Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Bambi

Walt Disney's 5th animated feature, Bambi, did not recoup its production costs during its original release, however it now stands out as one of the most iconic animated features ever made.


Bambi premiered in 1942 and runs just over an hour.  The movie tells the story of a young fawn growing up to be the Great Prince of the Forest.  His journey involves fun and friends as well as danger and tragedy.  The real villain of the film is man and his violent intrusion into the forest.  Man, the hunter, wreaks havoc in young Bambi's life and is the perpetrator of Bambi's greatest losses.  (Please note, that young children will most likely find aspects of Bambi very distressing; please also note, that adults are not immune to this distress.)


 
As a film Bambi moved away from the Disney focus on magic and fantasy and focused instead on telling a story along the lines of reality.  Ergo, the film's forestry, scenery and imagery are simply beautiful.  The forest and animal depictions in the film are quite realistic.


There are also some wonderful scenes of happiness and fun tucked into Bambi's 70-minute run time  Bambi's first friend is a zippy, full of life rabbit called Thumper.  One of the most beloved scenes from Bambi has to be Bambi and Thumper's first frolic through snow and over an icy pond.  Bambi also makes friends with a skunk in a flower bed who soon earns the moniker of Flower.  Talk about irony. ;)


My favorite part of the movie was the arrival of spring and watching the now grown, Thumper, Flower and Bambi get "twitterpated" (fall in love).  Musically, the stand out moment for me was "Little April Shower."  (If you ever have a chance to see World of Color at Disney's California Adventure Park, be on the lookout for this song.  It's fabulous!!!)


This week I'll leave you with a quote from Walt himself about facing hardship and adversity:

All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.
 
 
Coming Up Next Week: Saludos Amigos


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