"You know, just the other day, I was talking to myself about you, and we were wondering what had become of you." -Friend Owl (also me during quarantine)
Initial thoughts before viewing: Bambi was released on VHS in 1997 (Masterpiece Collection Version) and was naturally a part of my Disney video tape collection growing up. I watched it pretty frequently, and our pet rabbit growing up was named Thumper as a salute to this movie's most adorable rabbit friend. Bambi was never a favorite of mine, but I liked and appreciated the movie all the same.
If you've never seen Bambi or need a refresher, here is a link to the movie's Disney Wiki page where you can read the plot summary.
Highlights:
MAN SUCKS.
Yes, man is the unseen villain of Bambi. And somehow the fact that the hunters are heard and NOT seen makes it all the more terrifying. The scene where man makes his first "appearance" while the deer are on the meadow has minimal dialogue, and yet the suspense and fear is clearly conveyed through the art, pacing, and music. Once the danger is over, young Bambi is confused as to what happened:
Bambi: What happened, Mother? Why did we all run?
Bambi's Mother: Man...was in the forest.
This once exchange of dialogue is so extremely powerful and poignant. There is no explanation beyond this, yet Bambi understands in an instant what this means. Sadly, we all know the fate that awaits Bambi's mother thanks to man. For many people, experiencing the death of Bambi's mother, albeit off screen, was a traumatic childhood experience. It remains one of the most infamous moments in cinema history. In rewatching this scene, I was struck by how heavy the snow is falling and how difficult it is to see Bambi's face when his father comes to take him. It adds to the sense of confusion and isolation that Bambi is feeling in the moment.
Let's also not forget that man's carelessness causes a massive fire that decimates the forest at the end of the movie. You suck, Man. STAY OUT OF THE FOREST.
Drip drip drop "Little April Shower" sequence
I've always loved this catchy little song. It's one of those tunes that's always been floating around my head and I'll bust it out randomly around the house. In the movie, the song is featured early on as young Bambi encounters his first rainstorm. From the gentle raindrops to the howling storm the comes later, the scene is beatifically and intricately animated and synced perfectly to the music. It can be hard to compare a Disney song like this to it's flashier counterparts, but it's always been a favorite of mine: it's simply mesmerizing to watch! A brilliant piece of classic animation. You can watch the nearly 4 minute sequence here.
Random thoughts I had while Watching:
Bambi walked so that The Lion King could run. It's well known that The Lion King was inspired by Bambi (and Hamlet). From the opening scene birth announcement, to the childhood playmate turned lover, to the traumatic death of a parent at an early age, all the major story beats and circle of life themes are present in these 2 movies. In Bambi, after the fire has raged through the forest, there is a major circle of life moment when the forest is shown regrowing alongside the birth of Faline and Bambi's twin fawns. The last scene of the movie shows Bambi standing proudly over his forest kingdom and is reminiscent of Simba standing on Pride Rock. It's pretty cool to be able to watch Bambi with fresh eyes and see where they took inspiration for The Lion King.
Disliked: My one nit picky thing is that I found the adult voices of Bambi, Thumper, and Flower to be a little odd and frankly, too mature. It goes from winter to spring and suddenly these characters return with very adult-male 1940s voices and bravado: "Hello, Friend Owl! Don't you remember me?" This may be the reason that you always see the younger version of Bambi and his friends on merchandise and in general when Bambi is brought up in the Disney zeitgeist. If you're curious, you can hear adult Bambi, Thumper, and Flower speaking in this clip.
Closing Thoughts:
Bambi is a poignant film about life and death.
Bambi remains a controversial film because of its realistic nature and tone. Yes there are the fun scenes with young Bambi and Thumper playing on the frozen lake, but overall the film has heavy themes about the realities of mother nature and the detrimental effect of man in the forest. This movie is probably the first time a child has encountered the idea of death, particularly that of a parental figure. It's tough to watch, but also brings about another important theme: moving on from loss. Although The Lion King does a better job of conveying grief and moving on from the trauma of your past ON screen, we can assume that young Bambi goes through his own version of this grieving process off screen. OR you could watch Bambi II if you really want to know how he deals. This the direct-to-video midquel takes place in the middle of Bambi between the time where Bambi loses his mother to when he grows into a buck. This exists, people. It's a thing.
Bambi is effing gorgeous.
Bambi is a masterclass in animation. The realism of the forest and characters gives the film a gravitas without losing that Disney-esque quality. The opening scene alone is a showstopper - the multiplane camera was used here to great effect to achieve a rich, detailed portrait of the forest setting. It's always great to remember when watching these older animated classics that THIS WAS ALL DONE BY HAND. No computers, no shortcuts. This is animation with real blood, sweat, tears, and love put into each cell and drawing. And it shows.
My Rating: 6.5/10
My Rating Scale/System:
10 - Masterpiece / Award Worthy 🤩
9 - Almost perfect / Exceptional 🥰
8 - Great / Well-crafted 😁
7 - Good / Noteworthy 😊
6 - Above average / Memorable 🙂
5 - Solidly average 😐
4 - Mixed feelings / Mediocre 😕
3 - Uninteresting / Struggle bus 🥱
2 - Barely watchable 😡
1 - Failure / Why is this a thing? 💩
