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James Baskett

James Baskett

Actor · Died July 9, 1948, aged 44 · Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

James Franklin Baskett (February 16, 1904 – July 9, 1948) was an American actor who portrayed Uncle Remus, singing the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in the 1946 Disney feature film Song of the South. In recognition of his portrayal of Remus, he was given an Honorary Academy Award in 1948, making him the first Black male performer to receive an Oscar.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 16, 1904
Died
July 9, 1948 (aged 44)
From
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
3 on MovieCove · 11 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 29% in 30 days

What are James Baskett's films like?

Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
47%
Power
30%
Self
23%
Family bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Easy watch: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their easy watch movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
3
Warm
2
Hopeful
2
Tense
1
Triumphant
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Baskett's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 3 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Baskett's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

11 credits, 3 with a MovieCove page.

  • Walt Disney: Behind the Magic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Uncle Remus (archive footage)

  • Song of the South(1946)

    as Uncle Remus / Br'er Fox (voice)

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Heavenly Body (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Porter (uncredited)

  • Revenge of the Zombies(1943)

    as Lazarus

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Dumbo(1941)

    as Fats Crow (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Comes Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Actor

  • Straight to Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as First Detective

  • Gone Harlem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Actor

  • Policy Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Jimmie

  • 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Actor

  • Harlem Is Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 83rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 11 titles from 1932 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Song of the South (1946)

$37M worldwide

Highest rated

Dumbo (1941)

Midcredits 85th

Film career

  • 1941Screen debut· Dumbo
  • 1946First top-billed film· Song of the South

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting11 of 11: 11 only acting, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s5 · acting1940s5 · acting2020s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do James Baskett's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 3 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 3 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · actor

Song of the South (1946)

51st percentile spread · 11% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Dumbo (1941)

Midcredits 85th · 73% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does James Baskett work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Baskett's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Wilfred Jackson shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Producers