Bambi was many a child's first exposure to the stark realities of death, more specifically, the inevitable demise of a caretaker. The death of Bambi's mother is undeniably heartwrenching, but I propose that it is a necessity as far as how it affects Bambi's emotional development. You see, if Bambi's Maw somehow avoids that hunter's bullet, Bambi remains a sackless momma's boy all his life, and nobody wants that in a Prince of the Forest. I'm glad Bambi's mom is dead. Seriously. Bambi is the straightforward tale of four seasons in the life of a young buck named Bambi. The film basically breaks down like this: Bambi is born; he learns to speak, walk, and ice skate with the assistance of an irritating rabbit named Thumper; he meets Faline and totally blows his chance with her; his mom gets shot (his usually absent father steps in to tell him to get the hell over it); he gets horny; he bangs Faline; there's a fire...boom! Done.
What it lacks in plot, Bambi makes up for with some of the most beautiful animation ever released by the Disney studio. Although it makes me feel like a tremendous douche to type the following sentence, I will anyway: Bambi is a gorgeous feast for the eyes. Ew. I feel dirty. I guess I've got to be honest though. Bambi is a work of art. There I said it.
What it lacks in plot, Bambi makes up for with some of the most beautiful animation ever released by the Disney studio. Although it makes me feel like a tremendous douche to type the following sentence, I will anyway: Bambi is a gorgeous feast for the eyes. Ew. I feel dirty. I guess I've got to be honest though. Bambi is a work of art. There I said it.There are a couple of things I can't wrap my head around however:
1. If your parents took you to see Bambi when you were a little kid, how could you possibly grow up and even consider going hunting? I'm certain that a majority of today's deer hunting elite grew up watching Bambi or were at least aware of the central idea: man is the ultimate destroyer of life. I don't want a bunch of cute lil' animals thinking that about me, do you? I can't imagine watching a sobbing Bambi come to terms with the fact that his mother has just been viciously murdered and then jump at the chance to go deer hunting with my grand-pappy the next weekend. However...
2. ...there is a particular scene in Bambi that I think is unfair to the hunter. Near the end of the film, Bambi's father warns him that there are more men in the forest than ever before and shows him their campsite. Shortly after this warning, the hunters dash into the woods, firing wildly at EVERYTHING THAT GETS IN THEIR WAY! That's not hunting, is it? That sounds like warfare. This scene would be absolutely laughable if it wasn't for all the animal corpses. Whenever I've been regaled with a hunting story (against my will, mind you, because I am very much NOT into huntin' or huntin' stories), it's always about hiding out in a tree stand, being super quiet, and using deer urine spray. I've never heard of large groups of hunters running through the forest firing willy-nilly at any animal unfortunate enough to cross their path. The unseen hunters in Bambi shoot at chipmunks...CHIPMUNKS! Who the hell hunts chipmunks?
3. Finally, if I had 25-cents for every time Thumper stares longingly at Bambi's nutsack over the course of the movie, I could spend a pretty full day at my local video arcade. They're balls, Thumper, now move on.
My favorite part: Bambi, Thumper, and Flower get all "twitterpated" (i.e. horny); "Little April Shower" is a delightful little musical number.
Arbitrary Grade: B
