Bambi (1942)
Grade: 52
"Bambi", of course, is a Disney-produced animated feature. It was released two years after "Pinocchio" and one year after "Dumbo", both of which are vastly better films.
"Bambi" tells the story of a male deer, from birth to maturity. As a baby, he learns how to walk and talk. He is helped in these activities by his soft-spoken mother, and by a host of friendly animals, especially Thumper the rabbit. As Bambi grows up, he courts an obliging doe and learns about man, a sinister, unseen force that kills animals and eventually burns down half the forest.
"Bambi" has lots of problems, and has to be considered a disappointment. The songs completely lack charm, and are performed by a lifeless ensemble chorus. The first half of the picture is slow, almost tedious. The second half is somber.
Bambi's character is uneven. He is shown to be gentle and confused in the first half. However, whenever a crisis arises, he suddenly becomes brave and heroic, such as defending his mate against a competitor buck or a pack of menacing dogs.
Bambi's father is sort of the king of the forest. He shows his fatherly ways by ignoring Bambi until he is in trouble, then magically appearing to tell Bambi what to do. The strong and silent type, Bambi's dad can be distinguished a mile off from the other deer since his body is twice as wide.
The forest animals have reversed courtships. The male of the species plays hard to get, while the female does all she can to wear down his resistance.
The character I enjoyed most is Thumper. Perhaps the film should have been called "Thumper" instead, and starred the fun-loving rabbit, with the deer as supporting cast.
http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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