Before we watched the movie all together, I never had the chance to see it before. I wasn’t really exposed to old timey animation from Disney so I didn’t know what to expect.
In a very Disney fashion, Bambi was portrayed as being very clumsy and childish while the community of animals living in the forest is very supportive. The non verbal communication showed itself in the form of music. Even the slightest change in Bambi’s mood was expressed in the music. The changes in light hearted up beat tunes to sudden dark tones kept me interested. I also liked how the background also aided in foreshadowing by slowly shifting to darker/ cool colors when the storm was coming.
Although this is discussed in the book in further detail, it was frustrating to see Bambi’s mom not explain the danger he was in. By keeping Bambi in the dark, she puts Bambi in more danger because she can’t always control the circumstances of an emergency. Deciding whether or not someone is old enough to learn about the dangers they could potentially face is a sign of privilege. Which the movie tries to incorporate, but since there are many details from the original source that weren’t included, the reference falls flat.
One of the moments in the movie that caught my attention was the scene where Bambi is fighting with another male deer that tries to take away Faline from Bambi. What was first a watercolor background with calm colors becomes dark with flashing bright colors when they bump antlers. The aggression was emphasized with the music being loud and sudden.
