Disney’s fifth feature length film was Bambi, released August 21, 1942 during World War II. As a reflection on the time period, the film advocates against and denounces violence. During a time of mass destruction and daily death counts, Bambi challenges the norm of war and conflict by showing the painful aftermath of death and loss. The film unfortunately, due to the amount of attention and work devoted to the war at the time, did not experience much success and ended up losing money until their re-release of the film in 1947. The film was based on a book originally written for adults, which was then modified by Disney to fit a screen for a younger audience; however, the traumatic death scene of Bambi’s mother is still under question today if that scene is too intense for kids of younger ages. There have long been debates about how old a child should be before they are exposed to the tragedy of Bambi’s story.

Bambi was Disney’s first and most famous environmentalist film, showing the ecology and structure of animal life; however, this aspect of the film was not all well received by its audience. Much of the film depicts man as destructive and dangerous, suggesting that it is impossible for humans and nature to peacefully coexist. The hunters in the film are depicted as the careless and dangerous, killing Bambi’s mother as well as being the cause of a fire that spreads throughout the forest. Many people were not pleased with the destructive way Disney painted humans, and as a result Bambi faced a lot of backlash for the antagonistic depiction of man.

Despite the mixed reviews Disney received upon first release of the movie and concerns as to whether the film included content a bit too mature for its young audience, there are still many lessons that can be drawn from the film that were applicable then and still are applicable today. Bambi, throughout the early stages of life faces many struggles. He is very slow to learn how to walk and how to talk, although he doesn’t give up, showing us, the audience, that success will eventually come no matter how many failures it takes you to get there. Bambi also explores the ability to cope with loss and devastation. Bambi heals with time, showing that the death of his mother might seem like the worst possible thing imaginable in the moment, but life will continue to go on. He copes with help of his friends, Flower and Thumper, and eventually goes on to live a great life, full of love and adventure despite the obstacles and loss he faces early on. And lastly, who can forget the famous words of Bambi’s sidekick Thumper, constantly reminding himself “if you can’t say nothing nice, don’t say nothing at all.”

Despite the lack of attention when first released, Bambi gained a lot traction through the years, becoming known today as one of the saddest cinematic movies in history. It prompted acknowledgement of animal rights and preservation, showing the fearless world animals live in until inevitable human intrusion.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/How-Bambi-hoodwinked-environmentalists-7250690.php

https://daily.jstor.org/the-trouble-with-bambi/