Review of Bambi (1942) by Ally C — 13 Apr 2011
Watching kids films as a kid and watching them as an adult will obviously evoke different responses. What isn't as obvious is how many kids films are aimed at kids and how many kids film s are aimed at adults or both.
This year's Rango certainly falls into the latter while The Neverending Story falls firmly in the kids camp. Bambi, like Fantasia before it and the films of Pixar many years after, merge their stories into both adult and childlike qualities of wonder, awe and sadness.
Like Fantasia, Bambi is less plot-driven than concept driven and is simply a coming of age tale told through the processes of life and death with funny, poignant and heartbreaking set-pieces mixed with the seasonal changes of nature.
Who can forget the Spring sequence with the beautifully chorused 'Little April Shower' song or Bambi and his mother's attempt to run away from the humans shooting at them. A hugely influential film which not only has echoes in The Lion King (burgeoning adulthood) and Finding Nemo (the danger outside the boundaries of safety) but in popular culture as a whole.
A life-affirming film and one to watch but not without the children.
This review of Bambi (1942) was written by Ally C on 13 Apr 2011.
Bambi has generally received very positive reviews.
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