Bambi (1942)

Directors:

James Algar
Samuel Armstrong
(more)

Writers:

Felix Salten (story)
Perce Pearce (story)
(more)

Release Date:

21 August 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Family

Tagline:

Walt Disney's multiplane technicolor feature

Plot:

Animated film about a young deer, Bambi, growing up in the wild after his mother is shot by hunters.

Plot Keywords:

Bambi | Deer | Forest | Hunter | Growing Up

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Hardie Albright	...	Adolescent Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
Stan Alexander	...	Young Flower (voice) (uncredited)
Bobette Audrey	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Peter Behn	...	Young Thumper (voice) (uncredited)
Thelma Boardman	...	Mrs. Quail / Pheasant (voice) (uncredited)
Janet Chapman	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Jeanne Christy	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Dolyn Bramston Cook	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Marion Darlington	...	Birds (voice) (uncredited)
Tim Davis	...	Adult Thumper / Adolescent Flower (voice) (uncredited)
Donnie Dunagan	...	Young Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
Sam Edwards	...	Adult Thumper (voice) (uncredited)
Ann Gillis	...	Adult Faline (voice) (uncredited)
Otis Harlan	...	Mr. Mole (voice) (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Eddie Holden	...	Chipmunk (voice) (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Sterling Holloway	...	Adult Flower (voice) (uncredited)
Jack Horner	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Thelma Hubbard	...	Girl Bunny / Quail Mother / Female Pheasant (voice) (uncredited)
Cammie King Conlon	...	Young Faline (voice) (uncredited)
Mary Lansing	...	Aunt Ena / Mrs. Possum (voice) (uncredited)
Margaret Lee	...	Thumper's Mother (voice) (uncredited)
Clarence Nash	...	Bullfrog (voice) (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Babs Nelson	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Sandra Lee Richards	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Francesca Santoro	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Fred Shields	...	Great Prince of the Forest (voice) (uncredited)
Bobby Stewart	...	Baby Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
John Sutherland	...	Adult Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
Paula Winslowe	...	Bambi's Mother / Pheasant (voice) (uncredited)
Elouise Wohlwend	...	UNKNOWN (voice) (uncredited)
Will Wright	...	Friend Owl (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
James Algar		(sequence director)
Samuel Armstrong		(sequence director) (as Sam Armstrong)
David Hand		(supervising director) (as David D. Hand)
Graham Heid		(sequence director)
Bill Roberts		(sequence director)
Paul Satterfield		(sequence director)
Norman Wright		(sequence director)

Writing credits
Felix Salten		(story)
Perce Pearce		(story direction)
Larry Morey		(story adaptation)
Vernon Stallings		(story development) (as George Stallings) &
Melvin Shaw		(story development) &
Carl Fallberg		(story development) &
Chuck Couch		(story development) &
Ralph Wright		(story development)

Produced by
Walt Disney	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Frank Churchill
Edward H. Plumb		(as Edward Plumb)

Art Direction by
Tom Codrick		(as Thomas H. Codrick)
Robert Cormack		(as Robert C. Cormack)
Lloyd Harting
David Hilberman
John Hubley
Dick Kelsey
McLaren Stewart
Al Zinnen

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Atwood	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Mike Holoboff	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Bob Ogle	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Wah Chang	....	character maquettes (uncredited)
Jules Engel	....	atmosphere sketches (uncredited)
Lew Keller	....	atmosphere sketches (uncredited)
Harold Miles	....	atmosphere sketches (uncredited)
Sylvia Moberly-Holland	....	atmosphere sketches (uncredited)
Maurice Noble	....	atmosphere sketches (uncredited)
Zack Schwartz	....	atmosphere sketches (uncredited)
Glenn Scott	....	atmosphere sketches (uncredited)
Gustaf Tenggren	....	atmosphere sketches (uncredited)

