Film Review #6: Bambi

This is one of those films that at times can be so good, while at other times can be pretty annoying or confusing.  Nevertheless, it would be criminal of me not to see Bambi as the classic that it is.  Bambi, along with The Lion King, are Disney's coming of age stories.  And while one of these films did the coming of age angle a bit better, the other manages to capture the richness of forest life from the time Bambi is born, to when he takes his father's place as Prince of the Forest.  Still, that doesn't mean there isn't anything in the film to watch.  Far from that!  This film is similar to Dumbo in the amount of emotional simplicity.

Plot: Bambi is born as next in line for the title of "Great Prince of the Forest".  He lives with his mother, while trying to learn what he needs to learn to survive in the forest.  Along his journey, he meets lifelong friends like Thumper the rabbit, a female deer named Faline, and a skunk named Flower.

Over the course of his life, Bambi learns many lessons and undergoes many strenuous trials, which include harsh winters, the threat of man, and being "twitterpated".  Bambi grows up into a stag and learns on the job that it is his duty to guard the forest from the dangerous threat of man.  Eventually, Bambi and his mate Faline have fawns of their own as Bambi takes his father's place as Prince of the Forest.

What's Bad?: The length of the film, at 69 minutes, ultimately hinders any kind of character development for Bambi or any of the characters for that matter.  The biggest example of this is when Bambi's mother is famously shot by Man.  When King Mufasa dies in The Lion King, most of them movie Simba reflects on the loss of his father and the kingdom's eventual fall out of balance.  When Bambi's mother is shot, the film glosses over her death and the rest of Bambi's tutelage from his father and just skips to Bambi's adult life.  I guess it's just my way of thinking, but this kind of distracts me.

What's Good?: Despite this controversial bit of judgement, Bambi is a beautiful piece of art.  The naturalism in this piece is simply stunning to look at.  Even the most cartoonish scenes in the film are still pretty to look at.  I also like the fact that the father is almost never around in this film.  Most of the things that Bambi learns in the film are learned from his mother, a rarity for Disney.

The songs are also very unique in the film.  While the anthem is a traditionally wonderful Disney anthem, the rest of the film's songs are sung by a choir away from the film.  And while I am a little annoyed at the way the death was portrayed, I am happy that this is the first fleshed out Disney Character to actually die and stay dead that wasn't a villain.  This wouldn't happen again until The Lion King 52 years later.

I also love the decision they made to make sure that Man is never seen in the film, but his presence is felt so strongly throughout the forest.  Like in Pinocchio, the villain isn't necessarily defeated.  Man's wildfire destroys the woods, but he isn't around to suffer the consequences.

Overall: While the film does lag in some instances, like most Disney films, the stuff that is good is really really good.  The animation is still beautiful, the songs are well written, and the theme is timeless.  Bambi is considered one of Disney's greatest films and with great reasons.  I just have my personal flaw with it.  It is truly a masterpiece.

Report Card:

Hero:                                    B
Heroine:                              B-
Side Characters:                 B+
Villain:                                 A+
Songs:                                  B+ 
Musical Score:                    A-
Animation:                          A+
Special Effects:                   A
Theme:                                A
Story:                                   B

Final Grade: A-