Modern day audiences were shocked 3 years ago when an animated film with very little dialogue captured the imaginations of audiences young and old. Critics called it revolutionary, a brilliant film-making achievement. Pixar's Wall-E was all of these things, but 66 years before, there was another film with minimal dialogue, mostly visual storytelling, and a powerful environmental message. Bambi is usually not people's favorite Disney movie, but I think it has more to do with the film's difficult message. It is hard to feel warm and fuzzy when humankind is the villain.
Bambi opens with the birth of Bambi, the newest “prince” of the forest. Slowly, Bambi's mother teaches Bambi all the workings of the forest. Eat the greens as well as the clovers. Never run into the meadow. Keep an eye out for humans. He becomes friends with a rabbit named Thumper and a skunk named Flower. He learns about birds, butterflies, and why Flower hibernates in the winter. Generally, he has a really good life. If you were a deer in the forest, you wanted to be Bambi.
The storytelling method in this movie is really pretty amazing. They didn't shoehorn in drama or add a fast-talking animal spouting pop culture references. Aside from the sparse lines of dialogue, the animals in Bambi act like animals, and the comedy and drama are derived from that. Bambi learns to walk, and like most fawns, he is awkward on his feet. It is physical comedy in nature with no need for embellishment. In a serious moment, Bambi has to fight another deer for a potential mate, and once again, their fight is realistic.
I also have to mention Bambi's use of music in storytelling. In most animated Disney films, characters take a break from the movie to sing about their feelings, whether their feelings involve living out of the sea, experiencing a whole new world, or waiting for their prince to come. In Bambi, Bambi and Thumper do not burst into song. Instead, the songs almost feel sung by the forest itself. “Little April Showers” evokes the feeling of a spring rain shower, starting out as a lighthearted “drip, drip, drop” with a crescendo up to booming thunder and flash of lightning. The storytelling style might seem slow for kids raised on Shrek and every other Shrek knock-off out there, but in every other regard, Bambi has stood the test of time.
(SPOILER ALERT, though I doubt this is a spoiler for most anyone.)
As I said before, I don't think that Bambi is as popular as other Disney films because people are uncomfortable with the film's message. In Bambi, humans are the boogey-man. Bambi's mother speaks of them in a hushed voice and warns Bambi to beware of men. The audience hears their guns and sees their hunting dogs, but humans are never shown on-screen. Humans also have the most power over every other character in Bambi. They kill Bambi's mother, start a forest fire, and otherwise disrupt the order of the forest.
I find it interesting that the protagonists in Bambi and Wall-E have so many similarities. For the most part in both films, humans are an unseen presence who treat the environment with little regard, and Bambi and Wall-E are stuck with the aftermath of human actions. Bambi has wildfires and the loss of his mother, and Wall-E is hiding out from sandstorms and literally cleaning up our mess. As previously stated, humans are never seen in Bambi, and Wall-E does not encounter humans until he leaves planet Earth. The humans in Wall-E don't even have to face the consequences of mass consumerism until the last minute of the film. Even then, the humans in Wall-E are naively chattering about “pizza plants,” and they don't mourn the fact that they wrecked their planet for themselves and for every other plant and animal life on Earth. Imagine what Bambi's forest looks like after the destruction shown in Wall-E. Is there any life left in Bambi's forest? Probably not.
By itself, Bambi is still a massive achievement in animation, storytelling, and use of music. Watched back-to-back as a sort of prequel to Wall-E, Bambi gives us the full picture of what mankind will lose if we continue catering to our greed rather than thinking of the world's collective need. Bambi's message is more important than ever, and hopefully with the film's beautiful new release on Blu-ray, more people will get the chance to see it.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
All of these Disney Blu-ray releases are packed full of special features, and Bambi is no exception. The set comes with the Blu-ray disc, DVD disc, and digital copy of the film. There is an introduction by Diane Disney Miller, 2 deleted scenes, a deleted song, a look inside Walt Disney's story meetings, a Disney knowledge game, and interactive Blu-ray galleries.
"Bambi" is on sale March 1, 2011 and is rated G. Adventure, Animation. Directed by Bill Roberts, David Hand, Graham Heid, James Algar, Norman Wright, Paul Satterfield, Samuel Armstrong. Written by Felix Salten. Starring Hardie Albright, Paula Winslowe, Peter Behn, Stan Alexander.
