#bambi ii

[movie-gifs]

BAMBI II (2006) dir. Brian Pimental

[quarter-afterone]

BAMBI II [2006]

Well she’s not the boss of me! If I don’t want to, mama can’t make me!

[rios-bamblog]

A prince does not... uh... nevermind.

[artist-issues]

I was writing out a really long meta analysis piece on the og Beauty and the Beast on how music and lighting were used to tell a story and I tagged you in it because I thought it’d be fun to debate some of that stuff with you but now I can’t find it in my drafts at all! It’s all gone 😭 so I came to your blog to make myself feel better and found your post about Zazu in the Mufasa movie and seeing you draw the characters in the original Disney style really cheered me up. Their animation used to be so beautiful and had so much love in it (your art was gorgeous by the way, it actually looked like a real lion king film!)

Anyway! If it’s not too much on you, I’d like to hear some rambles on Disney, it could be about anything really, but I’ve just gotten some really awful news tonight and I need something to take my mind off it please

Oh I'm so sorry to hear that! I want to be there for you. You're so kind about my art, thank you; I wish I'd seen the post. I’ve had it eat my drafts before like thirty times; recently my phone is doing this fun thing where I can’t type more than two paragraphs without tumblr freezing up, so I’ve lost more that way.

Let’s see…let’s talk about Disney’s Sequels! In these trying times of remakes and prequels, the Direct-to-Vieo Sequels start to look pretty good right about now, don’t they? I think they actually got better as time went on and money went into Disney Toon studios, but I’ll list my top three and explain why!

Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (no I’m not biased leemee alone)

‘The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

Bambi II

I can explain myself.

Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch

This movie is amazing. It repeats the best things about the original Lilo & Stitch (tight focus on character-relationships, character-specific comedy, and a simple story) while still having its own vibe, as if these are the exact same characters you know and love, but they have a recently-new normal.

Stitch isn’t a destructive artificial-brain figuring out how to think outside his programming anymore���now thinking outside his programming is the new-normal, but he still has to learn how life with a family works. Lilo isn’t lonely anymore, but she is still stuck in her own little world, in a way. Nani isn’t struggling to keep her family together anymore, but she is still struggling to keep them all happy. And Jumba and Pleakley get character arcs, which is beautiful.

If you’ve never seen it, I don’t want to spoil it. It is a really good movie. They took this concept, which was originally from Chris Sanders’s early story ideas for the first movie, where Stitch is in danger of death but Lilo’s love revives him. And they made a movie out of that.

It’s great, because Lilo is still working through missing her parents. The movie doesn’t brush that aside, or act like having Stitch fixed everything for her. Instead, she’s become singlemindedly focused on winning the same competition at hula school that her mom did, because she wants to feel a connection with her mom, and because her peers are still treating her like she’s worthless.

The thing is, Lilo gets the confidence to try and win this because of Stitch. She’s downcast and believes that her bullies are right. You get the idea that this is how she would feel if she were still a lonely orphan. But this time, because this is the sequel, Stitch is there.

So he tells her they’ll win the competition together. And in this movie, while Lilo is struggling with getting her sense-of-worth from Stitch, or a hula competition, Stitch is struggling with his sense-of-worth, too. He’s glitching out and his programming is forcing him to act destructive all over again. He’s not sure if he’ll always be bad—he’s wrestling with the possibility that he’ll hurt Lilo and his new family.

And in the meantime, Jumba is trying to solve the problem, but he’s afraid he’ll fail, and lose his worth in the eyes of the family, as well as lose Stitch. And David, in a little side-story, is afraid he’s losing Nani, that she doesn’t value him.

All of which sounds really dark, but it’s really an interesting place to take the characters, and truthfully the whole film is so lighthearted where it needs to be, but not afraid to be earnest and emotional, either. And the point of it is really good. It’s “love is more powerful than death.” It’s powerful enough to overcome questions about self-worth, and it’s powerful enough to overcome the gaping hole that loss and failure and other forms of death leave. It’s gorgeous.

2. The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

People take issue with this sequel because…I mean, look at it. There are parts of it that are animated really well, and the character designs are good, until you measure it up to the original Lion King, and then it’s just not even the same league. Besides, the writing is very dramatic, sometimes the sound editing for the characters’ dialogue is placed strangely or feels like the pacing is weird…

But I love it, and not just for nostalgia. I love it because it is about a new set of characters (like a sequel usually should be) but the previous set of characters still act in-character.

