These two shots are from 1968, and show Brer Bear and Brer Fox from "Song of the South," which has been somewhat of a thorn in Bob Iger's side. What to do...what to do...oh the pc problems this charming 1946 film has caused. Even though the film has been locked away in the vault for years, the characters can still be found in the park and they even have their own attraction, Splash Mountain.
From the vintage publicity caption:
WELL I'LL BE — It's Uncle Remus' "Song of the South" favorite, Brer Fox, right at home in Disneyland's New Orleans Squre which captures the mood of the old south. Dixieland music, lace-iron balconies and unique shops and restaurants combine with humor and imagination to enhance a guest's visit to Disneyland.
Today, it appears that the lamp post with street sign visible in the 1968 shot are now gone. If I remember correctly, the street names are posted nearby on a wall now. I'll have to check this out on my next visit.
See more New Orleans Square photos on my New Orleans Square web page.
Wish the whole pc thing would go away. I wish I could see the movie once again
ReplyDeleteI found a bootleg copy of the film on line, made from a DVD marketed by Disney in Hong Kong. I didn't feel like it was really stealing it since they aren't even trying to sell it anymore.
ReplyDeleteI thought the movie was cute overall, but the scenes of the live actors would be extreme today, even though the black characters are shown in a sympathetic light and all the evil people are white.
It might be possible to restore some of the animation sequences with new voices without the extreme accents. I think this could make the cartoon parts salable at least as short novelties to familiarize new audiences with the characters. The art direction look by Mary Blair and the character design, etc. are wonderful.
It is a pity that this piece of art is locked away from the public for such weak reasons. Lt. Uhura in Star Trek says "In our century (23rd) we have learned to love who we are..."