br'er

“To be a Black dandy and live in a world that profits from your subjugation is to be a trickster,” culture writer Taylor Crumpton said in a piece for Capital B. “The Black dandy is a Br’er Rabbit in a tailored suit and tie with a top hat. Only a Black dandy could turn the Met Gala into a celebration of Blackness.”

A tied-up Nathan tricks his executioner into giving him extra time to figure out an escape by going full Br’er Rabbit, pretend-begging the killer to get his torture over with fast.

That’s a stark shift from Splash Mountain, with its villainous fox and bear-hunting Br’er Rabbit.

Its narrative, which followed Br’er Rabbit and his attempts to live a life of bliss while eluding Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear, never really emotionally connected with me.

It’s relatively loose, as Br’er Rabbit was hunted simply for being a rabbit, and his attempts at adventure and exploration eventually resulted in him being bullied back home, albeit via a rousing finale that appeared to recenter Br’er Rabbit’s priorities around friends and family.