Why Disneyland Removed 'Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah' Song From Parade

The tune was featured in the 1946 Disney film, 'Song of the South.'

Disneyland is bidding "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" adieu.

Lyrics from the recognizable tune have been quietly removed from the set list of the Anaheim, California resort's Magic Happens parade, according to several reports.

The switch-up is due to the song's problematic roots, as it was originally featured in 1946 Disney film Song of the South—a movie that has since been criticized for its racist qualities, stereotypes of Black men, and romanticized view of life in the post-Civil War South.

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Theme park officials confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the track with questionable history was removed from the parade's setlist and replaced with a song from 1953 feature Peter Pan.

The “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” medley and characters from Song of the South are also heavily featured on the Splash Mountain attraction across the parks.

In 2020, Disney announced plans to re-theme the famed ride following backlash and civil unrest in the wake of country-wide racially motivated attacks and murders.

In an effort to move toward inclusivity, the brand revealed that the world-famous theme park will be re-opening the former site of the Splash Mountain attraction as Tiana's Bayou Adventure—which is based on 2009 film, The Princess and the Frog—expected sometime in late 2024, per Parade's previous report.

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"With this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year," Michael Ramirez, Public Relations Director at Disneyland Resorts, said in a June 2020 press release.

While the ride is currently still open at Disneyland, Disney World in Orlando, Florida, has already shut down its version of the attraction for the re-imagination.

The Magic Happens parade—which debuted in Feb. 2020—recently returned to Disneyland in late Feb. after a three-year hiatus due to the park’s closure in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The event has resumed its twice daily scheduled run at the world-renowned theme park resort.

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