Not everybody agrees with me. Because Simba seems much less fun-loving, and so uptight and formal, that he doesn’t feel like the same character we knew and loved in the original Lion King, at all.

But it only takes like one second of thought to realize that, as a brand new king who’s uncle murdered his father and emotionally blackmailed him, and was able to do so easily because Simba himself was so self-centered and reckless as a child, and then Simba made big mistakes by running from his responsibility for so long…

…where we find him in this sequel makes total sense.

Of course he’s feeling like he has to overcompensate for abandoning the kingdom and getting fooled by Scar. Should he realize that not everyone is going to betray him, and he is the real King and can rule gently and fairly without being over-controlling? Should he? Yeah. But like. This is Simba. His major character flaw is thinking too much about himself—it used to be thinking he was awesome, then after his dad died it was thinking he was unable to be a good leader and everything was his own fault. Now, everything he ever dreamed about being a King, he dreamed when he was like the lion-equivalent of nine years old. And found out it was all wrong. He’s having to figure this out with only his father, whose very absence is a sore spot, as an example. Of course he’s suddenly obsessed with being just like his dad, and that makes him talk all formal, and pass strict judgement, and say things like “I’m seeking counsel from the Great Kings.”

Of course Simba would be protective of Kiara. Overprotective. Lying and controlling. Because as a child, he and Nala almost died over and over. And the worst of the worst things happened to him, as a cub.

Of course he wants to banish Kovu. It’s not because he’s racist. (What does that even mean?) It’s because he was betrayed and manipulated as a young, naive cub by someone who claimed to love him, then broke his heart and his life. So when a dark lion who literally looks like and claims connection to Scar waltzes in and appears to be manipulating his daughter and stealing her young heart? Yeah, no, it wouldn’t be Simba if he didn’t overreact.

But that’s enough about Simba. I think the movie’s real strength is symbolism and premise.

First off, it continues the symbolism of a reflection in its own unique way. The movie is very on-theme. Its point is “Hate divides us, but love completes us.” (Its not “We Are One,” that’s just Movie-Speak)

Kiara feels incomplete. Divided from a whole other half of who she is. She says so as a cub. She’s not just a princess; she feels like there’s a part of her that wants to be capable and bold and take action. But she can’t be that, she has no outlet for that, because as the Princess, everyone is always over-concerned for her safety and wrapping her in like, wild-animal-bubble-wrap. Then she meets Kovu, and he is capable, and bold, and takes-action—he seems independent. (He’s not, at first, but he has more control over his immediate actions than Kiara seems to.) And he gets her and loves her, and she loves him, despite their flaws, so that is her missing half.

And with him, he doesn’t know how to just enjoy life. He’s been trained his whole life to act out of passe-down hatred; he’s been run through drills, and there’s even a scene where Kiara has to teach him how to play…and then he goes back home to his sister, who clearly also wants to play, but just calls it “fighting.” That’s the world he comes from.

But he meets Kiara, who is all about trying to enjoy life and have fun, and it’s a whole new outlook for him. It’s what he had seeds of before his mother’s hate stamped it out, and Kiara completes it for him. So they really are each others’ other half. And they have that in common. Kiara could be independent and a capable leader, if her father’s hate (which manifests as paranoia and overprotectiveness against danger) weren’t stamping it out. Kovu could have fun and protect good things instead of killing, if his mother’s hate wasn’t stamping it out. Dividing the good parts of them. But then their love for one another overcomes all that and brings them together.

And they do that literally, with the reflections in the water. Simba needed to learn his father lives in him, he’s a part that can’t be separated. Kiara and Kovu needed to learn that love makes them part of one another—that’s the key to no longer being divided.

Just like how, in the end, love forgives—so the Outsiders are able to come back into the Pride. Instead of being divided, the prides literally merge into one, and are completed. Love all that.

If you think of it all as like, “how do we make Simba into a strong King when he has so much baggage to overcome?” And this adventure with his new family teaches him that? Then you can see it’s a really beautiful movie.

And I love, of course, that Mufasa appears to be orchestrating all these events. Like, there’s a Higher Power at work. It’s all good.

