![]() ![]() The sequence directors were Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Bill Roberts, Jack Kinney, and Samuel Armstrong – all of whom are also deceased, as are writers Otto Englander, Joe Grant, and Dick Huemer. The supervising director of Dumbo was Ben Sharpsteen, who died in 1980. The contemporary audience can actually learn something. This tactic, by far my preferred option in these cases, educates rather than hides. One does not confront or learn from racism by hiding it: Warner Bros has had considerable success re-releasing old animated shorts with far more overtly racist elements, and these re-releases were accompanied by text descriptions or video introductions by the likes of Leonard Maltin or Whoopi Goldberg advising of the racist content and contextualising them in Hollywood history. ![]() This in mind, it still feels a poor choice to excise them from the work. They are performed with most of the hallmarks of pre-existing ‘yes masser’ stereotypes, and their design reflects earlier cruel depictions of African Americans in early animated shorts. The depiction of the crows is a racist one – that cannot be reasonably denied. There are some things with which we should not meddle. It is one of the most significant feature films in the history of American cinema. Furthermore, it’s Dumbo for goodness sake. The theatrical cut of Dumbo has been available for almost 80 years making it unavailable while an edited-down alternate is released denies audiences the opportunity to see the original text. For example, while there are subsequent director’s cuts and extended editions of Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, The Thin Red Line, and all number of alternate versions, the original and most widely distributed editions remain available. While filmmakers may wish to return to that film and re-edit it, that additional revised version should not replace the original release. Once released to a public audience, a film’s theatrical edit should remain fixed and available to that audience. I believe films, like most art, should largely exist as fixed texts. ![]() I find the editing of Dumbo to be unacceptable. As a viewer and fan of Walt Disney animation, I find the continued censorship of Song of South annoying. In the original animated version of the film a murder of cigar-smoking crows had a leader called Jim Crow – the Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in the south – and are largely considered to be thinly veiled racist caricatures.’ Not releasing a film at all is frustrating, but actively transforming a pre-existing film for release is far more problematic. A recent article by The Guardian noted that ‘the Jim Crow scene from Dumbo (1941) will also not be available on the streaming site. More surprising was the announcement by the company that the Disney+ release of the 1941 animated feature Dumbo would also be affected, with a key sequence excised from the online edition of the movie. Any sort of limited release, either online or on physical media, accompanied by an introduction providing cultural and historical context, would be preferable to the current embargo. Indeed its star James Baskett was the first-ever male African-American actor to win an Academy Award (Hattie McDaniel was the first woman, for Gone With the Wind in 1939). The erasure of the evidence of racism does not prevent racism, and within a historical context Song of the South is a milestone of both American animation and the representation of African Americans in cinema. This decision is predictable but unfortunate. Disney stopped distributing the film on home media in the early 1990s and has not since re-released it on any format. Directed by Wilfred Jackson, this live-action/animated blend generated controversy on its release for its depiction of African-American history and culture, including stereotypical and racist portrayals of black people in 19th century America and its unclear historical setting that implied black slaves may have been satisfied with their lot at the time. One Disney production that will remain resolutely out of public view, however, is the studio’s notorious 1946 Song of the South. The new service will offer viewers a one-stop shop for the company’s long history of film and television productions, as well as those of companies now purchased or absorbed by the entertainment giant in recent years including those of the Muppets, the Pixar Animation Studio, Lucasfilm Ltd, 20th Century Fox, and Marvel Studios. On 12 November 2019, Walt Disney will launch its online streaming service Disney+ in the USA, with other markets scheduled to follow soon afterwards. ![]()
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