- “It happened on one of them zip-a-dee-doo-dah days. Now that's the kind of day where you can't open your mouth without a song jumping right out of it! [starts singing immediately]”
- ―Uncle Remus tells the first story to Johnny
Uncle Remus is the titular deuteragonist and narrator of African-American folktales. The stories were adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris. His first film appearance was in Disney's 1946 hit film Song of the South in which he narrates the animated segments, telling the Br'er Rabbit stories.
Background[]
Personality[]
Uncle Remus is a kindly man who passes folktales along to the next generation of children. The stories he tells to the children usually center around Br'er Rabbit and his adventures at the Briar Patch often giving out morals what the story is all about (for example, the first Br'er Rabbit story he tells gives a moral that one cannot run away from trouble). In addition to telling stories, he also gives Johnny an advice to be responsible on taking care of Teenchy, Ginny's dog, from Jake and Joe Favers.
Additionally, when Uncle Remus encountered Sally, she felt upset with him, believing that his stories are giving Johnny a bad influence on her son, resulting Uncle Remus to leave for Atlanta via wagon. Later when Johnny came to stop him from leaving, Uncle Remus noticed him after being attacked by a bull in a patch of grass. Furthermore, when Uncle Remus approaches Johnny and tells him a story of Br'er Rabbit and the Laughing Place, Johnny suddenly regained his consciousness and survived, which Johnny's parents Sally and John feel inspired by Uncle Remus' stories of Br'er Rabbit. At the end of the film when Johnny, Ginny, and Toby stroll across the countryside, they approach Uncle Remus happily seeing Johnny and his friends singing a finale reprise of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" altogether.
Appearances[]
Song of the South[]
Uncle Remus is first seen telling a story of Br'er Rabbit to Toby's family which Toby compliments on his stories while Johnny tries to get his attention. Suddenly, he meets the protagonist Johnny after the child decides to run away from home, which he decides to take him to his shack to cheer him up. Later, Uncle Remus discusses with Johnny who is attempting to leave home as Johnny tells him that he will never come back, only for Uncle Remus to deny, saying that he is laughing which reminds him of the story of Br'er Rabbit, just as he decides to cheer him up with a story about Br'er Rabbit which reminds Johnny of the story of Br'er Rabbit who got away from Br'er Fox. As he tells a story about Br'er Rabbit, Uncle Remus sings the musical number "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" walking across an animated landscape and happily singing. As he sings, he encounters Mr. Bluebird and as he continues singing, Mr. Bluebird introduces Uncle Remus to the three Sis Moles and three hummingbirds who happily approach Uncle Remus and later many bees who happily buzz along to the music. However, the song interrupts when he finds Br'er Rabbit attempting to leave the Briar Patch, upset that the Briar Patch led him to nothing but trouble, which Uncle Remus warns him that he should avoid running away from trouble which Br'er Rabbit decides to leave the Briar Patch only for him to find trouble. Uncle Remus (offscreen) continues telling the story of Br'er Rabbit to Johnny. After telling Johnny a tale of Br'er Rabbit running away from his home, he tells Johnny a moral from the story, telling Johnny what he did earlier that he cannot run away from trouble. Johnny felt satisfied of the story he told to him, which helped change his mind on the matter and Uncle Remus returns him to the plantation.
The next day, Johnny approaches Uncle Remus singing "Who Wants to Live Like That?" where he sees Johnny who is asking him to take care of Teenchy, which Uncle Remus tells him to return Teenchy to the Favers family's home, much to Johnny trying to clarify that Teenchy who lives here is the one being harassed by Jake and Joe Favers, just as Uncle Remus understands what Johnny is really saying, planning to teach the Favers brothers a lesson on not harassing the dog. Just as Uncle Remus approaches them with Johnny following him alongside, he furiously scolds them for harassing Teenchy, telling them that they will face the consequences the more they harass their dog. Afterwards, Uncle Remus then takes Johnny and Toby into his shack after the situation he had earlier reminded him of a story of Br'er Rabbit who found trouble as he tells a story to them. In the second story, Uncle Remus narrates that he was going fishing where anyone nearby will happily greet him. A group of butterflies then happily greet Uncle Remus as they happily greet him, as they say "Good morning" to him while the musical number "How Do You Do?" begins while Br'er Rabbit happily approaches him. Uncle Remus tells him to save his energy, especially when he keeps jumping. Suddenly, a mother possum and her three joeys hanging on their mother's tail pass by Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit just as the possums happily greet the two. As Uncle Remus asks what Br'er Rabbit does all the time, he shares his interest of what he does just before he encounters Br'er Frog. Uncle Remus then passes by Br'er Frog who fears that Br'er Rabbit will be facing trouble - especially Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. Afterwards, Uncle Remus (offscreen) tells the story of the Tar Baby.
