Splash Mountain: Why Did Br'er Rabbit's Friends Not Want Him To Go To The Laughing Place?

[rastahomie]

The first part of Splash Mountain involves Br'er Rabbit scheming to go to the Laughing Place, and his friends trying to talk him out of it.

Why?

Sure, they knew that Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear were going to try a scheme of some kind, but BF's and BB's schemes could take place anywhere, regardless of where Br'er Rabbit might be. If the whole thing was some kind of allegory for staying home, where you're safe, well... that's not very Disney, lol!

What am I missing?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

honestly I am not exactly sure. In the original story (in the Uncle Remus books) the laughing place is where he led Br'er Fox and Bear to trick them - but that is not the plot used in the ride

I think it is that he was going to run away to there symbolically "running away from his trouble/responsibilities" at home - at the end I think he references that there ain't no place far enough away to run away from your troubles

So I see The Laughing Place as symbolizing skirting your responsibilities and avoiding dealing with thing head on

 

[rastahomie]

I think it is that he was going to run away to there symbolically "running away from his trouble/responsibilities" at home - at the end I think he references that there ain't no place far enough away to run away from your troubles

So I see The Laughing Place as symbolizing skirting your responsibilities and avoiding dealing with thing head on

I think you might be onto something. I thought maybe the Laughing Place was a metaphor for playing hooky from work. But since Br'er Rabbit is kind of a layabout...

But yeah, maybe it's a metaphor for running away from your problems instead.

Which still isn't very Disney, lol! If I'm going to WDW, it's specifically to leave my problems at home!

 

[RedOnion]

I don't have an answer ... but I love this question! Deep study and analysis of attraction character motivations. YES.

File it in the "in case you were afraid you already knew everything there is to know about Disney" drawer ...

 

[AngiTN]

Unfortunately it's pretty hard to discuss much about the motivations of the characters without touching on some pretty negative racial stereotypes.

Most of it all goes back to why Disney locked the movie away for good

 

[pat fan]

Unfortunately it's pretty hard to discuss much about the motivations of the characters without touching on some pretty negative racial stereotypes.

Most of it all goes back to why Disney locked the movie away for good

Seriously??

I find Song of the South infinitely less "racially insensitive" than other movies considered "classics".

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I always thought the lesson of Splash Mountain was just to stay home. That the world outside was too dangerous and scary.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Unfortunately it's pretty hard to discuss much about the motivations of the characters without touching on some pretty negative racial stereotypes.

Most of it all goes back to why Disney locked the movie away for good

Seriously??

I find Song of the South infinitely less "racially insensitive" than other movies considered "classics".

If you are interested in learning more about the movie and haven't read it already I highly recommend the book Who's Afraid of the Song of the South by Jim Korkis (who's been a guest on the DIS Disneyland Podcast as well as Connecting with Walt) and has a forward by Floyd Norman (and African American Disney animator)

It really goes through the background of the movie and that part of the issue is a mis-marketing/misunderstanding by the public of the time period as it actually takes place after the slaves were freed but people thought it was during slavery ... but there is a huge stigma about the movie at this point so is not likely to be reissued any time soon

 

[pat fan]

If you are interested in learning more about the movie and haven't read it already I highly recommend the book Who's Afraid of the Song of the South by Jim Korkis (who's been a guest on the DIS Disneyland Podcast as well as Connecting with Walt) and has a forward by Floyd Norman (and African American Disney animator)

It really goes through the background of the movie and that part of the issue is a mis-marketing/misunderstanding by the public of the time period as it actually takes place after the slaves were freed but people thought it was during slavery ... but there is a huge stigma about the movie at this point so is not likely to be reissued any time soon

I haven't heard of him, but anyone who has seen it should know that it takes place during the Reconstruction, NOT during slavery. Makes me nutty when people get tteir knickers in a twist over it when it's really a great story!

 

[thevolcanogod]

I've seen the rip of this and it's a great story. Are there racial stereotypes? Absolutely. Not even close to your typical Terrantino movie.

 

[pat fan]

I've seen the rip of this and it's a great story. Are there racial stereotypes? Absolutely. Not even close to your typical Terrantino movie.

Or Gone With The Wind....or many many other movies. It's sad this movie gets the short straw.

 

[Davis2902]

The truth is addjual! Everything is satisfatual!

 

[Perelandra]

If I remember correctly from the movie one of Uncle Remus' lessons was to not run away from your troubles, but I thought the whole laughing place thing was simply to trick Brer Bear and get out of a sticky spot. That's where the whole line "I never said it was your laughing place" comes from.
In regards to racial stereotypes, I think everyone's just too thin skinned now a days. Uncle Remus was the hero of the story for pete's sake. He saved the kids from their wandering ways and imparted them with wisdom. Hardly racist. To say that black people talked or acted a certain way during reconstruction that you don't like, just means you have a problem with history. Showing how something was is not necessarily an endorsement.

 

[MegaraWink]

I sympathize with not wanting the movie anywhere close to your "classic children's movies" company. The problem is, the movie's audience is so clearly children, what with all the moralizing, but the characters' situations look reeeeeally discriminatory without teaching kids the context of it. And once you've done that, now you've just distracted from the point of the movie. It's just a problem.

To Disney's credit, they haven't removed all problematic racist moments from their movies. But with SotS, it's just throughout.

As for the "laughing place," I thought it was a way to cheer yourself up. It's the place you can go where no one can get you down. But, my memory could be wrong.

 

[Perelandra]

I sympathize with not wanting the movie anywhere close to your "classic children's movies" company. The problem is, the movie's audience is so clearly children, what with all the moralizing, but the characters' situations look reeeeeally discriminatory without teaching kids the context of it. And once you've done that, now you've just distracted from the point of the movie. It's just a problem.

To Disney's credit, they haven't removed all problematic racist moments from their movies. But with SotS, it's just throughout.

As for the "laughing place," I thought it was a way to cheer yourself up. It's the place you can go where no one can get you down. But, my memory could be wrong.

See, I think that it's your job to teach your kids that it took place during a different time period and what was wrong with that time of history instead of pretending it didn't happen, but I doubt we agree so there's no point in arguing about it.

 

[AngiTN]

Seriously??

I find Song of the South infinitely less "racially insensitive" than other movies considered "classics".

If you think I'm suggesting it needs to be locked away or not discussed, I'm not.

Just that it rarely can be on an Internet message board

 

[MegaraWink]

See, I think that it's your job to teach your kids that it took place during a different time period and what was wrong with that time of history instead of pretending it didn't happen, but I doubt we agree so there's no point in arguing about it.

No, I agree with you. But if I were a movie business, no way in hell I'd have that movie in my line-up. Let some other movie company take risks in the "possibly misconstrued as racist" category.

If a parent bootlegs the movie and shows it to their kids, I don't have a problem with that, and I can even sympathize with a parent (or child) wishing they could own the movie. So, I think we're agreed. I'm all for teaching kids about history.

 

[Shanti]

It's a beautiful film that clearly portrays Uncle Remus as a wise hero, and the white parents as misguided. The ending includes a black and white hand lovingly intertwined when the little boy is hurt. Then it shows black and white children happily playing together. Such a shame that one of the best Disney classics is locked away from audiences in a vault somewhere. Song of the South is a moral, sweet and culturally meaningful film.