Disney have removed the phrase ‘zip-a-dee-doo-dah’ from the music of its in-park parades over links to 1946 film ‘Song of the South’ which pushed racial stereotypes amid an ultra-woke makeover to the amusement park.

The catchy phrase has been a staple in pop culture since its release but has long been criticized for its idealistic portrayal of the post-war South.

It was featured in the music of Disney ‘Magic Happens’ parades before the COVID-19 pandemic but has been quietly removed by the billion-dollar company which has been trying to distance itself from the film.

Multiple park attractions and events referencing it have been closed or altered by Disney in recent years as seen with the closure of fan favorite Splash Mountain which shut down in January because it featured characters and music from the movie.

Disney has removed the phrase ‘zip-a-dee-doo-dah’ from the music of its in-park parades over links to 1946 film ‘Song of the South’ which pushed racial stereotypes amid an ultra-woke makeover to the amusement park

The phrase has been a staple in pop culture since its release but has long been criticized for its idealistic portrayal of the post-war South and racial stereotypes 

Multiple park attractions and events referencing it have been closed or altered by Disney in recent years as seen with the closure of fan favorite Splash Mountain

The move comes amid a number of progressive changes at the theme park. 

The steps include changing park policy to stop staff from using gendered greetings, implementing an anti-racism training course for employees, giving old characters progressive makeovers, and removing offensive imagery from rides and movies.

Walt Disney World broke attraction numbers on the final day of operation of – fan favorite – Splash Mountain.

Thousands flocked to the attraction and were seen bottling the ride’s water as a keepsake, while others were seen selling it online for hundreds of dollars.

The original ride’s ties to ‘Song of the South’ came under scrutiny from woke bosses at Disney amid ongoing efforts to become more progressive. 

Disney World announced that it would be closing its location of Splash Mountain in order to facilitate the ‘Princess and the Frog’ film reimagination.

The attraction at the Orlando, Florida, theme park shut down as it prepared to be relaunched as another water attraction ‘Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’ in 2024. 

The company which has a net worth of $160 billion, unveiled a first look at a new scene from the forthcoming re-theming, which features characters specifically created for the attraction.

Alongside Princess Tiana, Naveen and the jazz-loving alligator Louis, guests will travel through the bayou as they prepare to host a Mardi Gras celebration and listen to music inspired by the film.

In 2020, the company announced that the ride would be getting a refresh based on the 2009 Disney animated which features the company’s first Black princess, Tiana, at both Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida.

‘Song of the South’ stars James Baskett as Uncle Remus (pictured) and won an Oscar for best original song in 1948

A model of the revamped ride, which is based on the movie The Princess and The Frog

It all comes as Disney continues to suffer at boardroom level and faces a populist revolt led by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

CEO Bob Iger announced last month that he will lay off 7,000 employees in a ‘significant transformation’ to cut costs. 

The job losses represent a little over three percent of Disney’s global workforce, and are likely to predominantly affect the entertainment and ESPN divisions, despite the company beating analysts’ expectations for the fourth quarter of 2022.

He also revealed plans to restructure the company, effectively eliminating the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution group set up under his predecessor Bob Chapek.

The new structure will have only three divisions: Disney Entertainment — which will include film and TV assets as well as Disney+; ESPN — which will include ESPN and ESPN+; and Parks, Experiences and Products — which will include theme parks and the consumer products team.

Iger, 71, also issued a statement that he will step down in two years.

In response to the moves, activist investor billionaire Nelson Peltz, who had thrown his considerable wealth behind a campaign over the company’s wasted funds following a woke agenda, declared his proxy fight with Disney over.

Thursday morning, Peltz, 80, told CNBC’s ‘Squawk on the Street’ that ‘Disney plans to do everything we wanted them to do,’ calling the ending of his activist battle a ‘great win.

‘We wish the very best to Bob [Iger], this management team and the board. We will be watching. We will be rooting,’ said Peltz, who runs Trian Fund Management.

Iger’s news was also delivered via CNBC. He told the outlet his plan is ‘to stay here for two years, that’s what my contract says, that was my agreement with the board, and that is my preference.’

It all comes as Disney continues to suffer at boardroom level and faces a populist revolt led by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis 

A listing posted on Tuesday with the title ‘Disney SPLASH MOUNTAIN water LAST DAY OF RIDE’ has been put on auction it’s current bid at $202.50 with four bids placed so far

In January, Trian launched a proxy fight with Disney, pushing for Peltz to gain a seat on the company’s board of directors.

At the time, the firm said it owned about 9.4million shares valued at about $900million, which it accumulated several months before.

Peltz had previously taken a critical stance against Disney’s $71billion acquisition of Fox in 2019, as well as its failed succession planning that resulted in the ousting of Bob Chapek and second reign of Iger.

During the remainder of Iger’s tenure, he will be responsible for crafting a more solid succession plan than the one which left Chapek in place, only to oversee a period of turbulence for the company.