<P> Walt Disney had wanted to produce a film based on the Uncle Remus stories for some time . It was not until 1939 that he began negotiating with the Harris family for film rights, and later in 1944, filming for Song of the South finally began . The studio constructed a plantation set for the outdoor scenes in Phoenix, Arizona, and some other scenes were filmed in Hollywood . The film is mostly live action, but includes three animated segments, which were later released as stand - alone television features . Some scenes also feature a combination of live action with animation . Song of the South premiered in Atlanta in November 1946 and the remainder of its initial theater run was a financial success . The song "Zip - a-Dee - Doo - Dah" won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Song and Baskett received an Honorary Academy Award for his performance as Uncle Remus . </P> <P> Since its release, Song of the South has remained a subject of controversy . Some critics have described the film's portrayal of African Americans as racist and offensive, pointing out the black vernacular and other qualities as stereotypes . In addition, the plantation setting is sometimes criticized as idyllic and glorified . Because of this controversy, Disney has yet to release Song of the South on any home video format in the United States . Some of the musical and animated sequences have been released through other means, and the full film has seen home video distribution in other countries around the world . The cartoon characters from the film have continued to remain popular for decades, being featured in a variety of books, comics, and other media . The Disney theme park ride Splash Mountain is also based on the film . </P> <P> The film is set on a plantation in the southern United States, specifically in the state of Georgia, some distance from Atlanta . Although sometimes misinterpreted as taking place before the U.S. Civil War while slavery was still legal in the region, the film takes place during the Reconstruction Era after slavery was abolished . Harris' original Uncle Remus stories were all set after the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery . Harris himself, born in 1848, was a racial reconciliation activist writer and journalist of the Reconstruction Era . The film makes several indirect references to the Reconstruction Era: clothing is in the newer late - Victorian style; Uncle Remus is free to leave the plantation at will; black field hands are sharecroppers, etc . </P> <P> Seven - year - old Johnny (Bobby Driscoll) is excited about what he believes to be a vacation at his grandmother's Georgia plantation with his parents, John Sr. (Erik Rolf) and Sally (Ruth Warrick). When they arrive at the plantation, he discovers that his parents will be living apart for a while, and he is to live at the plantation with his mother and grandmother (Lucile Watson) while his father returns to Atlanta to continue his controversial editorship in the city's newspaper . Johnny, distraught because of his father's departure, secretly sets off that night for Atlanta with only a bindle . </P>

When does song of the south take place