Bambi 2 (DVD)
Absolutely Delightful!
An animated straight-to-DVD release to can be a tricky proposition. Many times it means a mass-produced, go-for-the-buck, less-than-satisfying storyline, and poor continuity in color and drawing—especially if linked in some way to a prior release of any kind. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when none of this was true of Bambi 2! I was fortunate enough to view this wonderful little gem on the big screen at a promotional screening, and I enjoyed every moment.
The original Bambi was released in 1942, and both animation and Disney have come a long way over 64 years. However, with meticulous care, the Disney team has faithfully recreated the characters and settings, paying close attention to the details of matching the original colors, textures and tones of that era. I felt like I was five again as I watched Bambi running into the forest at his mother’s urging only to crash into the Great Prince of the Forest… his father, the great stag. The storyline happens somewhere just past the middle of Bambi and fills in the gap of what happens to Bambi from his time as a baby fawn to pre-adolescent buck. That would make it a “midquel� perhaps. The voice characterizations have also been carefully chosen and directed to meld well with the originals. Patrick Stewart is a masterful Great Prince and Alexander Gould (the voice of Nemo) excels as Bambi.
As for the plot line, it is crisp and succinct. It begins where it needs to begin and ends leaving you wanting more without any breakdown in between. This is a wonderful story of generations struggling to adapt to each other as Bambi and his father both attempt to deal with their sudden change in status, caused by the death of Bambi’s mother. This was personally painful, as it brought to memory my own observations of my son and his father as they have struggled to build a relationship. Bambi’s father does not want to be the parent responsible for this clingy baby deer, while Bambi desperately needs his father and desires only to fulfill his father’s grand idea of who he should be before he is ready to be that stag.
Complicating the generational problem is an exploration of how the different characters experience grief. The Great Prince is a feelings-stuffer who doesn’t want to be reminded of the loss of his mate. Bambi, the typical youngster, wants to talk… and talk… and talk. Of course, the problem is that Bambi constantly reminds his father of the loss he has suffered and it takes the older stag and Bambi a good deal of time to understand that they both need, and have much, to learn from each other.
Woven throughout the story is the humor and tenderness we have come to expect from Disney. Thumper is again the comic foil and an absolute hoot. The laughter in the theater was genuine and heartfelt all the way from the 50-somethings down to the youngest children. The friendship of Thumper and Bambi also brought the most poignancy to the screen. When Bambi’s father decides to send him away to live with a surrogate doe, Thumper responds to Bambi’s plea, “Don’t forget me,� with “We’re bestus friends. You never forget your bestus friend.� Again, I found my feelings personally assaulted as my current life situation brushed too close to what was happening on the screen.
This short film is a microcosm of relationships and how they ebb and flow through the circumstances of life whether good or bad, difficult or cinchy. Watching made me even more aware of the incredible way that we are made as human beings with the need to connect in meaningful ways. It reminded me of how much I love my God and don’t share that love enough sometimes with those around me. It convicted me to remember that everyone doesn’t travel their life-journey at the same pace or in the same way, and that this is not an excuse for judgment, condemnation or impatience.
How could a fifty-five year old find so much in a cartoon? Watch the DVD and see!
An animated straight-to-DVD release to can be a tricky proposition. Many times it means a mass-produced, go-for-the-buck, less-than-satisfying storyline, and poor continuity in color and drawing—especially if linked in some way to a prior release of any kind. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when none of this was true of Bambi 2! I was fortunate enough to view this wonderful little gem on the big screen at a promotional screening, and I enjoyed every moment.
The original Bambi was released in 1942, and both animation and Disney have come a long way over 64 years. However, with meticulous care, the Disney team has faithfully recreated the characters and settings, paying close attention to the details of matching the original colors, textures and tones of that era. I felt like I was five again as I watched Bambi running into the forest at his mother’s urging only to crash into the Great Prince of the Forest… his father, the great stag. The storyline happens somewhere just past the middle of Bambi and fills in the gap of what happens to Bambi from his time as a baby fawn to pre-adolescent buck. That would make it a “midquel� perhaps. The voice characterizations have also been carefully chosen and directed to meld well with the originals. Patrick Stewart is a masterful Great Prince and Alexander Gould (the voice of Nemo) excels as Bambi.
As for the plot line, it is crisp and succinct. It begins where it needs to begin and ends leaving you wanting more without any breakdown in between. This is a wonderful story of generations struggling to adapt to each other as Bambi and his father both attempt to deal with their sudden change in status, caused by the death of Bambi’s mother. This was personally painful, as it brought to memory my own observations of my son and his father as they have struggled to build a relationship. Bambi’s father does not want to be the parent responsible for this clingy baby deer, while Bambi desperately needs his father and desires only to fulfill his father’s grand idea of who he should be before he is ready to be that stag.
Complicating the generational problem is an exploration of how the different characters experience grief. The Great Prince is a feelings-stuffer who doesn’t want to be reminded of the loss of his mate. Bambi, the typical youngster, wants to talk… and talk… and talk. Of course, the problem is that Bambi constantly reminds his father of the loss he has suffered and it takes the older stag and Bambi a good deal of time to understand that they both need, and have much, to learn from each other.
Woven throughout the story is the humor and tenderness we have come to expect from Disney. Thumper is again the comic foil and an absolute hoot. The laughter in the theater was genuine and heartfelt all the way from the 50-somethings down to the youngest children. The friendship of Thumper and Bambi also brought the most poignancy to the screen. When Bambi’s father decides to send him away to live with a surrogate doe, Thumper responds to Bambi’s plea, “Don’t forget me,� with “We’re bestus friends. You never forget your bestus friend.� Again, I found my feelings personally assaulted as my current life situation brushed too close to what was happening on the screen.
This short film is a microcosm of relationships and how they ebb and flow through the circumstances of life whether good or bad, difficult or cinchy. Watching made me even more aware of the incredible way that we are made as human beings with the need to connect in meaningful ways. It reminded me of how much I love my God and don’t share that love enough sometimes with those around me. It convicted me to remember that everyone doesn’t travel their life-journey at the same pace or in the same way, and that this is not an excuse for judgment, condemnation or impatience.How could a fifty-five year old find so much in a cartoon? Watch the DVD and see!
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