Bambi (1942)

The story of a young deer growing up in the forest.

Directors:

James Algar, Samuel Armstrong (as Sam Armstrong)

Writers:

Felix Salten (from the story by), Perce Pearce (story direction)

Stars:

Hardie Albright, Stan Alexander, Bobette Audrey

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Hardie Albright	...	Adolescent Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
Stan Alexander	...	Young Flower (voice) (uncredited)
Bobette Audrey	...	(voice) (uncredited)
Peter Behn	...	Young Thumper (voice) (uncredited)
Thelma Boardman	...	Girl Bunny / Quail Mother / Female Pheasant (voice) (uncredited)
Janet Chapman	...	(voice) (uncredited)
Jeanne Christy	...	(voice) (uncredited)
Dolyn Bramston Cook	...	(voice) (uncredited)
Marion Darlington	...	Birds (voice) (uncredited)
Tim Davis	...	Adolescent 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)

Storyline

It's spring, and all the animals of the forest are excited by the forest's latest birth, a buck fawn his mother has named Bambi. The animals are more excited than usual as Bambi's lineage means he will inherit the title of prince of the forest. Along with his mother, Bambi navigates through life with the help of his similarly aged friends, Thumper, a rabbit kit who needs to be continually reminded by his mother of all the lessons his father has taught him about how to live as a rabbit properly, and Flower, a skunk kit who likes his name. As different animals, they have their own issues and challenges which may not translate to the others. Being similarly aged, Bambi, Thumper and Flower may have to experience the uncharted phases of their lives without the knowledge or wisdom unless gleaned from those who have gone through them before. Bambi has to learn early that the lives of deer and of many of the other forest animals are not without their inherent dangers, for deer especially in ...

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Plot Keywords:

gun | deer | animal | hunter | disney | 

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Taglines:

BUBBLING WITH Laughter! TINGLING WITH Excitement! SPARKLING WITH Delight! (1966 re-release)

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the discarded characters from the original novel is Gobo. He is featured in the novel as Faline's twin brother and Bambi's first cousin. His death is a major plot point of the novel. Gobo was found by a man while wounded, nursed back to health, and released back into the wild. He concluded that men should not be feared and later willingly approaches a hunter who simply kills him.

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Goofs

The owl says that all animals, like the birds, become "twita-paited" in the spring. That time for deer is the fall rut. However, Bambi and Faline's twins are born in spring which is correct.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

To Sidney A. Franklin - our sincere appreciation for his inspiring collaboration

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Alternate Versions

The original theatrical release had the RKO print logo at the front of the film. On the 1989 and 1997 American VHS, the "Walt Disney presents" title card is the start of the film, although the 1997 laserdisc (9505) retains RKO, as the collector's format was kept pristine. For the 2005 Region 1 DVD release, the theme has a slight musical extension to fill in a new time gap made by a shorter version of the Walt Disney logo, which is perfectly in sync with the music. After the logo ends, the Walt Disney title card appears, and the film starts normally. It is unknown if this musical extension is in the original theatrical release, though it can be heard on some older Super 8 film prints. The 2017 Signature/Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD reinstated the RKO logo, but while the original dissolved from RKO to "Walt Disney presents", this version fades to black and back, it uses the extended music to match the length, and it still retains the 2005 remaster's additional background colors for the credits rather than the original's shades of blue.

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Connections

Referenced in Gremlins (1984)

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Soundtracks

Let's Sing a Gay Little Spring Song
(1942) (uncredited)
Music by Frank Churchill
Lyrics by Larry Morey

User Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Walt Disney's Bambi

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,216,741, 17 July 1988

Gross USA:

$102,247,150

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$267,447,150

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1