‘Song of the South’ Will Never Be on Disney+, Even With a Disclaimer

Disney boss Bob Iger is setting the record straight about 1946 film Song of the South. During Disney’s annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, Iger confirmed that the racist film will never appear on Disney+, even with a disclaimer to viewers. According to Deadline, the executive chairman (and former CEO) said that Song of the South is “not appropriate for today’s world” and is not welcome on the company’s family-friendly streaming service.

Deadline reports that when Iger was asked about Song of the South during Wednesday’s shareholders meeting, he insisted that it will not be rereleased on Disney+, even with a disclaimer. When Disney+ first debuted, the streaming service added a pre-film message to several older titles, including Dumbo and The Jungle Book, that reads, “This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.” However, because Song of the South is overtly racist, such a disclaimer wouldn’t be sufficient. Instead, it will likely live in the Disney Vault forever — and that’s probably for the best.

While Song of the South was popular at the time of its release, the live action/animated film has long been criticized for its depiction of race. Based on Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus stories, the Disney movie tells the story of a young boy named Johnny who travels to his grandmother’s Georgia plantation with his parents. There, Johnny meets Uncle Remus, a plantation worker who tells him African-American folk tales about Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear. In the 1980s, viewers began to criticize Song of the South‘s stereotypical depictions of African-Americans and glorification of slavery and the plantation system, and in response, Disney pulled the film from circulation.

According to Deadline, Iger also said that Disney hopes to digitize other classic films and add them to Disney+, so expect to see more new additions in the future.