Bambi II

This movie has the same vibes as Lilo & Stitch 2, even though it’s a midquel.

I love that Bambi gets his own characterization and character arc in this movie, even though he’s pretty one-dimensional in the classic film. But yet, none of this feels out of character for Bambi. He’s sort of gentle and very young, but you can see glimpses of dreams and ambitions and even strength that show off what he’ll be like as an adult Great Prince of the Forest.

I think the animation is very good, soft and cute. It’s not so much about realistic-cartoon-animal movements, graceful and charming, like the classic was, obviously. This animation is more about emotion and appeal. Which I appreciate, because the story is, like most good Disney sequels, very relationship-based.

It’s about Bambi being cared for by the Great Prince, and how the relationship between a father and son is about more than duty; it’s about nurturing. I just love that. I love how carefully they build up Bambi as feeling distant and unsure of what’s going on in his father’s head, but wanting to please him nevertheless. I love that the Great Prince doesn’t know how, exactly, to care for or relate to Bambi, so he defaults to just telling him how to be dignified and Princely.

I especially love the scenes with Ronno or the Great Prince. I like the fact that those old Disney sequels can take a character that didn’t have a lot of dialogue or screen-time in the original, and build out a whole story around those characters, giving them personality and writing that somehow always feels true to those characters. The Great Prince might not know how to father, but even when he’s insecure he has a kind of put-on calm and reserve. He’s not made a fool-out-of, ever, or bumbling. I love that Ronno, on the other hand, is ridiculous and brutish, just a little-boy bully…but he’s also truly threatening, for Bambi and Faline and their friends.

I think the emotion in this movie hits really well. Because they’re so careful to interweave Bambi’s emotions about losing his mother and wanting to find the same feeling of safety he had with her in his father, with The Great Prince’s emotions about wanting to “do his duty” even if it hurts when he feels he’s not what’s best for Bambi…

Because they build that up believably and spend all their time on that instead of big, epic adventures or larger-than-life tales, the movies turn out really well.

Honorable mentions to Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, Tarzan II, and Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure

I hope your day is better tomorrow, friend.

[artistic-izzy-multifandom]

Izzy's Heavily Improvised Essay on Bambi 2

(to folks who follow me for other stuff, I apologize right ahead of time, just doing my "multifandom" name justice XD)

Okay y’all, bear with me, this was written in the heat of the moment and therefore I might go around in tangents. I’ve been dying to write this essay thingy for months actually, but I kept chickening out when I went to try and just do it. And it was also inspired by Wreckham’s own Bambi post that I saw a while ago, so uh... Yeah.

(also this mainly features my opinions, don't take them as facts >_<)

So, starting things off with this:

It shall be no secret that I’m an avid fan of the Bambi movies (more the second than the first, but we’ll get to that in a bit). 

It’s no surprise that visually speaking, Bambi is a spectacle from beginning to end, on top of having a beautiful soundtrack and a fascinating way of being the closest thing to an animated documentary with its environments.

However, it comes with the price of... Well, lacking a concrete plot. And by that I mean outside of just showcasing Bambi’s life from birth to adulthood. Not to say there’s no value in that, but I reckon it’s not the kind of movie lots of people nowadays would just want to watch multiple times in a row.

(plus considering how much of the novel’s plot they cut out when adapting it to the screens… That’s a can of worms for another day)

Yes, even I, the avid fan, will admit this flaw in the storytelling. And it’s a big reason why I maintain my statement on loving the second movie more than the first.

And oh where do I begin?

Namely how its plot is basically about the time that happened between Bambi’s Mother’s death and the scene with all those cheery singing birds — in other words, the period in which Bambi was raised by his father, the Great Prince of the Forest.

While animation’s changed significantly (given that, y’know, 64 years apart) and also different voice actors were hired for the characters (again, 64 years), I will come here and say that visually the movie did the original justice, and did it in spades!

Plot-wise? On one hand, there’s more dialogue and the humor is a bit more targeted for younger audiences, which in fairness will put off some who are more inclined towards the original.

On the other hand, the movie is also not afraid to explore some darker subjects, some indirectly (like the whole aspect of grief both for Bambi and his father and their respective ways of dealing with it), and some directly (such as the entire Deer Call scene).

