Controversial lyric is cut from new parade

Change is latest effort by Disney to distance itself from ‘Song of the South’

Disneyland has removed a controversial lyric from a new parade in the latest symbolic step to distance the Anaheim theme park from the 1940s Disney film “Song of the South,” which has been criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes.

Disneyland has quietly cut a reference to the “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” song from the soundtrack of the “Magic Happens” parade, which returned in late February after a three-year hiatus.

The returning parade — which ran for only a couple of weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered Disneyland — includes floats featuring characters from “Moana,” “Coco,” “Frozen,” “Cinderella,” “Sword in the Stone,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “Sleeping Beauty,” all led by Mickey Mouse.

The “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” line near the finale of the parade was replaced with “Think of the happiest things” from the song “You Can Fly” in the 1953 Disney animated film “Peter Pan.”

Disneyland teamed up for the parade’s music with “American Idol” singersongwriter Todrick Hall.

“Magic Happens” remains largely unchanged from its February 2020 debut aside from the removal of the “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” reference and a few minor costume and choreography adjustments.

Disneyland has been slowly and quietly stripping away any references to the controversial “Song of the South” animated/live action film, which has been disowned by Disney.

“Zip a Dee Doo Dah” was cut from the music loop played in Downtown Disney in 2020 and from the soundtrack of King Arthur Carrousel in 2021.

“Zip a Dee Doo Dah” still plays during the Splash Mountain log ride at Disneyland, which will be transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, based on the 2009 Disney film “Princess and the Frog.”

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in 2024, but Disneyland has not announced when Splash Mountain will close. The Disney World version of the attraction closed in January.

Disneyland officials said in 2020 that the removal of “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” from the theme park resort is part of a continuous process to deliver an environment that features stories that are relevant and inclusive.

“‘Song of the South’ has been locked in the Disney vault since the 1980s due to its idyllic portrayals of Southern plantation life in the late 1800s Reconstruction Era,” according to WDW News Today, which added that “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” itself was likely influenced by a pre-civil War folk song.