes are amazing (was this the first time it was done?). I especially liked when Uncle Remus went fishing with Br'er Frog. Uncle Remus lights his pipe with an animated flame, and blows an animated smoke ring that turns into a square (which is, of course, also politically incorrect). I suspect that the biggest reason this film stirs so many negative emotions is the black dialect used in the film. I think that bugs people a lot. Really, though, blacks from the rural South have and have had their own accents and ways of speaking just as they have and have had in any other region. While the accents in this film are somewhat fabricated, I'm sure, I think that it would be a far cry to think of them as harmful to anybody. The hurt that people feel over this movie is the real fabrication, induced by PC thugs who seem to want to cause rifts between peoples. I think that a re-release of Song of the South could possibly have a beneficial effect on race relations in the United States, as it does depict dear friendships and respect between the races, something that I think we quite need at the moment.
helpful•52979
- zetes
- May 3, 2003
- How long is Song of the South?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Uncle Remus
- Filming locations
- 4747 W Buckeye Road, Phoenix, Arizona, USA(plantation scenes, now VPX Phoenix)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $37,459,346
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,203,111
- Nov 23, 1986
- Gross worldwide
- $37,459,346
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content