And the fact that unlike the first movie, the characters here are more fleshed out, the main highlight of that is none other than the Great Prince himself; in the first movie he... Didn’t have nearly enough screentime or lines to justify his status as protector of the Forest, at best he was a minor character given too much importance, and at worst he was a living prop.

In the second? He’s the second main focus of the story, with a whole character development arc on how to be a father to Bambi despite his belief in tradition (aka the whole “the does care for the young” thing). In fact, I think I should dedicate this part of the essay on his character, shall we? Because years of rewatching the movie made me think a lot of things regarding him (which I don’t see many or even anyone talk enough about):

If we’re gonna think about it, we never really get to know the Great Prince too deeply prior to his mate’s death. Everything we do know about him personality-wise came afterwards, at a time when he had to look after Bambi while also looking after the Forest as a whole.

It’s incredibly easy to label him as a jerk and a deadbeat father when one fails to consider a few things:

1- His mate died, and given the timeframe, the Prince was unable to reach both her and Bambi in time before Man shot her; made worse when you remember that in the first movie he was able to save them both from Man. Literally, at the beginning of the second movie, one of the first expressions we see from him is sadness. Wouldn’t you think he was feeling not just grief, but guilt too?

2- He was left to raise his son alone, at one of the harshest points of wintertime, and only asked Friend Owl to find a doe because the owl offered some help in the first place; recalling the tradition thing, the Prince had no experience with children whatsoever, can you blame him for being baffled at the idea of him raising his son at first?

3- He’s the protector of a whole forest. That’s like, hundreds and hundreds of lives he’s dedicated to keep safe from Man at all times every single day, hundreds and hundreds of animals depending on him to not get shot. Even if he’s experienced at what he does, that’s still a huge pressure onto a single individual, and the fact that he can’t always save everyone every time Man is in the woods.

And a bonus: forget his status as the Great Prince of the Forest for a moment, and what do you have? A stag who lost his mate (whom he genuinely loved) and is left to raise their son entirely on his own.

If I were to guess, I’d say the Great Prince was far more serene prior to the tragedy; still a recluse, what with being the protector of the woods and then some, but less stern in general.

Everything we see of him before the completion of his character development, is him trying to make do with something that was out of his control and dealing with its consequences. (there’s a reason why ‘Parents as People’ is a trope, y’know)

Hell, it was all but stated that even before he became more open towards Bambi and embraced his role as a parent, he already cared about his son in his own way. I’m under the belief that he’s always been capable of raising him, all he needed was some time (and a bit of a nudge from Bambi himself at points).

Plus he was already regretting the whole “new mother to Bambi” plan and intending on calling it off by the time Friend Owl brought Mena, he only went through with it anyway because he thought he screwed things up with Bambi for good - btw I do not blame Bambi for being mad, poor guy’s spent most of the movie trying to impress his dad and taking every lesson to heart, only to find out about the arrangement at the worst time possible.

On another tangent, I feel like one aspect that’s often overlooked is how both Bambi and his father reacted to going through with the arrangement:

By the time Bambi was going to leave with Mena, he wasn’t even mad anymore, just downtrodden and upset that he wouldn’t get to see his friends as often, but otherwise resigned and accepting that it’s what he should be doing. Putting up a brave facade all the while, much like the Great Prince himself.

Same for the latter, he was trying to keep his regal facade up as well and insisting that “a Prince does sacrifices” - he was mostly talking about himself, having to give his son up so he’s raised by someone better than the Prince.

And let’s get one fact clear before heading to a main point in this essay: although Bambi did get mad at his father (down to even wishing his mother was there instead of him), he was far more upset at being separated from him and not getting to see him as often, and it’s made obvious he regretted yelling those words at his father.

Otherwise, Bambi wouldn’t have rushed back to nuzzle him goodbye, wouldn’t have thought of retaliating against Ronno when the latter taunted him about being “given away” due to his father “being ashamed of him”. And he certainly wouldn’t have run to another cliff to meet his dad after defeating the last of Man’s dogs.

In fact I more than believe that they would’ve reconciled on the spot as soon as they saw each other again, which was what likely gonna happen after Bambi saved Mena and got rid of all the dogs.

But then the cliff scene happened.

(aka one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie, and yes I will defend it right now)

Now, I can see why a good bunch of people hate that scene (namely the whole Disney Death thing), but allow me to say that it’s in the movie for a reason, and it’s not to trick the audience into thinking Bambi did die from the fall.

