Starring
the voices of Donnie Dunagan, Hardy Albright, John Sutherland, Tim
Davis, Sam Edwards, Paula Winslowe, Sterling Holloway, Will Wright,
Ann Gillis. Numerous Directors (supervised by David Hand). (1942, 70
min).
WALT
DISNEY
What
more can you say about Bambi?
If
not the best animated film released during Walt's watch,
it's arguably the most ambitious, artistic and influential. And along
with Pinocchio, Bambi has aged remarkably well, both
narratively and aesthetically. 75 years (!) later, it's lost none of
its power to enthrall, amuse, charm and horrify.
Speaking
of horrifying, it goes without saying that Bambi's legacy extends
beyond the silver screen. This is, of course, the movie that ruined a
million childhoods by introducing the concept of death to them for the first time. Not the
demise of a villain or any of that "circle of life"
nonsense...real death, which doesn't always play fair, often
comes without warning, takes loved ones away and doesn't give them
back.
In
the interest of journalistic integrity, I'll save the spoilers for
the few who might be clueless to what scene I'm referring to.
But I will argue that the main reason it remains so emotionally
shredding - more-so than a similar segment in Disney's The
Lion King - is its unsentimental, sugar-free cruelty. Death
swiftly strikes and moves on. So does the film, without giving its
audience a chance to process and fully accept what's happened. In a
way, the fact we're forced to move forward with no reassurance is
ultimately what makes the event so devastating (especially for the wee ones).
 |
| "Mama said I'm not s'pposed to talk about Fight Club." |
That
aside, Bambi remains a triumph of minimalist storytelling.
Seeing it for the first time in at least 30 years, I noticed how
little dialogue there actually is, using imagery, action and music to
manipulate the audience more effectively than verbal exposition. From
a visual and technical standpoint, Bambi not only changed how
animated films are made, it's loaded with striking imagery, beautiful
backgrounds and painstaking attention to the tiniest details.
This
"Anniversary Edition" isn't Bambi's first Blu-Ray rodeo,
though. It sports the same gorgeous picture & sound as 2011's
Diamond Edition. It also duplicates most of that version's
supplemental features, along with a handful of new ones (listed
below). And like the previous disc, there are three ways to watch the
film: the straight theatrical version, "Inside Walt's Story
Meetings" (a picture-in-picture feature where we see and hear
transcripts of the original production meetings as the film is playing)
and "Disney View," where the sidebars are filled with
paintings by artist Lisa Keene (includes a brief Keene bio).
For
Disney fans - not-to-mention serious cinephiles - Bambi is a
must-own on Blu-Ray. If it's not yet in your collection, this one is
worth picking up over the older disc, mainly because it also includes
a digital copy. However, with the exception of a digital-only tribute
to the film's late lead artist and an early black & white cartoon
made by Walt Disney before he was Walt Disney, the remaining
new features are of the fluffy variety. Those who own the Diamond Edition may want to consider that before double-dipping.
EXTRA
KIBBLES - NEW
FEATURETTES:
"Bambi
Fawn Facts"
"The
Bambi Effect"
"Studio
Stories: Bambi"
"Celebrating
Tyrus Wong" (Available on digital copy only) - The late Tyrus
Wong was the film's lead artist
ANIMATED
SHORT: "Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit: Africa Before Dark"
2
DELETED SCENES
TYRUS
WONG LITHOGRAPH
DVD
& DIGITAL COPIES
EXTRA
KIBBLES - "CLASSIC BONUS FEATURES" (from
previous home video releases)
FEATURETTES:
"Tricks of Our Trade"; "Inside the Disney Archives";
"The Making of Bambi"; "The Golden Age"
ANIMATED
SHORT: "The Old Mill"
3
DELETED SCENES
DELETED
SONG: "Twitterpated"
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
MEE-OW! IF YOU DON'T ALREADY OWN IT, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
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