New York (CNN) Disneyland He removed the song “zip-a-dee-doo-dah” played during the parades in the park because it was taken from a movie that was criticized for its racist portrayal of black Americans.
The song initially appeared on the “Magic Happens” parade when it debuted in March 2020. The show recently returned after a nearly three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When reintroduced last month, spectators of the twice-daily show, which was described as a “celebration of magical moments from legendary Disney stories” on its website, are now listening to the lyric – “Think of the happiest things” from “Peter Pan” – in its place.
The change to the show’s lyrics was first reported on OC recording.
The song “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” originated in the 1946 movie “Song of the South,” which has long been criticized for stereotypes about “spiritual” black men and its seemingly nostalgic outlook on the antebellum South.
Disney In the process of cutting references to the film in other parts of it. In 2020, Disney Parks and Resorts announced that Splash Mountain has been “completely reimagined” at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, as the wooden spike ride is based on “Song of the South”. He was remade to star in the 2009 animated film, “The Princess and the Frog,” featuring Disney’s first black princess.
Disney (dis) He said at the time that the new Splash Mountain concept is “inclusive” and “all of our guests can relate to and be inspired by.” The Splash Mountain ride at Walt Disney World in Orlando has already been closed for a redesign. The new attraction is expected to open in both US resorts in 2024.
Disneyland officials told L.L.C OC recording In 2020, the removal of the song “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” from the theme park resort was part of an ongoing process to provide an environment that featured relevant and inclusive stories. The OC Register reported that in 2020, the song was removed from music played at Downtown Disney, the Disneyland Resort’s shopping and dining district, and in 2021 it was removed from music played at King Arthur Carrousel.
“Song of the South” is so controversial that Disney locked it away for decades and removed it from the vast Disney+ library. The changes to the course of the race came after the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 spurred a deep conversation and introspection in Hollywood regarding the portrayal of race in popular culture.