It’s to showcase the Great Prince’s character arc coming to fruition.

Remember when I said that the Prince did love Bambi in his own way despite not knowing anything about raising children? This is the scene where he finally realized just how much he did care all along, shedding away his “prince does/does not” mentality for good. Realizing that Bambi needed him as a father

There's so much that goes unsaid in the scene.

How the Prince’s voice nearly breaks when urging Bambi to get up, him saying “A Prince does not...” but never finishing it. What was he going to say? We don’t know, and that’s the point. Maybe even he didn’t know, maybe it was said out of reflex.

How he gets down and looks at his (seemingly) dead son before nuzzling him, keeping him as close as he could, and crying.

This all makes it more meaningful when Bambi does wake up and calls him Dad for the first time, showcasing how far their bond has gone and developed.

I believe, among other things, that the scene (and perhaps counting the dog chase as well) was also meant to be a mirror/parallel to the dream sequence from earlier in the movie. But that’s perhaps an essay for another day!

So, in conclusion… I swear I’m 100% normal about this movie, I totally did not spend days on end trying to make this improv essay as cohesive as possible-

[essay ends here, roll credits]

[disneydarlin]

Disney Babies: Bambi & Thumper —Aesthetic

Bambi & Thumper's Childhood

Thumper is presented as a talking a little bunny the moment newborn Bambi is introduced. Since the rabbit is a little older, he decides to take the young prince under his wing and offer him guidance. Due to this, the pair become best friends. They often explore the forest while learning about their environment as they grow up. During this time, Bambi discovers his love for butterflies while Thumper adores eating red clovers. In the sequel, the deer tries adjusting to life while attempting to earn his father's approval. As usual, Thumper offers his support. In exchange, Bambi does his best to help the rabbit avoid his many sisters.

[bambinification]

So... Ronna is... a trauma survivor, right?

In Bambi II, Ronno knows what a deer call is and how to describe it--and that's possibly secondhand info, but where did he hear about it? Maybe another deer witnessed a hunter using a deer call and survived to spread the word, yeah. But also--Ronno has a notch in one of his ears, which could very possibly be man-made.

I kind of have a headcanon Ronno did encounter a hunter, but maybe he was kidnapped or taken in for a short time like Gobo in the book. It probably wasn't pleasant, because he only exhibits trauma symptoms. He probably either wasn't going to be a pet or wasn't going to warm up to a family.

The movie is already about healing from trauma, so I'd love looking at it with Ronno acting as a Bambi foil as well as representing the uglier ways someone heals from trauma (overdramatization, low empathy, selfishness, picking fights, acting "tough" but also being a crybaby, claiming to be grown up but also being behind maturity-wise. That last one is clearly apparent; it's suggested that Ronno is a little older than the other kids by his antlers alone. So why's he the least mature out of all of them.).

[vhshistory]

February 7, 2006: Disney's Bambi II (2006) is released on DVD and VHS.

This is the last Disney film to be regularly released on VHS as future releases on the format would be sold exclusively on the Disney Movie Club.

[magickingdom1901]

[capturingdisney]

[albinofetus]

Happy official 18th anniversary to Bambi II! It came out in VHS and DVD on February 7th, 2006! It's an interquel to Bambi right after his mother's death, and it's about Bambi developing a relationship with The Great Prince! It featured the voice talents of Alexander Gould (Nemo) as Bambi, Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier and Picard) as The Great Prince, Brendon Baerg as Thumper, Nicky Jones (Chowder) as Flower and Andrea Bowen as Faline! It contains Disney's Fast Play, previews for Lady and the Tramp Special Edition for the first time ever on 2-Disc Special Edition DVD February 28th, 2006, Disney's Movie Surfers featuring The Wild and The Shaggy Dog (2006), both are coming to theaters soon, Brother Bear 2 coming to Disney DVD August 29th, 2006, Air Buddies coming soon to Disney DVD, The Fox and the Hound 2 coming to Disney DVD December 12th, 2006, Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin for the first time ever on Disney DVD April 11th, 2006, Leroy & Stitch coming to Disney DVD June 27th, 2006 and the promo for Jojo's Circus on Playhouse Disney!

[discountreactionimagewarehouse]

Ronno from Bambi II is laughing at you.