Later, Uncle Remus passes by Aunt Tempy who is about to give her firewood for her stove and as Uncle Remus sits, Aunt Tempy serves him a piece of pie while Uncle Remus hears Joe and Jake discussing with each other and as Uncle Remus faces them, he tells the two to stop pestering Teenchy once again, telling them to go home and as they discuss about Mrs. Sally, Johnny's mother, she approaches the two where they are at just as she approaches Uncle Remus. As the two bond with stories of Br'er Rabbit, Johnny’s mother becomes concerned that the stories are becoming a bad influence on Johnny. Later when Johnny approaches Remus sulking, he discusses with him to know where Teenchy is at which he thinks he is at the Favers' house. A heartbroken Remus feels upset of his irresponsibility in taking care of Teenchy, telling him that he will never tell him anymore stories.
Later, when approaching Jake and Joe who are attacking Johnny, Remus saves Johnny from being attacked, and warns Joe and Jake to keep away from Johnny and Ginny. Later, Johnny approaches Ginny who is crying after her dress was dirty after Jake pushed him into the mud to which to cheer her up, Johnny tells the story of Br'er Rabbit and as the plan cheer her up fails, Uncle Remus leads Ginny to find Aunt Tempy to clean her up. Johnny tells Uncle Remus to take care of the trouble he is facing, which reminds him of a story about Br'er Rabbit and the Laughing Place just as he tells Johnny a tale of Br'er Rabbit and the Laughing Place, Johnny and Ginny both laugh together that they like the story. Afterwards, Johnny takes Ginny to find the laughing place like they saw in the story. However, Sally approaches her son, telling him that the party is over. As Ginny tells her about Uncle Remus, Sally approaches Remus and asks him to not spend any more time with him. Saddened by the misunderstanding of his good intentions, he decides to leave for Atlanta. But after Johnny got attacked by a bull, Remus returns to the plantation at Johnny's request and tells him the tale of Br'er Rabbit and the Laughing Place. Johnny pulls through and regains his consciousness, making Remus happy once again.
At the end of the film, Uncle Remus walks down a road with Johnny, his friends, and characters from his own stories in an animated variation of a sunset.
Other appearances[]
Disney Parks[]
Fantasy on Parade[]
During the 1980 edition of Disneyland's Fantasy on Parade, a walkaround version of Uncle Remus was present during the Christmas variation of the parade where he's seen sitting on a wagon next to a puppet Br'er Rabbit while singing.
Splash Mountain[]
Although Uncle Remus is not seen in Splash Mountain, the famous lines he says when telling his stories appear on the walls in the queue and exit areas. Additionally, Br'er Frog substitutes for the role of Uncle Remus, as seen at the very beginning of the ride as he proceeds to spin a Br'er Rabbit yarn.
Uncle Remus himself was referenced in the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction where one of the PhotoPass washboards was labelled as coming from the, "Remus Washboard Co." with the slogan, "Actual and Satisfactual". Another labelled, "Baskett McDaniels" referenced his actor James Baskett.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Contrary to popular belief, Uncle Remus is not a slave, as evidenced by the fact that he freely roams the plantation and is even allowed to leave on his own free will. Additionally, the people who inspired Uncle Remus, while slaves, were free by the time Joel Chandler Harris, the man who transliterated the stories, collectively published the stories.
- James Baskett, the actor who portrayed Uncle Remus, was given an honorary Oscar in 1948 for the portrayal of the character in Song of the South. He became the second African-American to ever win an Academy Award, the other being Hattie McDaniel for her supporting role in Gone with the Wind who, funny enough, starred in Song of the South and is seen onscreen with him. Sadly, 44-year-old James Baskett died four months later from a heart attack, brought on by diabetes.
- In the Italian dub, Uncle Remus was renamed "Zio Tom", whose literal translation is "Uncle Tom", because the character of Uncle Tom is more well-known in Italy. It is ironic, as Song of the South is often considered by some to be a revisionist film.
