Song of the South (1946) - Main Titles (Restored HD)
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- A full restored/remade version of Walt Disney's Song of the South (1946) original main titles/credits in high definition (1080p) from a 4K render.
My goal for this project, was to restore/rebuild the main titles of this movie in high quality since there’s no way to find a legal good copy of this film (Blu-Ray or UHD). Disney Studios also applied a rather particular policy to this film. No longer finding it up to their current values, they made this film invisible for many years, no longer ensuring its distribution. Thanks to the hard work of dedicated movie preservation fans such as Notelu (on Internet Archive) that this banned film was able to be rediscovered in a quality and definition close to current standards.
A little over two years ago, I also decided to start some restoration work of my own on the opening credits of the film. For this new project, I decided to use the few available sources I was able to get, using American/Japanese LaserDisc copies, English and French VHS and of course Notelu's 35mm Restauration. All these sources used as timing reference for music and credits duration or for some colorgrading studies.
Since the goal was to recreate the original main titles, the RKO Radio Pictures logo is back as it was cut from most of Song of the South releases, being replaced by the classic blue Buena Vista text card. I used a very low quality version documented as the original one (that I put in the video credits). I know there's lot of debate among "Song of the South" fans about the look of this RKO logo, but I can assure you that the one coming from deviant art is absolutly not the good one). I definitely don't want to be or sound pretentious by saying this, but I think I have the most accurate version.
It's finally at the start of 2024 that I was able to get my hands on some precious archive documents from Heritage Auctions, with original scans of a full textless pannel used for Song of the South main titles. At this point I was finally able to have the original and accurate color grading reference. This allowed me to make significant progress. However, due to theses new elements most of my "finalized" restored scenes had to be reworked or redone from scratch, but it was for a good cause. Such as my previous works, each credit text/font/frame was carefully cleaned on Procreate and the final cut was rendered on Vegas Pro 16.
This is undeniably the biggest project I have worked on. I spent a lot of time and attention to detail. I realize that this film raises a lot of debate. However, I think that each movie tells an important story that should not be forgotten. Each film is a piece of our history, an important piece in cinematic culture. For this reason it should not be hidden from everyone's eyes. This film is part of my childhood and conveys beautiful stories and great moral lessons about life. What is good and what is not. Song of the South also won two Academy Awards in 1947 for the beautiful song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" and for its singer James Baskett, for his wonderful and warm interpretation of Uncle Remus, friend and storyteller of children of the whole world.
It is in this context of preservation and goodwill that this restoration project was carried out. Thank you for your understanding.
The music used is a remastered version of "Song of the South"
Written by Sam Coslow and Arthur Johnston
Performed by the Disney Studio Choir
This is so beautifully done!
So nice to see the RKO card present.
I wish I could add that to my 16mm print.
Thank you for your very sweet words :)
Maybe at some point if some people are interested to use this in some restoration works of the film, I'll share the uncompressed file...UA-cam sadly compress a bit too much videos with fine grain.
You did a great job cleaning the titles up. Enough said.
Thank you :)
Thanks Gauther! It's been so long since you've first restored the Disney opening titles. I hope you'll restore some more Disney opening titles soon.
Thank you for the sweet comment! Happy you enjoyed this result of a long labor of preservation and restoration. If the general feedback about this one goes well, more Disney related projects might happens yes :)
@@TheRemakerChannel that'll do, you're welcome!
Awesome!!!! The RD (Real Deal) R.K.O Radio Pictures Song of the South Variant Logo is finally restored!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!! :D Now we know that this was the first Disney and Live Action Disney Movie to have the "Distributed by R.K.O Radio Pictures Inc. at the bottom of the R.K.O Radio Pictures Logo (If I recall Correctly). and I'm a huge fan of Disney too!!! I hope you can restore more Disney stuff. Also, I Subscribed to you. 😊
Thank you for your very sweet and supportive feedback! I had noticed that the R.K.O Radio Pictures logo (which many people were wondering about regarding its appearance in this movie) was probably going to attract particular interest. So I did everything I could to make it look right. Thank you again for your supportive words! :)
@@TheRemakerChannelW
Awesome work as well as your extensive research to upload The Original Distributor of RKO pictures.
