Bambi II (February 7, 2006)

This film follows Bambi during the winter months as he grows into an adult dear, a period that was glossed over in the original film. It is nice to know that Bambi was raised by his father (although this is considered an anomaly as Princes are meant to protect the heard while Does care for the young). The relationship between Bambi and his father is endearing and the best part of the film. That being said, I feel uneasy seeing such a classic film being given a sequel this many years after the original (Bambi was released in 1941). It is an amazing showcase of the advancement in technology in the intervening 6 decades. I appreciate that they kept the 2D animated style- though it lacks the homely style of animation under Walt’s supervision. The soundtrack, however, perfectly invokes that traditional style and makes me very nostalgic. The replacement voice actors for the original characters also try to talk like the originals. One final problem I have Is that there are two interactions with hunters in this film which, I feel, cheapen the impact of the final confrontation with as an adult at the end of the original film. Overall, Bambi II is a very faithful sequel, breaking the conventions for most of these direct-to-video releases. It does, however, drag despite its relatively short runtime of approximately 77 minutes. The original film had a novelty to it (and a slightly shorter length) which mitigated this effect. Bambi II does not have this luxury and so feels very boring with long stretches of time between climatic events. Given this I cannot recommend this film, unless you can sit through the early parts, as it will bore children and adults alike.

Final Rating: 3.5/10