Walt Disney had originally planned this as his second animated feature after Snow White, but problems with the animation of the animals made him postpone it. Released in 1942, it was another film that suffered financially from World War Two, when foreign screenings became impossible. Disney wanted a shorter running time like Dumbo to hold down costs, and it ran at 1 hour and 15 minutes, but there was lots of multiplane camera work that added to those costs, and new settlements with unions also increased labor costs. The film cost 2 million to make, and returns on the initial release were well below that, but it did make good profits in rereleases over the next decade or two. Still, Disney had to find other ways to cut costs over the next eight years.

The story is based on the novel by Austrian writer Felix Salten: “Bambi, A Life in the Woods,” as it was titled in English. First printed in 1923 in Germany, the American printing of 1928 was a success and sold over half a million copies. Disney’s story is, of course, more like a typical animated feature in some ways, but the atmosphere and some story points follow the novel. As the film opens, all the animals are rushing to see the new fawn born to Bambi’s mother, who they call The Young Prince, because his father is The Old Prince, the oldest and most revered stag in the forest. The fawn soon makes friends with Thumper, a baby rabbit, and a young skunk he accidentally names Flower. In the first part of the film the baby animals play and have fun, with Thumper critical of Bambi’s trouble staying on his feet, especially during the winter on ice. This is all quite entertaining, and young Thumper, voiced by Peter Behn, is my favorite character, a delight. Each of the young animals had several voice actors at different ages, the only familiar one to me is Sterling Holloway as the adolescent Flower. Later, Bambi is taken by his mother to the meadow, where he learns about the dangers of man, and he meets his father for the first time. He also meets Faline, a doe his own age, and they become friends and play together.

The danger of man comes home to Bambi when his mother is shot by a hunter, and the young deer’s care is taken over by his father, who leads him off into the forest. A year later, and the young buck Bambi returns to renew his friendships with Thumper, Flower, and Faline, as all three animals fall under the spell of spring romance. In the final part of the film, more dangers from man threaten the entire forest, as well as Bambi and Faline specifically.

I love this film, though the early parts with the young animals are the most fun. I enjoyed rewatching it on Disney Plus. One animation technique that stood out for me was the way many of the backgrounds are soft and blurred as if by distance, helping the eye focus on the characters. I didn’t like the songs in this film so much, the best one is Little April Shower, but at least the animals don’t sing, which helps the characters seem more realistic, at least a little. The sound and songs were Oscar nominated. The overall feel is more somber than any film since Pinocchio, but it worked fine for me. Salten’s book, and his sequel “Bambi’s Children” are in my library, and I hope to read them again one day. Critics have called them some of the first environmental novels, and my own opinions about hunting, which I have never done, were certainly influenced by them.