DISNEY ‘ZIP-ADEE’ ZAP
Parks pull ‘South’ song
Proving that it’s a woke world, after all, Disney has quietly axed the beloved “Zip-a-DeeDoo-Dah” tune from its twice daily Magic Happens parade performances at its theme parks because the catchy song is tied to the 1946 film “Song of the South.”
Instead, the parade’s playlist will now feature a song from the “Peter Pan” film.
“Song of the South,” made in 1946 and set on a Georgia plantation, has been panned over the years for having racial undertones and offering a romanticized view of the South during Reconstruction.
But the song itself — complete with the upbeat lyrics “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-adee-ay. My, oh, my, what a wonderful day” — is a classic children’s bop with no racial connotations.
Disney didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment Tuesday about its push to remove the popular tune.
Ride also retired
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!
The decision, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, follows the theme parks’ move to retire the 33-year-old Splash Mountain, which is based on “Song of the South.”
When the final ride was carried out at Florida’s Disney World in January, crowds were filmed loudly singing along to “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.”
The Splash Mountain ride, which still remains operational at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., for now, will become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is based on the 2009 film “The Princess and the Frog” at both parks next year.
It isn’t yet clear when Splash Mountain will carry out its last ride at the Anaheim park.
The move is just the latest in a wave of reckoning at Disney.
Disney CEO Bob Iger had announced in March 2020 that “Song of the South” would be axed from the Disney+ streaming service because the “outdated cultural depictions” essentially made it inappropriate in today’s world.
Just last week, critics also accused Disney of pushing a woke agenda after the trailer for the upcoming live-action film “Peter Pan & Wendy” revealed that girls would be portraying some of the Lost Boys.