I own a hardback cover of The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin and that's how I loved the concept of How Walt made out well with RKO from 1937 to 1954 before he struck out on his own with Buena Vista pictures.
@@dextercooper3090 Thank you very much! This restoration of the main titles was far to be easy and I'm really happy that you enjoyed the result!
I loved this movie when I was little.
@@RallyTheTally a sweet movie and the animated sequences were very well made, mostly when combined with live action
I Really Wish Song of the South could be Released on Disney+. It's Such an Awesome Film.
Until 2026.
This is beautifully done! Would so love to have the whole movie restored like this
Thank you so much for your very sweet comment, I'm happy you enjoyed the picture quality :)
Just Wait Till Disney+ Sees This!
They are definitely not interested in any way to put this movie on their streaming platform ^^
@@TheRemakerChannel Yeah, Disney would rather forget this movie exists.
they never will.
@@gmanley1 You mean the staff of This Day and Age that's running his company into the ground that wished This Movie never existed. Too bad. I'm a proud 🦚 owner of this Disney classic on Blu Ray by public domain.
@@dextercooper3090 Wait, WHAT?! O_O
Nobody asked for it, but I figured I’d drop my thoughts on this classic (and the ever present controversy surrounding it).
James Baskett (or Uncle Remus from Disney’s Song Of The South) was an actor Walt Disney had high respect for. Walt had grown up around southern Black American stories in his childhood, and wanted to adapt them into a major movie for people all over the world to see. He went out of the way to get in touch with James Baskett and gave him the lead role of the film rather than casting any white actor at the time. James Baskett was then immortalized as the wise old story teller: Uncle Remus, AND the voice of the mischievous fox: Br’er Fox! (On another note, at least 50% of the cast, likely more, is Black. Including Br’er Rabbit/Fox/Bear).
Uncle Remus is not a racist depiction of Black Americans. Uncle Remus (like the heavily criticized people singing in the beginning of the film) is a free man. The movie takes place *AFTER* the civil war, after slavery was abolished, and during the Reconstruction Era of the 1870s-1900. He’s never depicted as an idiot, or beneath anyone. He even has two unrelated white children and one black child (who are all depicted as friends) that look up to him, and constantly approach him begging him to tell them more Black American stories, because they love him and his stories so much. He’s depicted as a loving fatherly figure, especially to the main little white boy.
The only semi-racist character in the movie is the white boy’s mother who is clearly uncomfortable with the child spending time with Uncle Remus. But even then, it’s not because he’s black, it’s because she believes the stories are making her son carefree and immature. She is supposed to have grown up listening to Uncle Remus’ stories as well, and has a love/respect for the man. But she’s grown to be “proper” (colder and bitter). The movie NEVER wants you to side with the mother either, she’s the antagonistic stick in the mud trying to put a stop to innocence and fun.
At the end of the film, the little white boy (who we’re rooting for) almost gets himself killed trying to stop Uncle Remus from leaving after being banished by his controlling Mother. The boy loves him too much to let him go and almost dies chasing him. Once she realizes the severity of Uncle Remus’ importance to the boy, the Mother quickly brings him back to stay. The movie ends with Uncle Remus, the white boy, the white girl, and the black boy all holding hands in unity and harmony for a happy ending.
James Baskett even won an ACADEMY AWARD (being the first Black American Man to win an Oscar) for his involvement in the movie. He was highly respected, and regarded as a personal friend of Walt Disney. Unfortunately at the premiere of the film, the state of Georgia barred him from attending due to his race, but that has nothing to do with the film itself and everything to do with the asshole mayor at the time. James Baskett was still regarded as a treasure, and loved fondly by fans…..
…..until one day people decided to be offended out of nowhere, and demand that Disney axe the movie from existence. Disney then spent a few decades sponging the movie’s existence to appease the offended, and that was that. The ride still existed but it had little to do with the original film, other than Br’er Rabbit Bear/Fox, “The Laughing Place”, and the wonderful soundtrack. It almost existed as it’s own inoffensive wholesome critter experience about laughter and outsmarting the bullies… until around 2016 when people suddenly decided the ride was offensive too and demanded Disney once again sponge even more of James Baskett’s memory/legacy off the face of the planet.
