Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

edm-75553 This feature-length cartoon is decades old, but it is impossible to watch this and not feel a special scorn for the gun nuts and their lobby organization, the NRA. It depicts so sadly what men with guns can do and will do. Moreover, the hated for nature that such thugs carry in their hearts makes one so sad. Bambi is a message from another time intended for today, tomorrow and wherever mothers, children and innocence exists.

Hitchcoc When we hear the word "Bambi," we are quick to believe that we are referring to a maudlin, sentimental portrayal of a cute little deer. That the portrayal of the animals in the forest is saccharine and precious. What is really hear is a setup whereby we gain sympathy for the everyday battles that these creatures face. The starvation, the harsh winters, the forest fires, and so on. Bambi is a child at first and innocent and is heir to his father's portrayal as the patriarch of the woods. We are also reminded that the randomness of nature and the potential violence are small compared to the planned violence of the human animal. When man is in the forest, the animals are hunted specifically, their lives having no more meaning than that of a trophy. This is a truly remarkable film and a masterpiece of animation.

SlyGuy21 The movie starts off pretty slow, but it picks up around the half-way point. It wasn't until there was about 25 minutes left that I realized the story was about growing up. A bit of a delayed realization I know, but I was honestly too distracted by how cutesy it was. Once the 30 minute mark passed, I didn't think I'd like this, but once the darker moments started to show up, I liked it a lot more. Apparently the novel it's based off of is more graphic, I might have to give that a read sometime. The theme of growing up has been done better in Disney movies, (look at "The Lion King" and even "Inside Out" if you want better examples) but "Bambi" is a good addition to that list. It's beautifully animated, innocent at times and pretty dark as well. I recommend showing your kids this if you want to show them what it's like to grow up in a nutshell.

tomgillespie2002 When Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released back in 1937, Walt Disney proved not only that there was vast commercial potential in animation, but that it was also a credible art-form. Disney, the great innovator, toyed with surrealism in Pinocchio and created a sublime blend of music, dance and visual splendour in Fantasia, both released in 1940. With Bambi, Disney observed the quiet balance of the natural world and the troubling emergence of man. While it may contain an ensemble of cutesy talking animals with kids' voices and scenes that will have you saying "awww!" out loud, Bambi is pretty heavy stuff at times.We begin with the birth of a young prince, the wide-eyed, white- tailed deer Bambi (Donnie Dunagan), and while this opening may ring a bell with anyone who has seen The Lion King (1994) - which is everybody - Bambi is not near-mythical royalty with a destiny laid out for him. He is viewed with extreme curiosity by the other woodland animals, including enthusiastic young rabbit Thumper (Peter Behn), and they giggle as they watch the awkward deer try to stand up. As his protective mother teaches him of the dangers of the forest, his new friends teach him how to leap over fallen trees and ice-skate. Bambi doesn't so much have a plot with a beginning, a middle and an end. Instead, it's simply a portrayal of life, and the discovery, learning and danger we all come to face.The seasons change along with the film's tone and Bambi's increasing maturity, and the colder it gets, the closer you get to that scene. A few near-misses practically confirm that the doting mother isn't going to be around for long, but the moment still packs a punch even on repeat viewings. Brutally, the incident happens off-camera, and Bambi is informed of her death matter-of-factly by his stoic father. It's an incredibly brave and creative approach, and one that deals with the harshness of real life with incredible maturity. It also sums up Bambi perfectly - observational, unpatronising and thoughtful - but it will certainly warm your heart as well. Disney is frequently criticised for sugar-coating and over-simplifying our world, but I would point anyone in the direction of the corporation's earlier works, particularly Bambi, for elevating animation to a cinematic art-form.