[rios-bamblog]

How DARE they deprive him of his lovely lashes in the sequel

[favoriteanimatedtheatricalfilm]

Can you find the links with the Rules and Contenders in this sentence?

Other Polls running this week

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[artistic-izzy-multifandom]

Izzy's (second) Heavily Improvised Essay on Bambi 2

*rolls back here*

Okay so uh, my first essay was made back in... *checks notes* May 9th! And since then I've had more than enough time to think of what else to write for the movie (because like I said before, I’m 100% normal about it I swear), I figured I’d do it now!

Revisiting my first one, I mentioned a part regarding a possible parallel between the dream sequence and the cliff scene near the end.

Well today I’m here to elaborate on what I mean, by examining the scenes (and probably over-analyzing them, what can I do?) and in essence explain what makes both of them my absolute favorites of the whole movie.

(Oh, and probably there’s gonna be a side tangent regarding the tracks “Love is a Song that Never Ends” and “Bambi and the Great Prince”. They’re gonna be important.)

So first things first, we’ll start with the Dream Sequence, happening near the end of the first third of the movie.

It starts with Bambi having to wait till his father comes back to take him home. This is essentially one of the few points where we see him at his most vulnerable — dare I say, most of his cheery attitude from earlier, be it with his friends or even his father when trying to keep up with him, was a facade.

Only further indicated when Faline offers to accompany him to the den, and he declines - and visibly stammers. “M-my father’s coming for me.”

As if he was correcting himself even before he said it.

Not helped by the fact that he’s watching all other kids leaving with their mothers; it’s a somber, unspoken reminder of his loss. Still, he never admits to anyone out loud how much it hurts him, plus there’s the implication that it’s been but a couple days since it happened, considering his friends already knew of him living with his father.

This is all before the Great Prince’s speech on ‘ignoring one’s feelings and doing what’s best for others’, mind you! Maybe the apple didn’t fall far from the tree after all.

As Bambi lays down to wait and eventually gets sleepy, the movie’s main theme plays in the background in a solemn way — and in a sense, having a tiny sliver of hope in it. Let’s put a pin on that part.

Then, as soon as Bambi falls asleep completely, that’s when the sequence starts — with a vast meadow bathed in golden sunlight, and Bambi gleefully chasing away some butterflies. And then, we hear a voice call out to him, and he turns to see who it was.

Atop a small hill is his mother, surrounded by those same butterflies in a heavenly manner. And Bambi, overjoyed at seeing her again, rushes up the hill to reunite with her — the two nuzzle each other as soon as he makes it there.

She comforts him all the while, reassuring her son that things would be alright, then pulling away from the nuzzle to explain to him “why did [she] have to go”. And so comes her quote about “everything in the forest has its season”.

All the while she looks saddened, even when first comforting him — like she knew she can never come back to him and still try to reassure her son through it all.

Also, take a look at the butterflies; in many places, they symbolize joy, freedom, hope, transformation, rebirth, and new beginnings. Now, when you have the mother’s full quote:

“Everything in the forest has its season; where something falls, another grows. Maybe not what was there before, but something new and wonderful all the same.”

Whether you believe his mother truly was there or not, it doesn’t matter here; what matters is what the dream is trying to convey to Bambi.

Where something falls (the death of his mother), another grows (being taken in by his father). Maybe not what was there before (nothing can ever replace her), but something new and wonderful all the same (him and his father eventually bonding).

Still, as Bambi said himself near the end of the dream: he feels alone. The last reassurance she can give him before he wakes up, in her own way of saying it, is that she'd always be with him in his heart and memories. Her very last words as the dream dissipates are: “I’m here.”

Okay so, here’s the mini tangent on the tracks “Love is a Song that Never Ends” and “Bambi and the Great Prince”, plus a fun fact!

The former is the main theme of the first movie, but it also makes a total of three comebacks in this movie; the first two are very brief so it’s easy to miss, and the third happens in the dream sequence.

The first instance actually happens at the start of the movie — the three first notes of the midquel’s theme play when the Disney logo appears, and then after the logo fades, plays a very short chorus rendition of “Love is a Song”.

The second instance, just as short, happens at the very beginning of “There is Life”, the singer humming the notes before starting the lyrics.

