Since the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Disney has turned into the greatest media juggernaut of our time. With so many classics in its storied history, there’s a variety of opinions out there about what is the holy grail of the Disney pantheon.
Many would choose Snow White, which also makes its Canon debut in this vault, but for my money, there is no greater achievement under the Walt Disney banner than the 1942 classic Bambi.
“That Scene” in Bambi
Every time I bring up Bambi, the immediate response tends to be “That’s a sad movie.” The funny thing is, it’s not a particularly sad movie, but we all know what they mean: there’s one particularly sad scene. The death of Bambi’s mother, which would go on to inspire Mufasa’s death in The Lion King 52 years later, is arguably even more chilling for never showing explicitly what happened. Instead, as we had seen once earlier in the film, Bambi and his mother race back to their thicket when his mother senses hunters present. Gunshots ring out, and this time, Bambi’s mother doesn’t make it home with him.
Bambi’s joy as he turns around and says “We made it mother” is heartbreaking knowing what had happened, and then watching poor Bambi’s confusion as he staggers through the snow calling for her. Eventually, he runs into the enigmatic “Prince of the Forest,” who is revealed to be Bambi’s father.
The portrayal of Bambi’s father is critical to the scene. It’s neither warm nor indifferent. Just a stark statement that Bambi and his mother can no longer be together. It’s a harsh reality of life that Bambi faces for the first time and is a twist in his experience of the world. Until now, the world had been almost purely wondrous, with his mother guarding him from those harsh realities. But parents can’t protect their kids from the harshness of the world forever, and it’s a natural part of growing up.
Bambi’s Wrongful Reputation as a “Girl’s Movie”
I went a long time between viewings of Bambi, not because it was too sad, but because at some point it became branded as a “girl’s movie.” While I wasn’t toxic about it, I just didn’t tend to put it on because I had this feeling toward the movie in general, that it wasn’t something I enjoyed as much because it’s kind of flowery.
Rewatching it as an adult finally wiped that misconception away; it’s a coming-of-age story for a male deer for God’s sake! The major supporting characters are even males outside of Bambi’s mother and Faline. Bambi is sometimes seen as feminine, but he is really just inexperienced in the world. One of the famous shots that makes him look feminine is a butterfly landing on his tail, which is prolific online but that scene is a joke about Bambi calling it a “bird” because he just learned what birds were. He calls his new male skunk friend “Flower” not because the skunk is feminine, but because that was the last word he learned. Bambi is bashful, at the start, but the movie doesn’t end at Bambi’s childhood. After his mother dies, Bambi grows to take his place beside his father in the way of any other male deer.
Music and Movement
When most people think about a Disney movie that marries music and movement, they rightly think of Fantasia, a masterpiece in its own right. But of course, that is more of an experimental collection of shorts than a feature-length film despite being presented as such.
Very few of Disney’s other movies can match the sheer beauty of the combination of sound and movement in Bambi. The most obvious scene that illustrates this is “Little April Showers” which shows different animal families rushing to get to cover as a gentle rain shower becomes a dangerous storm. The synchronization of the light raindrops with the high trills of a flute, building into a crashing and clashing of cymbals to represent thunder scratches an incredible itch in the brain.
Disney’s Most Realistic Film
Disney is obviously known for the realm of fantasy, but Bambi represented a departure into a more realistic, tethered story. It’s a simple coming-of-age tale that resonates with us people, but it also doesn’t completely forego its characters’ animal traits in its anthropomorphism. Bambi was born to a single mother–we don’t know her name because Bambi doesn’t know her name. His mother was his place of comfort he always came back to after exploring his new world with pals Thumper and Flower. His father isn’t in the picture, because male whitetail deer are not involved in raising fawns. It could be seen by some as problematic that Bambi has to fight another suitor for Faline, who is clearly in love with Bambi and not the other nameless young buck, but that again is just an accurate reflection of nature. Even still, it is portrayed as a growing moment for Bambi from a meek fawn to a true buck ready to fight for his love.
What Bambi Means to Us
I hadn’t seen this movie since I was very young, and I’m so glad I got the chance to watch this again. It’s a mistake to disregard this as a simple movie for children, as it’s certainly a work of art. The hand-drawn animation and beautifully painted backgrounds are impressive even today, and the original score and music are criminally underrated. It’s a brilliant active backdrop to the already impressive animation, from the use of low strings for the gophers to the triumphant brass for the prancing deer. It was very reminiscent of Prokofiev’s Peter and The Wolf tying different instruments and ranges to different creatures. Overall, it’s a whimsical work of art, and still very much worth watching.
–Valerie Morreale
Despite a lukewarm reception from critics of the day, Bambi went on to be one of the defining films of Disney’s golden age. They took umbrage with the fact that it tried to push an anti-hunting message in a children’s fantasy film (nothing has changed), but if they took a step back and saw the big picture, they would’ve seen it for what it was: a landmark film that pushed the boundaries of the medium in several ways. It set new standards for realism in animation; Disney’s animators studied live animals and their movements extensively, translating that into characters that felt natural yet expressive. The lush, painterly backgrounds created a stunning depiction of nature, blending seamlessly with the animated characters.
In addition to its flawless animation and adorable character designs, it was also one of the first animated films to explore life’s complexities, including loss, growth, and survival. Disney trusted that his audience would be sad but that they’d still be emotionally invested and he was right. It resonated with audiences on a profound emotional level, proving that animation could tackle mature themes while remaining accessible to children. It also utilized innovations like the multiplane camera to create depth and dimension. This added a cinematic quality that made the forest environments feel immersive and alive, influencing future animated films. Bambi‘s success paved the way for animation to be taken seriously as an art form. Its influence is evident in later works, from Disney classics to modern animated features that balance technical brilliance with poignant storytelling. It’s one of animation’s greatest gambles and it paid off and then some.
–Sailor Monsoon
What are your thoughts on Bambi? Favorite moment? Favorite character or quote? Sound off in the comments below!
