Looking back at this film as it was filmed in 1942 by nine freaking directors man... one supervising director David Hand and the rest sequence directors: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Graham Heid, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Norman Wright, Arthur Davis and Clyde Geronimi.
One thing I’d never known before that I learned is that Bambi the film was based on an actual book from 1923 called Bambi, A Life In The Woods written by Austrian author/hunter Felix Salton. Always thought it was straight creation of Disney’s but it’s not, weird.
Bambi is a film not just about a young deer and his life in the forest it’s really about the survival of nature against the ever deadly animal known as man killing off animal species and there are some scenes that are really drastic for a supposedly family film but I’ll get to that.
At the beginning of the film we meet our very first cast of characters as there’s pink nosed Thumper and A bashful skunk named Flower, friend Owl and the wakening of the forest animals as a new fawn was born to an unnamed Doe whom as we learn is the Son of the Prince of The Forest.
The best thing about this animation is the attention to detail of other wild life besides the birth of Bambi, his beginning stammering and early bonding moments with Flower and Thumper. I enjoy Bambi’s moment of falling on the ice it’s cute. Shows that he was still not quite used to his young body enough to be sure of himself.
I find the part where we meet his father very regal The Prince has a very stoic prescient and it’s here Bambi gets his first glimpse of the things astute deer do which apparently is rushing at other bucks with antlers with playful bashing of horns.
We also get a playful moment with Bambi meeting young Faline a female doe the first female of Bambi’s species as we can see more awkwardness. As an adult I found her teasing a little annoying but as a child I remember the moment fondly as his first meeting a girl moment. Reminds me of The Lion King later with Nala a little bit.
Winter comes and at the first sign of the new green grass his mother is alerted of danger and tells Bambi to run for the thicket and never look back... we hear a shot run out and Bambi calling for his mother is a tear jerker... when he runs into his father and he tells him so solemn that his mother won’t be with him ever again this almost ruined the film for me it was a sad, dark moment.
There is another moment I enjoy in this film where friend Owl explains to the now grown Bambi, Thumper and Flower about the betwixings of love... just love this part it’s so eerily comical... I’d forgotten that Bambi also ends up getting shot himself but I do remember the fire that man caused and watching how many animals had to move their homes... not to mention the pidgin that got frantic and nervous flew up in the air and got shot in the whole process.
In a sense this had the same pivotal message as Lion King as there is a birth/relationship/ rebirth and continuing line of royalty among creatures in the forest. I think this film hold up and find it very beutiful. A decent family film to still watch and enjoy. Thoroughly recommend. Have it four stars as Bambi’s mothers death still bothers me did it have to be so cruel?
