Tom & Jerry's Racist Moments: Erasing Mammy Two Shoes & Song of the South

Addressing Racist Depictions in Animation

• 📺 The discussion begins with the problematic character of Mammy Two Shoes from early "Tom & Jerry" cartoons, first appearing in "Give Puss the Boat" in 1940.
• 🧐 The character, a stereotypical African-American maid, was only shown from the knees up and voiced by Lillian Randolph.
• 📺 When MGM's cartoons were sold to CBS in 1965, the network received complaints about the offensive portrayal.
• 🎨 Chuck Jones, then working for MGM, was tasked with altering the shorts, leading to two approaches: re-animating her as a stereotypical Irish maid or a young teenage girl, both voiced by June Foray.
• 🗣️ In the 1980s, Turner Broadcasting, owning the Cartoon Library, opted to redub the scenes with African-American comedian Athea Videll to make the dialogue funnier and more palatable for the era.
• 🌟 Despite these efforts, Mammy Two Shoes reappeared in the 2006 "Tom & Jerry Tales" as Mrs. Two Shoes, voiced by Nicole Oliver, with an unspecified ethnic background.
• 🎬 Warner Bros. adopted a proactive approach by including introductory material, like Whoopi Goldberg's segment on the DVD collection, acknowledging the cartoons as "products of their time" and stating that the prejudices depicted were wrong then and are wrong today.

Disney's Struggle with "Song of the South"

• 🏞️ The conversation shifts to Disney's ongoing issues with its 1946 film, "Song of the South", and its potential release on Disney+.
• 🎢 Michael Eisner's initial interest in building Splash Mountain in 1984, based on the film, was met with resistance due to the movie's controversial nature.
• 🎬 Despite this, a limited theatrical re-release in 1986 was financially successful and received no complaints, leading to the approval of the Splash Mountain attraction.
• 🐸 However, Disney remained cautious, with the Disneyland version of Splash Mountain featuring a Breer Frog animatronic, while the Walt Disney World version only included a shadow, avoiding direct representation of Uncle Remus.
• 🤝 Disney considered pairing "Song of the South" with a new film, "John Henry", featuring an introduction by a prominent African-American figure, similar to Whoopi Goldberg's role for "Tom & Jerry."
• 🎤 Maya Angelou was approached to narrate "John Henry" but refused to participate if "Song of the South" was to be released, threatening to lead protests.
• 🎥 The "John Henry" animated short, despite initial casting considerations like James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman, was eventually voiced by Alfre Woodard and had a limited release, overshadowed by the controversy surrounding "Song of the South."

Other Animation and Voice Casting News

• 🧞 Will Smith's portrayal of the Genie in the live-action "Aladdin" was initially met with skepticism but became clearer in the full trailer.
• 🎙️ Alan Tudyk is confirmed to voice Iago in the live-action "Aladdin."
• 🐘 Drew Taylor saw the live-action "Dumbo" and praised it as moving, beautiful, and one of the strongest live-action adaptations Disney has done.
• 🐭 The "Dumbo" film includes a non-speaking Timothy Mouse, with his conversations with Dumbo happening off-screen.
• 🎬 The "Tom & Jerry" live-action hybrid film directed by Tim Story is set for an April 16, 2021 release.
• 🎶 A "Sesame Street" musical is slated for January 15, 2021.
• 🦍 The "Tarzan" production faced issues, including Chris Rock's refusal to voice the character Turk due to racial insensitivity, and Harrison Ford's eventual animated debut in "The Secret Life of Pets 2."