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The Movie
I know it’s my duty as a fan of the Disney animated classics to be disgusted at the crass commercialism of direct-to-DVD sequels. The only reason Bambi II was made was to rake in a few more bucks for Disney’s corporate big wigs who want an extra-long vacation in Barbados, right? Why else would they meddle with one of the most memorable and beautiful films of all time. But here’s the thing: for the few minutes I wasn’t being outraged over the reasons why Bambi II was made, I was secretly choking back a few tears over some touching scenes, story lines, and music that were a fitting tribute to the 1942 classic.
© Disney.
Bambi II is structured much like the Lion King 1 1/2: the story fills viewers in on what happened during the time lapses within the original story. I learned that the correct term for story structures such as this is a “midquel.” The DVD follows young Bambi from the time when his mother is killed by hunters up until he begins to grow his antlers; a milestone in his maturity. All of the original characters make appearances, from Owl, Flower, Thumper, Faline, and even archnemesis Ronno. Bambi and his father, the Great Prince of the Forest, learn to love and understand each other with some action and adventure thrown in. Bambi is given the chance to repeat and react differently to the onslaught of “Man? and gains new confidence and respect in the forest.
It is obvious the people involved with Bambi II worked hard at finding voice talent to approximate the original actors. The Great Prince is by voiced by Patrick Stewart, who is just as somber and stern as in the original film. Stewart does add a bit of warmth to the role as he loosens up and begins to appreciate his young son. Alexander Gould, of Finding Nemo fame, is the young actor who portrays Bambi. Gould does a nice job of conveying the fawn’s journey from childhood to adolescence. Thumper was originally voiced by a very young Peter Behn back in 1942. The new Thumper gets a bit of an update by Brendon Baerg, who seems to be able to voice several sentences at once; his performance does not seem to be cut and pasted together as much as the original child who had to have his performance pieced together from snippets of dialogue he repeated after his voice coaches. On the plus side, the halting soundtrack is gone from the new movie, but I still had nostalgia for the endearing original version.
© Disney.
The look of Bambi II is where the film falls short. Even more than the storyline and the characters, most people remember the lush, hand-painted yet realistic look of the original film. While it is clear the animators tried to echo the iconic visual images from the original feature, they only succeed in a watered-down, computer graphic-laden way. Ominous shadows, extreme close-ups, tranquil pastoral scenes, and natural depictions of forest animals are all duplicated as in the original picture, but the majesty and scale of the background scenes are lost on the DVD as is the unique, clearly hand-painted look of the original. Time and budget constraints were clearly a factor in the lowered quality of Bambi II.
The Goodies
“The Legacy Continues” is a short featurette giving a general overview of Bambi II‘s production. The always enjoyable and earnest Andreas Deja is prominently featured explaining how difficult it was to even approach drawing the classic characters. Deja was listed as a consultant on Bambi II and definitely lends a aura of legitimacy to the DVD. Some of the voice actors are featured as well.
“Bambi’s Trivia Tracks” is a pop-up feature that displays bits of trivia about forest animals, the original film, as well as production notes from the DVD. It’s well-written and gives an extra layer to the viewing experience, but may not be worthwhile for younger children, who might not want to pause and read each pop-up.
“Thumper’s Hurry and Scurry” is a typical remote-driven DVD game featuring Thumper and his giggling sisters. Only the youngest viewers will enjoy this feature.
“Disney’s Sketch Pad” is a simple featurette showing Andreas Deja drawing Thumper from start to finish in his home studio. Interesting for animation fans as well as kids who might be inspired to pick up a pencil and try for themselves.
[Note: The DVD-ROM segment wouldn’t load on my computer, but it is basically a printable version of Disney’s Sketch Pad with step-by-step instructions for drawing Thumper as Deja demonstrates on the DVD.]
Audio, Video and Interface
The look and sound of Bambi II is faultless. The sound is crisp and clean, the soundtracks blend perfectly with the score, and is offered in Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as DTS 5.1. The colors are appropriately foresty. The winter scenes are especially pleasing with the individual snowflakes swirling around the characters—perhaps the one good reason for it’s digital animation.
The interface is surprisingly detailed for a direct-to-DVD release. Part of the Groundhog Day scene and a whoosh of snow is shown before the main (and only) menu. The various features are very slim in this disc, so even the smallest child will have an easy time navigating.
Final Evaluation
I was looking forward to raking this DVD over the coals, but, to be honest, I don’t have the heart for it. As a direct-to-DVD film, it’s one of the better ones I have ever seen. The film makers had a deep respect for the original Bambi and it is apparent in the use of music, voice work, and attempts to duplicate the rich backgrounds. The film does not gloss over Bambi’s mother’s death but gives some measure of closure for the fawn through his relationship with his father. Viewers like me, who are still carrying around a little bit of trauma from their childhood from the original hunting scene, might find a little peace from Bambi II. Even better, I suspect it will turn many adults and children back to the original Bambi, which is available as a Platinum Edition and is looking more beautiful than ever. While we all know the motives weren’t pure in the making of Bambi II, try to put the outrage aside for a while and see if you aren’t reaching for the Kleenex box. I promise I won’t tell.
