Review: Bambi (1942)

Bambi

Rating

Director

James Algar, Sam Armstrong, David D. Hand, Graham Heid, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Norman Wright

Screenplay

Perce Pearce, Larry Morey, George Stallings, Melvin Shaw, Carl Fallberg, Chuck Couch, Ralph Wright (Story: Felix Salten)

Length

1h 09m

Starring

Bobby Stewart, Donnie Dunagan, Hardie Albright, John Sutherland, Peter Behn, Tim Davis, Sam Edwards, Paula Winslowe, Stan Alexander, Sterling Holloway, Will Wright, Cammie King, Ann Gillis, Fred Shields, Margaret Lee, Mary Lansing, Perce Pearce, Thelma Boardman

MPAA Rating

Approved

Review

Empathy, tolerance, and acceptance are at the core of Bambi, a film about a wild assortment of animals who become friends when a little fawn needs them most.

A coming of age story for woodland creatures, Bambi (adult voice by Donnie Dunagan) begins life as the unknowing son of the “Great Prince of the Forest.” He soon makes friends with a skunk named Flower (adult voice by Stan Alexander) and a rabbit named Thumper (adult voice by Peter Behn). When tragedy strikes, he learns fear of the dangerousness of man while trying to pick out his way through life. He eventually falls in love and comes into his adulthood with confidence and a protective spirit.

Coming on the heels of a noteworthy array of animated productions (Snow White, Dumbo, Fantasia, and Pinocchio), the pressure was on for Walt Disney to maintain his creative inspiration and churn out new accomplishments with regularity. Although this was one of the last of the studio’s first era triumphs, it was more than that for generations of audiences. Through the film, the viewer comes to understand that species differences should not stop anyone from being friends and in fact, our protagonist is stronger for having had those influences in his life, especially in the absence of a full team of parents to raise him.

We’re also expected to learn empathy for all creatures, especially those in the forest whose lives hang in the balance between the greed and carelessness of humans. When viewed from a modern context, it’s rather surprising how its messages of acceptance, camaraderie, passion, and environmentalism stand up after more than 80 years. We see Man, the faceless antagonist, as the fearful oppressor whose willful destruction of nature Disney instilled heavily into the film. Bambi’s need to navigate the difficult circumstances of death and loss is masterfully done and beautifully tearful.

The animation is far superior to most of the Disney works that succeeded it, leading up to the second revival of the studio in the 1990s. It has a stark realism and a magnificent beauty to it that is so difficult to capture with hand-drawn, cell animation. The flames and streams are brilliant examples of this. The fires are harsh and vibrant while the storm scene is smooth and energetic with rivulets of water cascading across flora and fauna. That segment is a beautiful scene to watch as the lightning crashes and the surroundings are illuminated. The attention to detail is spectacular with leaves and bunny ears gaining a touch of translucency in the animated form. It genuinely is one of the most gorgeous cell-animated films Disney ever made.

Even though modern audiences are used to a style of animation that’s more realistic and technically magnificent, those same viewers might still be able to appreciate the majesty of this film. Bambi is a heartwarming picture and one that sits comfortably among Disney’s vast pantheon of great films.