Bambi 1942

Disney Classics Marathon :pound_symbol:5

Ah, sweet sweet childhood trauma, so nice to revisit you.

When I was a kid I cried so hard the first time I watched THAT scene that my Mom started to fast-forward through it whenever I wanted to rewatch the movie. And then I just stopped watching it all together. Until I was around 16 and I had this very brave (or stupid) moment and put it on. Yeah, still ran crying to my Mom in the middle of it. And here’s the thing, I‘m not even sure that I completely understood THAT scene when I was younger, but it definitely got an emotional reaction out of me. Something, the movie is fantastic in.

"Bambi" is another odd one compared to films coming out today. Looking at Disney‘s progression alone, we mostly get a classic hero‘s journey these days, where one main character goes through trials and tribulations, overcomes their issues and rides into the sunset. "Bambi" is entirely different.

Based on the book of the same name, written by Felix Salten (never read it), it chronicles the life of young fawn Bambi from his childhood until he is a fully grown deer. It’s very episodic and shows slices of Bambi‘s life in the forest, his friends and his encounters instead of telling a coherent story and it works beautifully.

The film also contains almost no dialogue and is more accompanied by a beautiful score contributed by Frank Churchill (who also worked on Snow White and Pinocchio) as well as Edward H. Plumb, who would go on to work on Lady and the Tramp, among others. The score, as well as the few songs, are more than enough and set a beautiful atmosphere. More dialogue is not needed. Besides that, the voice acting leaves much to be desired and can be rather lifeless. Except Peter Behn as Thumper who is lively and adds a lot of character (unfortunately he is probably also the blueprint for obnoxious loud child in Disney movies).

The animation is gorgeous. No, not just that. "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia" where gorgeous as well (especially the latter still being one of the most beautifully animated features in history) but "Bambi" is simply lovely. Except for scenes that are supposed to be frantic, the calmness of the forest, as well as the childlike wonder are all reflected in the animation. The soft coloring does t he rest. Watching this, is like watching a beautiful and unique painting that somehow offers comfort. Until Bambi‘s mother gets shot, but hey, no movie is flawless.

"Bambi" is a movie about growing up. About learning, about the world, about relationships and exploring and it is one of the most unique coming of age stories there is.

It is again not one of my frequent rewatches but I nevertheless always enjoy it when I put it on. Except THAT scene.

Favorite Scene: Bambi on the ice. It’s just too cute, let’s be honest.

Favorite Character: Thumper? Obnoxious, yes, but also the biggest personality in the film.

Favorite Song: "Little April Shower"

"Bambi" was the last feature length movie before Disney added its, kinda weird, war time package movie era. At least they entered that weird place in time with a good movie to fall back on.

7 out of 10 Stars.

You've gotta give it to Disney, especially in the classic years: they weren't ones to rest on their laurels. Even today, Bambi feels like a major risk. You've already established a reputation for high-quality fairy tale adaptations, so where does a calm, quiet, feature-length deliberation on everyday animal life fit in? They went for it anyway, no doubt conscious of Fantasia's then-recent commercial failure, and they pulled it off. In retrospect, both films are widely acknowledged as ambitious, timeless creative triumphs. So, the lesson is, don't worry about the now; just make work that makes you proud, and eventually society will catch on.

Bambi is an obvious labor of love, from the careful document of reclusive forest wildlife to the gradual, almost cautious, plot development. It's sweeter than a sack of saccharine, a sugar rush of adorable young furballs with charming children's voices, singing songs and learning about the world, but also sober and profound. Of course, everyone remembers the crucial childhood's-end scene involving Bambi's mother, but his later, adolescent encounters with a rival buck and a roving gang of hunting dogs are equally powerful, with similarly harsh (but fair) lessons to teach us all.

It may not be as flashy, nor as instantly gratifying, as the studio's biggest features, but I found Bambi a much more resonant, almost philosophical experience. It focuses on a community of big-eyed, impossibly cute talking animals, sure, but it's about so much more than easy feelings and simple superficiality.