Disneyland removes controversial ‘zip-a-dee-doo-dah’ lyric from its parade


NY
CNN

Disneyland removed the “zip-a-dee-doo-dah” lyric that played during park parades because it was taken from a movie that was criticized for its racist portrayal of black Americans.

The lyrics originally appeared on the Magic Happens Parade when it debuted in March 2020. The parade recently returned after a nearly three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After its re-introduction last month, viewers of the bi-daily parade, described on its website as “celebrating magical moments from legendary Disney stories,” are now hearing the lyrics – “think of the happiest things” from Peter Pan – in his place.

The change in the text of the parade was first reported in OC Registration.

The song “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” appeared in the 1946 film Song of the South. long been criticized for stereotypes of “spiritual” black men and his seemingly nostalgic take on the antebellum South.

Disney is in the process of cutting references to the film from other parts of its parks. In 2020, Disney Parks and Resorts announced that Splash Mountain is being “totally reimagined” in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World because the log chute ride is based on “Song of the South”. It is being remodeled to feature characters from the 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog, which features Disney’s first Black Princess.

Disney

(DIS)
said at the time that the new Splash Mountain concept is “inclusive” and “one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by.” Splash Mountain ride at Walt Disney Park

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The world in Orlando is already closed for renovation. The new ride is expected to open at both US resorts in 2024.

This was reported by representatives of Disneyland. OC Registration In 2020, the removal of the song “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” from the Theme Park Resort is part of an ongoing process of creating an environment that features relevant and inclusive stories. The OC Register also reports that in 2020 the song was removed from music played at the Disney Center, the shopping and dining area of ​​the Disneyland resort, and in 2021 it was removed from music played at the King Arthur Carrousel.

“Song of the South” is so controversial that Disney locked it up for decades and even removed it from the vast Disney+ library. The changes to the log gutter came after the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, which sparked deep conversation and soul-searching in Hollywood regarding popular culture’s portrayal of race.