The partly animated, partly live-action film based on the Uncle Remus tales of Joel Chandler Harris. Bill Peet designed and storyboarded the animated Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear sequences. He received a rare story credit (under his birth name, William Peed), one of the few times Disney gave individual story attribution, and his "Laughing Place" story boards became legendary among fellow animators.
In this mostly live-action film, Bill Peet did the storyboards and character development for the Uncle Remus stories featuring Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear. Bill also rode the camera boom during the shooting of the live-action sequences so the camera would be positioned correctly when animation and live action were combined.
His contribution
Bill's story sketches for Song of the South, particularly the "Laughing Place" sequence, became celebrated inside the studio. Fellow animator Frank Thomas called them "a magnificent piece of story work for animation," and Ollie Johnston said his drawings were "staged beautifully... a great springboard for the animators." Andreas Deja later noted of the boards: "Look at the vitality in these sketches, appeal, acting and storytelling, it's all there." Bill received a screen story credit as "William Peed," one of the first individual story attributions in a Disney feature.
Story sketches
- RELEASED
- November 12, 1946
- DIRECTOR
- Harve Foster, Wilfred Jackson
- BILL'S ROLE
- Storyboards, Character Design (Uncle Remus animated sequences)
- RUNTIME
- 94 min