Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear (also spelled Brer Fox and Brer Bear, ) are fictional characters from African-American

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...

s popular in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. These characters have been recorded by many different folklorists, but are most well-known from the folktales adapted and compiled by

Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a plantation during his t ...

, featuring his character

Uncle Remus Uncle Remus is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection of African American folktales compiled and adapted by Joel Chandler Harris and published in book form in 1881. Harris was a journalist in post–Reconstruction era Atlant ...

Disney version

In the animated sequences of the 1946

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

-produced film ''

Song of the South ''Song of the South'' is a 1946 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated musical film, musical comedy-drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson, produced by Walt Disney, and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pi ...

'', like in the tales, Br'er Fox is the stories' antagonist, while Br'er Bear is his unintelligent accomplice. Br'er Fox was voiced by

James Baskett James Franklin Baskett (February 16, 1904 – July 9, 1948) was an American actor who portrayed Uncle Remus in the 1946 Disney feature film ''Song of the South''. His performance included singing the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah." In recognition of h ...

, who also portrayed the live-action character

in the film, while Brer Bear was voiced by

Nick Stewart Horace Winfred "Nick" Stewart (March 15, 1910 – December 18, 2000), also billed as Nick O'Demus, was an American television and film actor. He was best known for his role as Lightnin' (Willie Jefferson) on TV's '' The Amos 'n' Andy Show'' (1951 ...

. In contrast to the earlier illustrations of Frederick S. Church, A. B. Frost, and

E. W. Kemble Edward Winsor Kemble (January 18, 1861 – September 19, 1933), usually cited as E. W. Kemble, and sometimes referred to incorrectly as Edward Windsor Kemble, was an American illustrator. He is known best for illustrating the first edition of '' ...

, the Disney animators depict the characters in a more slapstick, cartoony style. The Disney versions of the characters have made appearances in other works: *Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear appear in the

Splash Mountain Splash Mountain is a log flume ride at Tokyo Disneyland. Other versions, which have since been rethemed, were formerly located at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. The attraction is based on the animated sequences of Disney's 1946 film ''Song of th ...

attraction at

Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney park t ...

and formerly at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

and

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Expe ...

. They also appeared with

Br'er Rabbit Br'er Rabbit ( ; an abbreviation of ''Brother Rabbit'', also spelled Brer Rabbit) is a central figure in an oral tradition passed down by African Americans, African-Americans of the Southern United States and African descendants in the Caribbean ...

at the

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort. Led by Josh D'Amaro, ...

for meet-and-greets, parades and shows. *A segment dedicated to the pair is featured in the 1956 one-hour television special '' Our Unsung Villains''. *Br'er Bear has a cameo appearance in the television series '' Bonkers'' in the episode "Casabonkers". *Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear make cameo appearances in several episodes of the television series ''

House of Mouse ''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001 ...

'' (2001–2003), and in the 2001 direct-to-video release '' Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse''. *Br'er Bear has made cameo appearances in other Disney films. He can be seen frequently in various scenes in the 1988 film ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. It is loosely based on the 1981 novel ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' by Gary K. Wol ...

'', and he is also seen in the 2004 direct-to-video film ''

The Lion King 1½ ''The Lion King 1½'' (known internationally as ''The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata'') is a 2004 American animated direct-to-video musical comedy film directed by Bradley Raymond, produced by Disneytoon Studios and released on February 10, 2004. T ...

'' along with many other Disney toons coming into the theater in the ending scene. *Br'er Bear has also made sporadic appearances in Disney comics. Although one Disney comic names Br'er Bear a title of "Honorary Constable of Cockleberry County" his "performance" is more akin to

Fearless Fosdick ''Fearless Fosdick'' is a long-running parody of Chester Gould's '' Dick Tracy''. It appeared intermittently as a strip-within-a-strip, in Al Capp's satirical hillbilly comic strip, ''Li'l Abner'' (1934–1977). Li'l Abner's "ideel" Fearless Fo ...

. They appear sometimes in the Li'l Bad Wolf stories, where Br'er Bear is a farmer, and is sometimes on friendly terms with the other animals. Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox, along with Br'er Weasel, Br'er Buzzard and the Big Bad Wolf (A.K.A. Zeke Wolf or Br'er Wolf) are members of the "Foul Order of Foulfellows". A running gag is Zeke trying to get his hands on Br'er Bear's chickens so he can eat them, and he ends up getting pounded by Br'er Bear."Walt Disney Comics Digest # 29 June 1971 "The Sleepwalker" They also appear often in the Dutch ''Donald Duck'' comics, usually hunting Broer Konijn (Dutch for ''Brer Rabbit''). There, they are also given the names Rein Vos and Bruin Beer, respectively. *Both Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox make an appearance in the 2011 video game '' Kinect: Disneyland Adventures'' (''Disneyland Adventures'' in the 2017 remaster) and both can be seen near Splash Mountain in Critter Country. *Br'er Bear's coat and farm hat are featured in 2022 film '' Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers''.

Other adaptations

The

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

'' Coonskin'', directed by

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (; born October 29, 1938) is a Mandatory Palestine-born American retired animator and filmmaker, known for his fantastical animated films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent anim ...

, focuses on a trio of characters inspired by the original folktales.

, Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox (renamed "Preacher Fox" in the film) all appear, and the elements of the stories are moved to a then-contemporary urban setting. '' The Adventures of Brer Rabbit'' was a 2006 animated feature including the characters, aimed at families. In the ''Tristan Strong'' series, Br'er Fox was depicted as having a change of heart over time. However, he sacrifices his life to save Tristan and the MidFolk in the first book. In the second book, Br'er Bear is revealed to be the central antagonist, having been upset by the deaths of his friend and children and influenced by King Cotton.

References

{{Uncle Remus American folklore Anthropomorphic foxes Fictional bears Song of the South characters Disney comics characters Folklore of the Southern United States Literary characters introduced in 1881 Characters in American novels of the 19th century Georgia folklore Male literary villains Literary duos Animated duos African-American cultural history Male characters in animation Folklore characters Film characters introduced in 1946 Animated characters introduced in 1946

Disney version

Other adaptations

See also

References