Johnny (Song of the South)

Johnny is the protagonist of the 1946 Disney film Song of the South.
==Background==
Johnny is a seven-year-old boy, who listens to Uncle Remus' stories. He even befriends a boy named Toby and a girl named Ginny Favers, who lives with her brothers Jake and Joe who are bullies. During his lifetime, Johnny felt sad that his father John left for a train to catch up for a job to do and ever since then, he enjoyed listening to Uncle Remus stories as well as making friends with Toby who lives in the plantation. However, when Johnny noticed Uncle Remus leaving, he decides to stop him from leaving only to be struck by a bull in a grass patch. All of a sudden, he miraculously survives after Uncle Remus tells him the tale of Br'er Rabbit and the Laughing Place.
==Appearances==
===Media===
====Song of the South====
Johnny first appears sitting next to Aunt Tempy sitting on a carriage on their way to visit Grandma, talking to his mother Sally about what he will do today which she explains to her son that they will be visiting Grandma whom his mother thinks he would enjoy seeing the plantation. During a conversation, he hears the sound of frog croaking where Johnny's father John explains to him that when he was little, he used to catch lots of frogs just as he tells his son that Uncle Remus used to tell the tale of Br'er Frog. Johnny asks Aunt Tempy to know if Uncle Remus exists to which she explains to him that he exists just as the carriage arrives at Grandma's house. Soon as Johnny meets his grandmother, she introduces Toby to her grandson, telling him to take good care of him, especially during a visit to the plantation just before he and Toby arrive at the area where Uncle Remus would be at. Johnny's father asks Mrs. Doshy to know if Sally wants Johnny to stay with her which John tells Doshy that he might miss his train, which he explains that he might be late for his job, explaining that his mother Sally and his grandmother Doshy are here to take care of him while he is away just as he leaves via train; Johnny emotionally watches his father leave.
Later, Johnny approaches a group of plantation workers singing "That's What Uncle Remus Said" and while looking for Uncle Remus and upon hearing Uncle Remus telling the story of Br'er Rabbit in front of Toby and a group of children, Johnny overhears the narration and decides to get a close look at him only for Aunt Tempy to take Toby home and as Uncle Remus is looking for Johnny, he approaches the latter who is crying after his father left to board a train while being late for his job. Seeing Johnny sad, he shares his thoughts of feeling the same way as Johnny's which Johnny explains to Remus that he is on his way to Atlanta, which the latter replies to him that Atlanta is far from his home. Later as Uncle Remus' shack, Johnny hears Uncle Remus remembering about the story of Br'er Rabbit coming back to the Briar Patch and as he plans to leave. Upon overhearing him talk about Br'er Rabbit coming back to the Briar Patch which he heard earlier, Uncle Remus replies to Johnny and decides to cheer him up with a Br'er Rabbit story. As Uncle Remus tells the story of Br'er Rabbit to Johnny, he sings the musical number "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" to him. After Uncle Remus tells the story of Br'er Rabbit in the Briar Patch, Johnny curiously asks Uncle Remus to know if he found the Briar Patch where Br'er Rabbit visits; Uncle Remus replies to Johnny to know why he would speculate on this when he trying to leave. During a discussion about Johnny's plan to leave, Toby enters his shack to know if he found Johnny only to find out that the latter is safe all along. Soon as Toby stares at Johnny feeling upset, the latter plans to leave, only for Uncle Remus himself to go with him. Uncle Remus then takes Johnny to his mother as his mother realizes that it's past his bedtime and Toby to Aunt Tempy.
The next day, Johnny wakes up to see Toby who has brought a frog with him which reminds him of Br'er Frog. He then discusses with Toby that the frog he caught in a frog box reminds him that his father used to have a lot of frogs when he was his age just as the two decide to go frog hunting after breakfast. As Toby leaves, Johnny's mother prepares a suit for him, telling him to wear something formal as his father's mother is coming to see them today, telling him to go frog hunting another day. Later, Johnny approaches Toby who shows him the frog he caught which Johnny thinks that taking him back to the pond isn't some type of frog hunting which the two use sticks to pretend they are riding on horses which Johnny approaches a fence, telling him not to cross it, because there is a bull behind him. Toby warns him that if he crosses, the bull will charge at Johnny, which can give him injury, telling him not to cross at all just as Johnny and Toby continue pretending to be horses where the two stumble upon Ginny Favers' home. He then approaches the brothers Jake and Joe Favers, constantly harassing Ginny and her pet dog Teenchy. Soon as Jake and Joe look at Johnny wearing his suit, the two make fun of him just as he sadly stumbles upon a pond where Ginny approaches him. Johnny asks Ginny is he can hold her puppy, which she allows him to do so if he is nice to him unlike her brothers Joe and Jake who show a rude personality to Teenchy just as Johnny happily reacts to Teenchy. As Ginny sees the collar that Johnny took off in frustration from his suit, the latter allows hear to wear it which she feels happy for Johnny's empathy. The two then chase Teenchy into a rowboat and as the two go on a boat ride, Johnny and Ginny introduce themselves to each other as Johnny sings a reprise of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" to Ginny.
