- Actors: Hardy Albright, Peter Behn, Tim Davis, Donnie Dugan, Ann Gillis
- Director: David Hand
- Writers: Vernon Stallings, Melvin Shaw, Carl Fallberg, Chuck Couch, Ralph Wright
- Format: NTSC, Subtitled
- Language: English (DTS-HD High Res Audio), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: G
- Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Release Date: June 6, 2017
- Run Time: 70 minutes
There are
several classic Disney movies which were far more interested in capturing the
magic of a specific location than in the plot of the story. While many of these
involve humans and their specific location of inhabitation, some of the most
popular give human qualities to animal characters, often playing out like
animated nature films. The Lion King
showcases the plains of the African Serengeti, The Jungle Book takes us into the jungles of India, and The Little Mermaid gave us a tour of
underwater wildlife (with the addition of the mythical creatures of the title),
not to mention the numerous films that show us the life of animals existing in
human worlds (Dumbo, 101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp, etc). Bambi
may be the most straightforward of all of these, however, with more emphasis on
the movement and behavior of the animated animals than any kind of traditional
storyline. It ends up playing like a feature-length “Silly Symphony,” but with
realism as the focus instead of expressionism and music.
The only plot
for this 1942 classic is the journey of a young deer as he grows up in the
forest. There are no onscreen bad guys (other than the hunters, who are only
seen briefly in the distance), few obstacles beyond the difficulties of growing
up, and the animation and character design is clearly more important than
anything in the film’s screenplay. The animation was so impressive that it
became the most re-used in Disney history, with many of the shots and
characters appearing in other Disney movies over the years. This is likely
because of how much effort went into making the animals appear lifelike in
their movement and design, rather than the cutesy cartoons of animation’s past.
There was so much emphasis on the realism of these animal characters that the
film even dispatched the typical tendency to have them sing, instead keeping
all of the music in the background, sung by an unseen choir.
As realistic as
the character animation is in Bambi,
the backgrounds are wonderfully expressionistic, resembling watercolor
paintings instead of sharp accuracy. This highlights the realism of the
characters even further, while allowing the background to capture a mood. Walt
Disney was so determined to have the animals portrayed realistically that Bambi was worked on for much longer than
was typical, with several other Disney films being released before it, despite
this being the first feature film to go into production following the success
of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. All
in all, eight years was spent perfecting the animation of Bambi.
Even though Bambi was an initial box office failure,
there is no denying the historical significance of the film, which may be why
Disney releases new versions so regularly. This Anniversary Edition Blu-ray
release is being called The Signature Collection Edition, which is somehow
different/better than the Diamond Edition released several years ago. Because
the Diamond Edition is out of print and difficult to find (or expensive to
buy), this latest release offers the film to new consumers wanting to build up
their home entertainment Disney collection.
Along with
providing consumers with a re-release of the classic film, there are new extras
to be enjoyed. Many of the featurettes are not new, though they are still
enjoyable and informative, but this package does include a digital copy of the
film for the first time. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a new version of a
classic Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short film. As well as including
behind-the-scenes footage of the production and test animation, the extras also
have deleted scenes from the film. There were many sequences that were started
but abandoned, leaving fans plenty of additional Bambi animation to enjoy, even in its unfinished state. The Blu-ray
release also comes with a DVD copy of the film and a collectible Lithograph
insert featuring the art work of Tyrus Wong.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 9/10
Historical
Significance: 10/10
Special Features: 9/10
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