The problem I have with Disney's Song of the South is not that its racial / historic context is so sketchy (that's certainly there, but as one commenter on the article notes, much the same can be said for Gone with the Wind), but that it's a combination of some wonderful animated short stories and some just plain awful live action segments.
Maybe what Disney needs to do is, rather than effectively burying the film, use their lawyers to ensure trademarks on the animated characters but just release the movie itself to the public domain in some fashion that means they won't make any money off of it, but others can watch and debate and enjoy or excoriate it to the extent they feel so moved. That wouldn't end the controversy, but it would let Disney step away from it.
Disney Animator praises “Song of the South” | The Disney Blog
Former Disney animator Floyd Norman was just a boy when Walt Disney’s feature film “Song of the South” was released into the theaters. Norman has just written a powerful blog post about the film. While he doesn’t come right out and ask for Disney to release the film on DVD, he does come “this” …
WB has released some of their old propaganda shorts with a disclaimer about how it was a different time and that doesn't make the racism okay but this is part of their history. I think that's all Disney needs to do with it. Several actors and film historians have offered to film such a disclaimer.
I actually have this on DVD somewhere, though. Canada is still Region 1, after all.
I don't know why they just font release it, anyone can go on to YouTube and watch it anyways, so what is the big desk