Warning: Spoilers Ahead • ? Viewing
“Why do we run, Mama?” “Man was in the forest.”
I bet Thumper would make for a nice little stew though.
Saw this one on my flight; I couldn’t make it past the first 25 minutes of that obnoxious Greener Grass (2019) rip-off (Barb and someone go somewhere) so I settled for something possibly a little more hardcore. Classic Disney is ruthless!
I’m pretty sure I watched Bambi a couple times when I was a child, but I don’t remember a damn thing about it to tell you the truth — color me surprised though because it’s pretty decent seeing it even as an adult. The major chunk of Disney’s effort here seems to personify a baby’s introduction to life through Bambi’s innocent wonders and fears of computing the euphoric simplicities of it; this mends comfortably with the unusually relaxed execution and how tenderly rhythmic the score is with every minute action occurring on screen. Kinda cute too how the final 20 minutes is almost like an epilogue to what awaits life after childhood, as if it’s giving the mainly junior audience a glimpse into what they have to look forward to since innocence isn’t irrelevant to teens and even to adults when noting that Bambi finally gets the chance to be like his father and reconcile the care of a mother. I assume that the goal of the movie hopping nearly years after Bambi’s Mother’s death is to solely celebrate the moments in the life of an individual that present worthwhile opportunities rather than expressing the ones that subsequently make us feel hopeless, hinging again on a film that loves purity and the rather more exciting chapters to come in defiance of nature’s obstacles. Not physically showing the human hunters was knack, as well, since it gives into the utter confusion of the adolescent beholders when facing a perpetrator to atrocity. I dig how bold and transfixing the dynamic lighting contrasts are here, not to mention; Wolfwalkers (2020) would be proud!
I’m shocked though by how much The Lion King (1994) must’ve been inspired by Bambi after realizing their distinct similarities; it’s on the verge of being considered a light remake, but a totally alpha one at that! Anyways, really, Disney? Boner jokes in 1942? So immature. Hehe… *fist-bump*
Verdict: B-
“Bambi” is now available to stream on Disney+.
Burning the Celluloid 
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