The soft-scrubbed depiction of life in the post-Civil War South focuses on a white boy who's sent to stay with his grandmother on her plantation, where he's befriended by Uncle Remus, an old black man who shares life lessons. James Baskett won a special Oscar for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, while "Zip-a-dee Doo Dah" won an Oscar for Best Song. The film's gauzy take on plantation life and minstrelsy-themed animated segments, however, led to criticism upon its release and in the years since.