- “Now Br'er Rabbit, being little and without much strength, he's supposed to use his head instead his foots.”
- ―Uncle Remus[src]
Br'er Rabbit is the protagonist of the animated sequences of the 1946 Disney feature film Song of the South. He is an anthropomorphic hare who is depicted as a trickster folk hero in the stories of Uncle Remus. Throughout the tales, Br'er Rabbit uses his wit to outsmart Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, who plot to capture and eat the rabbit.
Appearances[]
Song of the South[]
In the film, Uncle Remus tells three tales of Br'er Rabbit and his foes, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. He lives out most of his roles in these fables.
In the first story, Br'er Rabbit leaves his briar patch since it is giving him too much trouble. However, he then gets caught in Br'er Fox's trap, but manages to escape by tricking Br'er Bear into switching places by convincing him that it was a job that paid a "dollar a minute". He then escapes back to his briar patch as Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox fight, learning that he can't simply run away from trouble, for there is no place too far from it.
In the second story, Br'er Rabbit travels the trail, greeting everyone along the way. But then he becomes offended when he gets no response from the Tar Baby, which is another trap concocted by Br'er Fox. Br'er Rabbit punches it and gets stuck inside, but eventually escapes by tricking Br'er Fox into throwing him into a briar patch, saying it was more painful than what Br'er Fox had planned for him. He survives and escapes, as the briar patch is where "he was born and bred". This experience taught him not to bother in affairs that aren't his own.
In the third and last story, Br'er Rabbit is captured by Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear and nearly eaten until he tricks them into taking him to his "Laughing Place", where they are attacked by bees and he laughs at them.
At the end of the film, Br'er Rabbit miraculously appears in the real world (much to Uncle Remus' shock and amazement) and interacts with the children and singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" with them, along with other characters from Uncle Remus' stories, including Br'er Frog.
The Mouse Factory[]
Br'er Rabbit made recurring appearances in the live-action wrap-around skits alongside the other costumed characters and celebrity guests.
House of Mouse[]
Br'er Rabbit makes numerous cameo appearances in the animated series House of Mouse.
His most notable cameo is in the first episode "The Stolen Cartoons", where Mickey Mouse reminds everyone of the House of Mouse rules. As one of the rules, Mickey says "No villainous schemes", at which point Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear stop themselves from catching Br'er Rabbit.
He is also seen during The Ludwig Von Drake song in "Ask Von Drake". Though beforehand, he was first seen talking to Little John, Lady Kluck, and Pongo when Minnie went to the Professor about her broken mini-computer before turning his attention to Mickey when he starts arguing with Von Drake.
Another appearance he made was in "Goofy's Menu Magic", when the guests were getting hungry on account of Chef Gus eating all the food, including a hungry Br’er Fox, who imagines a terrified Br'er Rabbit as a roast turkey.
He also appears briefly in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains.
Print media[]
Over a year prior to Song of the South's premiere, Br'er Rabbit made his Disney debut in the Sunday comic strip Uncle Remus & His Tales of Br'er Rabbit, which ran from October 14, 1945 through December 31, 1972. He also starred in numerous stories in the pages of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories up until the 1990s (nobly in 70th Heaven).
Video game appearances[]
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures[]
Br'er Rabbit in Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
Br'er Rabbit appears in this game as an unlockable meet-and-greet character outside the entrance to Splash Mountain in Critter Country, after the player helps Br'er Fox lure him out of hiding.
Br'er Rabbit also serves as the player's guide in the Splash Mountain mini-game. Br'er Rabbit and the player pay a visit to Br'er Fox's house, where Br'er Rabbit tricks his foes into believing that he tripped and fell down and is now helpless in front of their door. Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear rush out only to find a "present". Ignoring Br'er Fox's warnings that it's most likely one of the rabbit's tricks, Br'er Bear eagerly opens it to discover a beehive, although he doesn't realize it's a hive until the bees come out and attack. Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear then start chasing after Br'er Rabbit and the player, but they are ultimately foiled.
He, alongside Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, make cameo appearances on the Splash Mountain stage in Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour.
Epic Mickey: Rebrushed[]
Br'er Rabbit, along with Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, appears on the poster for Mickey Mouse's Happy Birthday Show located in Mickeyjunk Mountain.
Disney Parks[]
Br'er Rabbit at a Disney park
Br'er Rabbit, along with Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, was a popular character in the Disney Parks around the world. They were the only characters from the film to still be used in later appearances.
In 2020 when racial tensions reached an all time high, he, along with Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear were retired from the character line-up. All Song of the South elements in the parks were quietly removed, with the statue of Br'er Rabbit at the Magic Kingdom seeing removal from the Hub in front of Cinderella Castle in mid-2021.
Tokyo Disneyland[]
Br'er Rabbit is prominently featured at Tokyo Disneyland's Easter parades and events (notably Disney's Easter Wonderland, Hippity Hoppity Springtime, and Usatama on the Run!) alongside other famous Disney bunnies (Rabbit, White Rabbit, Thumper, and Miss Bunny). His most notable role is the Hippity Hoppity Springtime parade where he used to serve as the lead artists on painting easter eggs with Chip and Dale. When the parade gained a refresh in 2016, he is seen rapping alongside Goofy and his son Max.
Splash Mountain[]
Br'er Rabbit stars in this popular attraction. It features a 50 foot drop as its climax and dozens of animatronics of characters from the film, most notably him.
At the start of the ride, he is shown leaving his briar patch in search of his "Laughing Place". He then tricks Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear into going into it and laughs at them as the bees sting them. Suddenly, Br'er Fox captures him in a beehive and prepares to eat him, but he begs Br'er Fox not to throw him into a briar patch, prompting Br'er Fox to do exactly that (which is represented by the climactic drop) and enable him to escape. Lastly, he is seen relaxing in the briar patch as the other animals celebrate his return home.
Mickey Mouse Revue[]
In this original Magic Kingdom attraction that was subsequently moved to Tokyo Disneyland, Br'er Rabbit appeared with Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear to sing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" near the end of the show.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure[]
There is an Easter Egg reference of Br'er Rabbit in the line queue of Tiana's Foods for the attraction.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In Joel Chandler Harris' writings, his given name was Riley Rabbit. According to David Gerstein, that name has at least once been used of him as a Disney character as well.[1]
- On a Port Orleans runner, it would feature Br'er Rabbit and Mr. Bluebird from Song of the South, and Tiana, Prince Naveen, and Ray from The Princess and the Frog, meaning that they live in the same universe.
- In one comic of Uncle Remus, he went over to Madam Mim's cottage and asked for her help to see if she can use a spell on Br'er Rabbit to scare Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear away.
External links[]
References[]
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