And the third and final instance is the entirety of the dream sequence — but here’s the fun fact:

In the movie itself, the theme is played in an orchestra manner and then switching to an oboe/flute rendition when Bambi’s mother speaks.

However, in the official soundtrack, the theme is only played at the orchestra part; the rest of the track is the “Bambi and the Great Prince” theme in that same flute/oboe rendition, switching to violin at the very end.

In a sense, at least in the context of the movie, it’s almost a musical rendition of the quote itself by having “Love is a Song” associated with Bambi’s bond with his mother (an unchanging tune), while the midquel’s theme is associated with his bond with his father (a theme that evolves as time goes on).

(unrelated side note, I wish they had released the entire soundtrack of the movie and not just a few tracks, I’d pay for that to happen T_T)

(okay, side tangent over for this section, back to main topic)

But of course, we are to be further reminded of the tragedy one way or another.

When Bambi wakes up, he’s still hearing his mother’s “I’m here” out there in the woods — it gives him the hope that she’s actually alive and searching for him.

He ends up facing the meadow but still too wary to go out there for obvious reasons. He begins to turn back when there’s no immediate answer to his call, like he’s internally berating himself for believing she was there. Until the voice calls again, and continues.

He does gather courage to step into the meadow, but this time not as hopeful as before; hope is still there, but it’s fickle compared to his more than justifiable fear of the meadow. Part of Bambi knows there’s something wrong, but he can’t let go of his hope yet.

And doing so almost cost his life when Man’s dogs appeared from the bushes.

It all ends up unceremoniously crushed when his father, after saving him, scolds him for falling for Man’s tricks and freezing in place when told to run. All he could do was apologize, having tried to explain why he’d followed the voice but giving up halfway through the reprimand.

Then when the Prince calms down and takes Bambi back to the den, the latter sadly asks: “She’s never coming back, is she?”

And the Great Prince, after a few seconds of silence, can only reply in an equally solemn tone: “No.”

This end of “act” serves as a reinforcement of Bambi’s sentiment in the dream, only now he’s faced with the full certainty of his mother’s death — he feels alone, now far more than ever. Therefore it is no surprise that he starts becoming more and more desperate for recognition on the Great Prince’s side.

That if he could be brave just like him, then maybe, maybe he’d be worthy of his title as a Prince, and therefore worthy of having any sense of approval.

Before we head to the other scene, allow me to ramble a bit on one aspect of the movie that I feel gets slightly overlooked: a sense of misunderstanding on both sides of the story. While it is true that the Prince never told Bambi of his original plan to send him away with a doe, and it nearly cost the bond between them, at the same time Bambi never fully told his father how he felt in all of this mess or how alone he was.

And it makes sense why — because they didn’t have much of a bond to begin with, just talking things through with each other wasn’t an option. Especially not when the reason they’re stuck in this, as in the death of Bambi’s mother and the Prince’s mate, is one that cannot be talked about as how things are at the moment.

It’s quite saddening to think about in hindsight, because when you see the movie from the Prince’s perspective; everything he’s doing, it’s because he genuinely believes it’s the best for Bambi, even the whole ordeal with telling him to stay at the den where it was safe.

Bambi thinks it’s because the Prince doesn’t want him around, therefore he has to prove that he’s brave enough to go on patrols again.

However, the truth is that the Prince didn’t want to risk losing his son, not after losing his mate mere days earlier. It’s not a punishment, it never was; it’s a misguided attempt at keeping him safe and away from danger. Even when he does go through with the plan, the Prince’s not happy with the decision, but still does so because he thinks it’s the best for his son.

Okay, so with that section out of the way, time to talk about the other scene of this essay, and why I personally think it serves as an indirect mirror to the dream sequence: the cliff scene.

Before it happens, there’s the chase scene, which was kickstarted by Ronno goading Bambi into a fight. (also interesting to note: before this and the dream happened, Ronno made an appearance, at first to gloat about taking on Man but also telling the truth about the ‘I’m here’ calls, and later him kickstarting the climax by ramming into Bambi and accidentally bumping into Mena and setting off a trap)

The first time there were dogs coming and Bambi couldn’t even think of running, this time he managed to snap out of it and flee. At first for himself, but upon listening to his then-adoptive-mother Mena’s words, he realized they were the exact same words Bambi’s mother told him before she died.