Their demands were met. Their egos rewarded, and now we’re getting not only a shallow Tiana reskin of Splash Mountain (the ride), but a Tiana reskin of Disney Worlds Country Bear Jamboree, as well as Disneyland’s French Market Restaurant, and it’s Critter Country (soon to be turned from a forest into a swamp to further accommodate Tiana)… and just like that, those that claim to fight for Black American heritage erased the first Black American Academy Award winning actor, and real Black American Stories in favor of pandering and cheap ego strokes.
Most fools don’t know what they’re actually doing, and are playing “angry mob”. While others are maliciously tearing the past down (even if it’s about true good diversity hallmarks) so they can rebuild it in their image. Aunt Jemima (Syrup), Uncle Ben (Rice), James Baskett’s achievements, even Hattie McDaniel (who was in both Song of the South, AND Gone With The Wind - where she won her first Oscar becoming the first Black Woman to win one) is slowly being erased by activists/cultists/mobbers. Song of the South contains BOTH of the very first Black American Oscar winners of both genders! …and the activists are unknowingly AND knowingly erasing it from existence… forever… unless things change…
I hope that one day they’ll reinstate Song of the South, and give it the proper polish it deserves. Even if Splash is gone… Song of the South can make a comeback, and their legacy can live on forevermore!
This was such an incredibly informative comment, and you're absolutely correct in everything you stated! Such a shame
controversial or not movie shouldn't be erased after all peter pan didn't get that treatment it controversy but its both movies and book weren't wipe existence. while i love tiana i think her ride works better as something similar to its small world and not splash mountain
What a lucky I got it on the recordable disc DVD 💿 📀 in 2006.
It's not a film you can see everyday, I admit. However, with the help of internet and dedicated fans such as Notelu (who managed to scan and preserve a 35mm copy), Song of the South is now more accessible today than it was a few years ago. I wish Disney was just as conscientious about preserving its own history and making it available for future generations.
Amazing fan-restoration!
Thank you very much! Happy you enjoyed this restoration project :)
wow, they really remastered it!
Happy you enjoyed it ^^
@ indeed
This beautiful!
It's so nice to find somebody who cares about these opening titles as much as I do!
Do you plan on remastering the entire film?
Thank you very much and I'm happy your enjoyed this restored version! My main goal was focused on the main titles, I prefer to let the entire film to people far more talented than me ^^ They have the time, and probably better software than me. I'm a bit limited with what I have and sadly can"t handle an entire film on my own ^^
Bro I have one of the books in my book shelf. I really like this song,even though it's a bit dated due to the "Dixie" part of the song it's still really N ice to hear it in HD I think I have the entire movie in my files (edit: also congratulations this video happened to be on my june-august recap playlist)
Thankies! I'm happy you enjoyed :)
Since its initial release Song Of The South has attracted controversy, with critics characterizing its portrayal of African Americans and plantation life as racist. As a result of the film's controversial legacy, Disney has not released the movie on any home video format in the United States, and the film has never been available on its streaming platform Disney+. Some of the musical and animated sequences have been released through other means, and the full film has seen home video distribution in other countries, as well as fan-made 4K remasters that can be viewed at the Internet Archive.
1:10 Br’er Rabbit
1:15 Br’er Fox
1:20 Br’er Bear
Amazing work, I just sent you an email.
@@nathansilknitter164 That's very sweet of you, I'm very happy you enjoyed this little restoration project and yes I received your message, I'll reply soon as I can don't worry :)
@@TheRemakerChannel I look forward to it. Whenever you have time.
To think this offends democrats
I myself as a Democrat is much less offended. It was a product of its time. Yes there were injustices of preventing the Late James Baskett from Entering the Theater in The State of Georgia to view his own portrayal of Uncle Remus. A damn shame it didn't turn out how it should've.
That movie was NOT funny, it's gay and I get it.
What in the actual hell are you talking about?
I hope he means "gay" as in "happy".
@@Trainboy452 I meant like a homosexual.