Disney+ to Have 'Dumbo' Without Jim Crow Scene, No 'Song of the South'
Disney is leaving some controversial parts of its past behind.
When the streaming service Disney+ launches this fall, some work won't be available on it. The 1946 film "Song of the South" is to be left off, a source told Boardwalk Times. Additionally, the "Dumbo" scene involving the bird Jim Crow will reportedly be edited out.
"Song of the South" is set in the region during the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era, and although the film initially received accolades, it has since been criticized for how it depicts African Americans. The film hasn't been released on home video in the United States, and in 2011, Disney CEO Bob Iger explained the reasoning, per THR. He said that he thought there were parts of the film that "wouldn't necessarily sit right or feel right to a number of people today."
The same can be said for the "Dumbo" Jim Crow character. He alludes to a 19th century blackface character that inspired the segregation laws' name, as Boardwalk Times notes. The bird was also absent from Disney's new "Dumbo" by Tim Burton.
Disney+ won't have a shortage of entertainment options. There will be a variety of old classics and upcoming movies and series. It launches Nov. 12.
[via: Boardwalk Times; THR]
Song of the South
Uncle Remus draws upon his tales of Br'er Rabbit to help little Johnny deal with his confusion over his parents' separation as well as his new life on the plantation. Read the Plot