“Song of the South” (南部の唄), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster (1951) Ultra Rare B2 (approx. 51.5 × 72.8 cm) — Walt Disney Productions / Daiei Co., Ltd. — Unrestored, Very Good (VG) D22A
A rare 1951 Japanese first-release B2 for Disney’s Song of the South—one of the studio’s most historically significant live-action / animation hybrid features, issued for the film’s first Japanese theatrical release. Anchored by the period credit 大映株式会社配給 (“Distributed by Daiei Co., Ltd.”), this is a remarkable early post-war Japanese Disney event sheet, designed to promote the novelty of human performers and animated characters appearing together in full colour.
For collectors, it is a genuine early Japanese Disney trophy: large multicolour Japanese title lettering, beautifully painted live-action character artwork, and prominent animated figures including Br’er Fox and Br’er Rabbit. Original Japanese B2 material for this title is notably scarce, particularly in complete, displayable condition.
Date & Japanese Theatrical Release
Song of the South premiered in the United States in 1946.
Japan’s first theatrical release followed in the early post-war period: 1951, with distribution by Daiei Co., Ltd. as printed on the sheet itself:
ウォルト・ディズニー製作
— “A Walt Disney Production”
大映株式会社配給
— “Distributed by Daiei Co., Ltd.”
The Japanese release title is printed prominently across the top in large colour characters:
南部の唄
— “Song of the South”
The Film & Its Place in Disney’s Legacy
Produced by Walt Disney Productions, Song of the South is an important and complex work in Disney history, combining live-action scenes with animated sequences adapted from the Br’er Rabbit stories associated with Joel Chandler Harris’s Uncle Remus tales.
The film is historically notable as one of Disney’s major experiments in blending animation with live performance. It is also one of the studio’s most discussed and controversial titles, due to its depiction of the American South and the cultural context of its source material. For that reason, original theatrical paper for the film has particular documentary significance: it preserves how the picture was marketed internationally during its original release era.
Disney, Daiei, and Post-War Reception in Japan
This B2 sits within a key post-war period when Disney features were presented in Japan as premium imported family entertainment. The poster’s Japanese copy places special emphasis on the film’s hybrid form and colour presentation, describing it as a rare and unusual work in which “humans and manga / cartoons co-star.”
The Daiei distribution credit situates the sheet firmly within Japan’s early-1950s foreign-film market. Rather than a later revival, video, or decorative reprint, this is an original theatrical campaign poster created for Japanese cinema display.
Design Notes
A poster built around warmth, colour, and character: the upper third is dominated by the large title 南部の唄, printed in red, green, ochre, and turquoise, giving the sheet immediate visual presence.
Central live-action grouping: the main image shows Uncle Remus seated with the children gathered around him, rendered in soft painted tones against a pale green background. The composition emphasizes storytelling, community, and the film’s Southern setting.
Animated character integration: Br’er Fox and Br’er Rabbit appear in the lower foreground, visually bridging the live-action figures with Disney’s animated world. Their placement gives the poster a lively theatrical quality and makes the hybrid nature of the film immediately clear.
Japanese campaign typography: vertical text columns frame the artwork on both sides, while the lower centre retains the English decorative title treatment:
Walt Disney Presents SONG OF THE SOUTH
Period distribution credit: the bottom margin carries the printed Japanese release credit for Walt Disney and Daiei, confirming the poster’s first-release theatrical context.
Text Translations
Key poster text (Japanese → English):
人間と漫画が共演する 総天然色の異色篇！
— “A unique full-colour work in which humans and cartoons co-star!”
南部の唄
— “Song of the South”
美しい南部の大自然にくりひろげられる 叙情の詩 陶酔の絵巻！
— “A lyrical poem unfolded amid the beautiful nature of the South — an enchanting picture scroll!”
ボビー・ドリスコル / ジェームス・バスケット 主演 / ルース・ウォリック
— “Starring Bobby Driscoll / James Baskett / Ruth Warrick”
劇部分監督 ハーヴ・フォスター
— “Live-action director: Harve Foster”
漫画部分監督 ウィルフレッド・ジャックスン
— “Animation director: Wilfred Jackson”
ウォルト・ディズニー製作
— “Produced by Walt Disney”
大映株式会社配給
— “Distributed by Daiei Co., Ltd.”
Condition Report
Overall condition: Very Good vintage condition, unrestored.
Condition details: the poster presents beautifully for an original early-1950s Japanese theatrical sheet, with strong surviving colour, attractive character artwork, and excellent display impact. The large multicolour title remains vivid, and the central Disney imagery is clear and appealing.
The poster has original fold lines, including vertical and horizontal folds, with associated fold wear, creasing, and light stress at fold intersections.
The reverse is blank and shows age toning, fold wear, and image show-through, as expected for paper of this type and age.
Please review the provided photos (front and back)—they show the exact poster offered.
It is an original 1951 Japanese theatrical poster, not a reproduction or reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