It was enough to make him turn back and lure the dogs away to prevent another tragedy from happening. He’s seriously risking his own life by doing this, but why wouldn’t he? He’s a Prince, so in his mind he’s supposed to make sure neither Man or his dogs hurt anyone. Especially to make sure he doesn’t lose another parental figure in his life, however short it was with Mena.

When all’s said and done, Bambi manages to defeat Man’s remaining dogs — but then gets pleasantly surprised when he realizes his father was watching from a nearby cliff.

As the audience, we knew that the Great Prince went after Bambi to try and save him from the dogs, going as far as rushing through the meadow (which everyone knows is extremely risky to do as explained in the first movie, on top of a thunderstorm happening) just to reach his son in time.

But Bambi had absolutely no idea that he’d done that. Had no idea that his father had somehow followed all the way to find him, to witness him defeat the last dogs.

So, as soon as he realizes, Bambi runs up the cliff to reunite with his father, leaping over a rocky ledge in the way. And they smile at each other.

However, the joy is short-lived when the ground beneath Bambi’s hooves, moments ago briefly shown to be unstable beneath the Great Prince himself, gives way and he falls.

The Prince cries out his name, his own voice echoing as he rushes down the slope, until he halts in complete horror and shock.

At the bottom of the cliff is his son just past the mist, unmoving and surrounded by some grass amidst the rocks. And the Prince, almost overwhelmed with emotion, slowly approaches him, and tries to call him.

He urges the fawn to get up, voice almost breaking the second time, then tries to steel himself with his own mantra: “A Prince does not…”

But he never finishes it. As if the reality of it all at that moment finally caught up to him.

It was never about being a Prince or what he does or “does not” do, nor was it about just being brave. It was about Bambi needing someone, anyone to be there for him no matter what — to reassure him that he wasn’t alone. It was about Bambi needing his father. And for all the Prince knew at the time, it was just too late.

Still; if the Prince couldn’t be the father Bambi needed him to be, if he couldn’t show him just how much he truly cared about his son before the latter’s (apparent) untimely death, he would now.

Nearly the entirety of this sequence is spent in silence, with only the pitter-patter of rain gradually fading away, a gentle chorus singing in the background (which at points sounds all too similar to the notes of the movie’s main theme…), and the Prince’s own barely audible sobbing as he tenderly nuzzles his son, crying and mourning him.

It mattered not that he was the Great Prince of the Forest, the one protecting everyone from the dangers of Man — the title meant nothing if he couldn’t protect the last family he had left.

At that moment, he was just a father grieving his son.

So when he pulls away at last and prepares to leave, only one thing stops him in his tracks.

It’s Bambi’s voice weakly calling out to him: “Dad?”

And as soon as the Prince turns around to see his son alive and looking at him, still tired and recovering from the fall, the very first thing the Prince does? It’s to reassure his son, bending down to nuzzle him again and saying these words twice in a gentle tone:

I’m here.

They remain like this for quite a while, embracing each other as the clouds part and reveal the night sky with a full moon and a shooting star, their shared theme playing one final time in a heartwarming reprise — marking this as their reunion and reconciliation.

What connects both scenes together is the bond Bambi has with his parents, down to how each sequence began and ended, on top of their contrasts and similarities.

The dream starts in shades of yellow, gold and orange, and then fades to blues and purples once Bambi wakes up. The cliff sequence is entirely in greys and blues, but soon gives way to a pale gold hue when the moon appears at the end of the scene.

Both instances involved Bambi being asleep/unconscious in one way or another — on the first he’s being comforted by his mother in the dream until he wakes up and finds himself nuzzling a rock; on the second, before and after he wakes up, he’s nuzzled by his father. Both times it ends with “I’m here”.

Although differing in context, the meaning is the same:

His mother, although truly gone now, would still be with him in his heart, in his memories, in his dreams. And his father, now fully committed to being a parent to his son, would be there for him from then on and, alongside Bambi, finally allow himself to grieve their shared loss — and heal from it together.

...

… Wow, several months working on this, but I regret nothing. Goes to show how much I love this movie, no joke. (still normal about it tho I swear!!!)

I might end up not writing a new essay (or maybe I will, who knows?) but I’ll be compelled into sharing more of my Bambi fanart in the future! But for now?

I said everything I had to say, therefore I can take my leave~

*rolls offscreen again*