Bambi (1942)
A great love story.
Starring: Hardie Albright, Peter Behr, Stan Alexander, Tim Davis, Donnie Dunagan, Sam Edwards, Ann Gillis, Sterling Holloway, Cammie King, Fred Shields, Bobby Stewart, John Sutherland, Paula Winslowe, Will Wright
Director: David Hand
Running Time: 70 minutes
US MPAA rating: GUK BBFC rating: U
Animation, Drama, Family
On DVD With its fluffy, cutesy-wutesy woodland characters, there's little doubt that early Disney classic 'Bambi' is aimed at the very youngest end of the kiddie spectrum - but it's hard to imagine anyone of any age not being able to appreciate the level of thought and care that went into bringing Felix Salten's deer-based novel to life. Now digitally remastered for this brand new Special Edition DVD package, the artwork and animation looks as fresh as any of its modern-day equivalents - and that's quite a brag for a 63-year-old.
Of course, everyone knows the story by now. Bambi - a wobble-legged fawn - is born deep in the forest, he makes friends with a rabbit called Thumper, there's a family tragedy, and he goes on to become all big and grown-up and a bit of a hero.
It's not the deepest of tales - in fact, it's about as one-dimensional and straight-forward as it gets. But think of it this way: 'Bambi', perhaps more so than any other feature film from Disney's cartoon canon, tells it like it is. Okay, so I'll concede that, in real-life, animals don't actually converse with each other in fluent English, and I very much doubt that your average skunk is quite as camp as the character of Flower (seriously, a boy called Flower!). But here we have an admission that animal families DON'T function in the same way as human ones, the winter is a time of hardship rather than constant fun-and-games, and the single-most terrifying threat to these creatures' very survival is the ever-looming presence of man. Add to that the heavy amount of - erm - "twitterpation" that goes on once it reaches springtime, and you have a story which is just a couple of notches off being a fully-fledged Bill Oddie wildlife documentary.
DVD Extras: Among the reams of featurettes and documentaries on how 'Bambi' was made, there's a fascinating Patrick Stewart-hosted dramatisation of the original story meetings, put together using real transcripts of what was said and featuring some heavy input from The Waltster himself. There are also deleted scenes, a stills gallery, an animated short titled 'The Old Mill', and trailers for some of the Mouse House's other current releases (including a promising look at the forthcoming 'Chicken Little', with a top quality send-up of the paparazzi).
Version reviewed: Bambi 2 Disc Special Edition see also Bambi (Disney Special Platinum Edition)
It's Got: Hunting with dogs. Boo!! Hiss!!
It Needs: For the animals to stop taking the full orchestra with them wherever they go. It's no wonder the hunters find them so easily!
Alternatives: The Fox and the Hound, Dumbo
Summary: One of Disney's most en-DEERing movies (arf!).
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 24th February 2005
External Links
Bambi at the IMDB
Comments1 Comment |
| A true Disney classic, Bambi remains a masterpiece of animated film. The breadth and scope of the artists' portrayal of the forest is simply awe-inspiring, and no generation of children should go without seeing this Disney work of art... |
| Comment by:- gilletbd1977 | www.thedvdreport.com/dvd_revie... | 26 June 2005 | ip: logged |
