Bambi

Bambi is a good movie.  It's a bit old fashioned, but in many ways I think it's actually a beautiful work of art.  The animation is extremely good for its time. However,though it's a good movie, I'm not sure I can say it's an extremely entertaining movie.  I liked it, but I probably wouldn't want to watch it again.  On the other hand, I'm sure there are kids out there that can watch it over and over again, so there must be something about it that draws some people in.  If anyone has any experience from their own childhood or others with loving this movie and has a guess as to why, I'd be very curious to know.

I think the reason why it's not as entertaining as other movies is because it's very slow.  There isn't a lot that happens; in fact, there's really no strong plot.  It's really just "a year in the life of Bambi."  You keep watching, waiting for that big moment that starts the story, and after about 25 minutes you realize that this is it.

But it's definitely cute.  I love all the little animals as babies, like Thumper and Flower.  And then when they grow up and start to fall in love, that's a great scene too.  It's also extremely moving, especially when Bambi's mother dies.  And when the entire forest is lit on fire, it really sort of speaks to you.  Basically, this movie made me hate humans.  And that's probably part of the message they were trying to get across - respect for nature and all.  Overall I think they do a decent job.

The Music
It's not exactly a big song and dance movie - the music is mostly underscore and subtle.  The most memorable song is "Little April Showers," which is one of the best scenes in the movie.  It's very beautiful just watching the rain falling and the seasons changing.  None of the other songs really stood out to me though.

The Villain
The only villain we really have here is humans - or, more specifically, the man that shoots Bambi's mother.  We know almost nothing about him, but he's a bad guy for killing her.  However, there are tons of people that do hunt for both food and for fun.  Personally, I can't fathom how anyone would find pleasure in shooting innocent animals.  But there are many people that do, people who are often very good people.  So the villain is very ambiguous here, especially if you start to think about it.

The WDW Connection
Bambi is almost non-existent in Disney World.  It's somewhat surprising, considering that it has become a Disney classic.  There are no rides, restaurants, or anything really.  Rumor has it that Thumper has occasionally been seen around the parks, and there's a Bambi topiary at Epcot during the May/June Flower and Garden Festival, but otherwise not much.

Becky's rating:  6.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  6 out of 10