Disney continues to sever ties with Song of the South.
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," the song that originates from Disney's 1946 movie Song of the South, has been pulled from the Magic Happens parade at Disneyland, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials confirmed to the outlet that a lyric from the song was removed from the parade soundtrack without specifying why.
Presumably, though, it's for the same reason Disney is overhauling Splash Mountain: because Song of the South has been condemned for utilizing racist tropes. The film takes place on a Georgia plantation in the Reconstruction-era South, and one of the main characters is a Black man, Uncle Remus, who works there and sings "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."
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Disney CEO Bob Iger said in 2020 that Song of the South is "not appropriate in today's world," and the NAACP has said it "helps to perpetuate a dangerously glorified picture of slavery" by giving "the impression of an idyllic master-slave relationship." In "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Uncle Remus sings about "what a wonderful day" it is. The Magic Happens parade now features a Peter Pan song in place of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," the Times reports.
Disney's log flume ride ride Splash Mountain was based on Song of the South and features the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah." But the company announced in 2020 the ride will be retooled as Tiana's Bayou Adventure based on The Princess and the Frog, which features Disney's first Black princess. Splash Mountain closed at Disney World earlier this year, though it is still open at Disneyland.
