Short and to the point, Bambi is an enduring classic.
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Well, dang. I mean, it's "Bambi." How can you not like "Bambi"?
OK, I recognize there are some curmudgeons out there who will criticize the picture for being overly cute, overly cuddly, over sentimental, in essence over Disneyfied, with far too many sweet, lovable little forest critters frolicking around. My only serious objection is that the movie is too short at only sixty-nine minutes. But even that works to its advantage with youngsters, whose attention spans undoubtedly benefit from the brief running time.
Besides about 800 short features, "Bambi" (1942) was Walt Disney's fifth full-length animated release, after "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), "Pinocchio" (1940), "Fantasia" (1940), and "Dumbo" (1941) . It may not be quite as good as the first three of these full-length forerunners, but it came along at just the right time to catch the fancy of a nation entering World War II and a world that had already been at war for several years. People needed wholesome, reassuring entertainment and "Bambi" hit the right spot. Not surprisingly, and despite some serious initial setbacks, "Bambi," "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," and "Cinderella" became the top films of the 1940s. Uncle Walt was having himself one heck of a time.
The narrative, from a 1928 book by Felix Salten, tells of Bambi's birth, his friendships and play with his fellow forest animals, his education in the ways of the world, the death of his mother, a horrendous forest fire, and new family. So we get a little tenderness, a little humor, a little passion, and, for Disney, some unusually intense conflict and tragedy. Considering that there is not a lot of real plot to the story line, quite a bit of stuff goes on.
"Bambi" is mainly a series of pictorial episodes based loosely on Bambi's growing up, accompanied by some fairly gushy orchestral arrangements and the usual sprinkling of Disney musical numbers, none of which are quite up to the more memorable tunes in Disney's previous full-length animations. "Love Is A Song," "Little April Shower," "Let's Sing A Gay Little Spring Song," and "I Bring You A Song" are not exactly the things you go out humming or remember for very long. Nevertheless, "Love Is A Song" was nominated for an Academy Award, as was the movie's scoring and sound, and in their way they all contribute to the dreamlike quality of the tale.
But the images are what count, and they are often spectacular in their beauty. The animation is of a kind that is probably too expensive to recreate today, vivid character representations and gorgeous watercolor backgrounds that portray a lush, romanticized landscape of bucolic perfection. The colors, mostly soft pastels, project an ultimate realism and a fairy-tale quality at the same time. The forest is not so much a simple element of nature as it is an exalted Garden of Eden. By the 1950s, even Disney would find this kind of animation too expensive, so we have to enjoy what we've got; it often looks stunningly truthful yet stunningly surreal, too.
Bambi's mother is caring and protective, and many a child (and adult) has shed a tear or more over her demise. Bambi's father is the "bravest and wisest" of the woodland animals, the "Great Prince of the Forest." But it's Bambi's newfound friends who steal the show: Thumper, the rabbit; Flower, the skunk; and Feline, the young doe. Together, they help Bambi share in his joys of discovery. The villain of the piece is Man. Humans hunt and kill the animals, and when they're not out for blood, they're inadvertently burning the place down. The ending makes a powerful statement about the stupidity of people, our carelessness, and our disregard for nature.
Short and to the point, "Bambi" is an enduring classic.
Video:
The picture and sound have both been cleaned, restored, remixed, and remastered to THX standards, and both audiovisual aspects of the film now belie the film's age. Because each frame has been sharpened up and color-matched to something near its original intensity, the picture often looks as vibrant and fresh as a new production. And you'll find nary a scratch, a line, a spot, or a blemish anywhere. However, the original print was never particularly bright or flashy. The forest scenes, with their darkening shadows, were meant to look subdued, and that's the way they come off. The only thing I found slightly distracting was a thin veil, like unto the reflection of grain, that that seems to hang over several scenes, including the opening sequence. It is not entirely off-putting, but it is noticeable. Whether Disney intended selected scenes to look this way intentionally I do not know.
Audio:
The sound for English is available either in the film's original monaural or in a new Dolby Digital 5.1 home-theater remix. In DD 5.1 the audio engineers have done a remarkable job opening up the front channels and producing a smooth, well-balanced output. There is still not a very wide sound stage, and the rear channels are fed hardly any information at all, but looked at more pragmatically, the soundtrack no longer seems in any way like something over sixty years old.
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[release]13045[/release]