Sound Department
Keith Rogers	....	sound re-recording mixer (restorated version)
James MacDonald	....	sound effects (uncredited)
C.O. Slyfield	....	sound director (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Patrick L. Almanza	....	restoration artist (2005 restoration) (as Patrick Almanza)
Casey James Basichis	....	restoration artist (2005 restoration) (as Casey Basichis)
Jeff Schiffman	....	restoration artist (2005 restoration)
Rachel Clement	....	restoration artist (2005 restoration) (uncredited)
Miles E. Pike	....	effects animator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Max Morgan	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Animation Department
Dick Anthony	....	background artist (as W. Richard Anthony)
Preston Blair	....	animator
Jack Bradbury	....	animator (as John Bradbury)
Merle Cox	....	background artist (as Merle T. Cox)
Marc Davis	....	animator (as Fraser Davis)
Phil Duncan	....	animator
Art Elliott	....	animator
Bernard Garbutt	....	animator
Ray Huffine	....	background artist
Ken Hultgren	....	animator (as Kenneth Hultgren)
Travis Johnson	....	background artist
Ollie Johnston	....	supervising animator: "Thumper" (as Oliver M. Johnston Jr.)
Bill Justice	....	animator
Milt Kahl	....	supervising animator: "Great Prince of the Forest" (as Milton Kahl)
Eric Larson	....	supervising animator
Ed Levitt	....	background artist
Don Lusk	....	animator
Bob McIntosh	....	background artist (as Robert McIntosh)
Joshua Meador	....	animator
Ken O'Brien	....	animator (as Kenneth O'Brien)
Art Palmer	....	animator
Art Riley	....	background artist
George Rowley	....	animator
Louie Schmitt	....	animator (as Louis Schmitt)
Retta Scott	....	animator
Stan Spohn	....	background artist
Joe Stahley	....	background artist
Frank Thomas	....	supervising animator: "Thumper" (as Franklin Thomas)
Tyrus Wong	....	background artist
Edwin Aardal	....	animator (uncredited)
Lee J. Ames	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Jerome Brown	....	animator (uncredited)
Paul Busch	....	animator (uncredited)
Lars Calonius	....	animator (uncredited)
Brad Case	....	animator (uncredited)
Ugo D'Orsi	....	animator (uncredited)
Russ Dyson	....	animator (uncredited)
James Escalante	....	animator (uncredited)
Paul Fitzpatrick	....	animator (uncredited)
Joseph Gayek	....	animator (uncredited)
Blaine Gibson	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
George Goepper	....	animator (uncredited)
Franklin Grundeen	....	animator (uncredited)
Harry Hamsel	....	animator (uncredited)
Joe Harbaugh	....	animator (uncredited)
M. James	....	animator (uncredited)
Lynn Karp	....	animator (uncredited)
Jack Kinney	....	animator: opening sequence (uncredited)
Paul B. Kossoff	....	animator (uncredited)
Jeanne Lee Keil	....	ink and paint artist (uncredited)
Dan MacManus	....	animator (uncredited)
Fred Madison	....	animator (uncredited)
Murray McClellan	....	animator (uncredited)
John McManus	....	animator (uncredited)
Bill Melendez	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Art Moore	....	animator (uncredited)
James Moore	....	animator (uncredited)
Curt Perkins	....	layout artist (uncredited)
John Reed	....	animator (uncredited)
Glenn Scott	....	layout artist (uncredited)
Hazel Sewell	....	animator (uncredited)
Sandy Strother	....	animator (uncredited)
Don Tobin	....	animator (uncredited)
Harvey Toombs	....	animator (uncredited)
Don Towsley	....	animator (uncredited)
Noel Tucker	....	animator (uncredited)
Karl Van Leuven	....	animator (uncredited)
Jim Will	....	animator (uncredited)
Vernon G. Witt	....	animator (uncredited)
Cornett Wood	....	animator (uncredited)
Cy Young	....	animator (uncredited)
Robert W. Youngquist	....	animator (uncredited)

Music Department
Charles Henderson	....	choral arrangements
Paul J. Smith	....	orchestrator
Alexander Steinert	....	conductor
Charles Wolcott	....	orchestrator
Edmundo Santos	....	lyrics: Spanish version (uncredited)

Other crew
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Charles Garcia	....	digital restoration: Pixel Magic (1997 version)
Donna Atwood	....	ice skating model: "Thumper" (uncredited)
Maurice Day	....	researcher (uncredited)
Don Graham	....	consultant: animal anatomy and motion (uncredited)
Rico Lebrun	....	consultant: animal anatomy and motion (uncredited)
Jane Randolph	....	ice skating model (uncredited)
Robert Winkler	....	voice-over (uncredited)
Dee Worth	....	secretary (uncredited)
Vi Zimmerman	....	secretary (uncredited)

Thanks
Sidney Franklin	....	appreciation: inspiring collaboration (as Sidney A. Franklin)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• Daiei Motion Picture Company (1951) (Japan) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Filmsonor (1947) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Gaumont Buena Vista International (GBVI) (1993) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (195?) (Australia) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1947) (France) (theatrical) (as RKO Radio Films)
• Walt Disney Productions (1969) (Sweden) (theatrical) (re-release)
• ABC Family (2012) (USA) (TV)
• Abril Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Gativideo (199?) (Argentina) (video)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Also Known As:

"Walt Disney's Bambi" - USA (poster title)

Runtime:

70 min | West Germany:65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Portugal:M/6 (Qualidade) | Australia:G | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | West Germany:6 | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Peru:PT | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #5013) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1974) | Greece:K | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

After Dumbo (1941), this is the second Walt Disney animated feature to be set in the present day.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Before Bambi meets Thumper's family in the meadow, Bambi's mother's head is drawn like a fawn's head.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Thumper:Wake up, wake up!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Once Upon a Mouse (1981)

Soundtrack:

Love Is a Song

Appealing, Thoughtful Animated Classic

The characters and story from Walt Disney's adaptation of "Bambi" still hold up as well as they ever did. The animation, likewise, still looks very attractive and detailed. It's understandable if the animation in itself doesn't strike everyone now as being particularly impressive, given the many recent achievements in animation, but in itself it is an excellent job with the resources of its time. It all makes for an appealing and thoughtful classic that is still well worth seeing.

The main characters are well-chosen, especially Bambi himself and the always-engaging Thumper. Some of the best scenes are simply those of the various animal friends playing together – the scene of Thumper and Bambi on the ice being perhaps the most endearing of all. The change of seasons is used to great effect, both aesthetically and in advancing the story and its themes.

It's pretty interesting to contrast "Bambi" with "The Lion King", by no means to decide which is 'better', but rather to take note of the slightly different ways in which they handle some very similar material. Both present the story of a young animal 'prince', the way he explores and learns about his world, and the ways that he must adjust to the tragedies and challenges of adulthood. There are also a number of other interesting similarities. Bambi is at once the more innocent, yet also the more somber of the two.

One very interesting difference is that the greatest threats in "Bambi" come from humans, who are wholly external to the world of the characters, and over whose actions the animals have no control, whereas in "The Lion King" the threats and conflicts are all amongst the animal characters themselves. Both movies deserve to be ranked among the very best animated features of their eras, so there's no need to prefer one over the other – it can just make for even more interesting viewing to notice how these differences help to give each of the two movies its distinctive character.

"Bambi" is the kind of movie that can stick in your mind for many years, especially if you first saw it when young. The characters and many of their adventures make it very appealing, often even adorable, and yet it also portrays some of the most serious (and frightening) things that can happen in the lives of the young. It's a fine movie that accomplishes a lot, and it has held up quite well over the years.