Meanwhile, Johnny (who is holding Teenchy) approaches Aunt Tempy, she tells him the dog is not his, telling him to take him back to his owners, much to Johnny's worry that if he takes Teenchy back to Ginny, he fears that Joe and Jake would harass Teenchy again just as Johnny tries to give the dog a safe place. Johnny suddenly approaches Uncle Remus singing "Who Wants to Live Like That?" and as he sees Johnny holding Teenchy, he tells Uncle Remus that he wasn't doing bad things what the Favers brothers were doing, which Johnny tries to clarify that he is trying to give Teenchy a safe place, which Uncle Remus agrees takes care of Teenchy after trying to discuss with him that he is kind just as Uncle Remus plans to teach Joe and Jake a lesson.
Johnny and Toby later approach Uncle Remus who is furious with Joe and Jake for harassing Teenchy and as the Favers brothers confront Johnny with rude comments, much to Johnny trying to tell him that Ginny give Teenchy to him to take care of him, much to Johnny yelling at them that they will not keep Teenchy is they keep on harassing him, which Uncle Remus decides to teach Joe and Jake a lesson to not bully their dog like that. However, Ginny suddenly arrives, giving Johnny advice that if Joe and Jake make trouble, he should tell Ginny's mother to take care of them. Later, Johnny enters Uncle Remus' shack where he and Toby listen to the story of Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby where they listen to his story and after listening, Uncle Remus tells him and Toby that there is another day for another story to tell. Just as Johnny and Toby walk outside, the two end up getting halted by Joe and Jake, who confront the two while Johnny tells them that they should never tell their mother about their rude behavior to Teenchy.
As Johnny returns to his grandmother's home, he approaches his mother telling him that next Tuesday is his birthday just as he feels excited to get presents and a birthday party with more friends and many other children joining his party just as Johnny feels excited of what his party would be like. Later when Johnny approaches Uncle Remus sulking, he discusses with him to know where Teench is at which he thinks he is at the Favers' house as Uncle Remus feels upset of his irresponsibility in taking care of Teenchy, telling him that he will never tell him anymore stories. Later during Johnny's birthday, Johnny is seen playing with other children playing with each other as while his grandmother watches happily while Mrs. Sally greets many children gathered for his party only for Johnny planning to invite Ginny. Johnny invites Ginny for his party while her mother is getting her dress ready for the party and as Johnny approaches her, he takes Ginny to his party while a Joe and Jake follow the two having a conversation on their way to the party and noticing Joe and Jake behind them, Johnny tells Ginny to not pay attention to her just as Jake pushes onto a puddle of mud, making her dress dirty just as Johnny confronts the two for bullying her while Uncle Remus saves Johnny from being attacked, teaching Joe and Jake a lesson and telling them that they should get along and not do the same actions they are doing to Ginny and Johnny. Later, Johnny approaches Ginny who is crying after her dress was dirty after Jake pushed him into the mud to which to cheer her up, Johnny tells the story of Br'er Rabbit and as the plan cheer her up fails, Uncle Remus leads Ginny to find Aunt Tempy to clean her up while Johnny tells Uncle Remus to take care of the trouble he is facing, which reminds him of a story about Br'er Rabbit and the Laughing Place just as he tells the story to the two.
After Uncle Remus tells the story of Br'er Rabbit and the Laughing Place, Johnny and Ginny stroll around the woods to look for the "Laughing Place" only to find Ginny's house instead just as Ginny's parents are happy to see their daughter back while Johnny tells Uncle Remus that he found it, only to find out that he is not there. Johnny asks his mother to know where Uncle Remus went which his mother tries to claim it was her fault, which Toby warns Sally that Uncle Remus has left just as Johnny tries to catch up with him, he suddenly enters the bull's pen, unaware that the bull is there which he furiously attacks him while Sally notices this, only for Johnny to be hit by the bull. Sally worriedly takes her son home to make sure he is safe. That night, Johnny is taken to bed and ends up crying for Uncle Remus to come back and as his parents look at him lying in bed, Johnny's grandmother approaches Uncle Remus, telling him that Johnny has returned home, which as he enters, Uncle Remus tells Johnny a tale of Br'er Rabbit and the Laughing Place, and the boy pulls through, regaining his conscience, making Uncle Remus happy once again just as Johnny recovers from his injuries he had earlier.
Later at the end of the film, Johnny, Ginny, and Toby happily stroll around the countryside with many animated characters singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" altogether just as they happily stroll into the sunset.
===Disney Parks===
====Splash Mountain====
An Easter egg of his stick can be spotted inside The Barn in the line-queue of the Splash Mountain attraction at the Disneyland Park.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*Johnny was one of Bobby Driscoll's first Disney roles as he was one of the first two actors whom Walt Disney placed under contact to participate in Song of the South, alongside Luana Patten.Disney: The First 100 Years book (1999)
==References==
Category:Song of the South characters
Category:Splash Mountain characters
Category:Males
Category:Kids
Category:Live-action characters
Category:Characters introduced in comics
Category:Characters
Category:Disney characters
Category:Heroes
Category:Protagonists