As you all know now, that this is my first editorial as the Amateur Critic. This would also be the first editorial on an animated Disney movie. Since we're in August, I will do an editorial on a Disney movie that hit theaters sometime in the month of August- Bambi.
Based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten, it tells a story about a young deer who learns about the pros and cons of living in the forest, and is faced with hunters that eventually kill his mother. As a kid, I remember just crowding around the TV and smiling at all the animals featured in the movie. Back then, I didn't really care about what the story was about or anything. I was just so interested in the cuteness of the animals, that I had no choice but to keep watching. But as I got older, I started to understand what was going on in the movie. I learn that Bambi's mother gets shot by a hunter, and that Bambi has to live with that, as well as with the hardships of living in the forest, especially with the hunting season and campfires creating a gigantic forest fire.
In Theaters:
This movie was released on August 13, 1942, which was way before my grandparents were born.
My Theories About This Movie:
-Maybe the movie was released in August because it was near school time for kids, and this movie would've been something for them to get everybody educated on.
-After the release of Dumbo, Disney wanted to touch more on the hearts of families. He wanted to reach out to family values and issues. But the sad part about that, is that you'll need a box of tissues or reach for your sleeves, so that you can wipe away tears due to the intensity of the issues addressed in the so-called family films. It makes me want to ask myself: How did I ever survive my childhood? I used to watch those Disney movies all the time!
Having A Moral:
The movie was said to have an important moral; even Disney himself wanted to make sure that the viewers caught this moral. The moral was that the forest needed to be taken seriously and needed to be preserved so that animals didn't get hurt and/or use their homes. This moral even brought up the idea of Smokey Bear and his long line of PSAs which lasted for a long time, even showing on TV today.
In answer to the question made...
So, the question is... Why is Bambi so important?
Again, the movie touches on a moral having to do with wildlife and forest preservation. The big wildfire near the end of the movie symbolized how carelessness when camping came lead to destruction, destroying animals' homes and killing them. The animal community in that movie is like us humans fleeing in fear because of a catastrophe (ex. hurricane, tornadoes, etc.). I mean, the majority of us can totally relate to the animals' situation with the forest fires, which is a pretty good reason why people should keep the forests safe.
Also, the fact that Bambi's mother is killed by a hunter in this movie raises another flag. The majority of people know that killing a person is wrong, so why kill an animal in vain if it was a selfless act? Animals have feelings just like humans, even though humans are the most social mammals in the world. Like humans, animals have homes to go to; they have children; and they have sense of community in many cases.
Conclusion:
Personally, I still love this movie. I love the animation; I love the story (although it's sad); and I love that the movie is coming across a very important lesson. But my advise to you is to not see the so-called sequel to this movie, because:
1. the sequel is a waste of time and money
2. the first movie is way better than the sequel
3. the sequel fails to readdress the important moral from the first movie
If your a big fan of the original Felix Salten book, you may or may not like this movie, depending on what you liked from the book. If you just like the magic of Disney, then that's okay too.
Hopefully, everyone can take this moral seriously and do more to better preserve wildlife and forests. This movie would make a great family film, but make sure to have a family discussion before watching the movie, and have another discussion afterwards, that way there's less crying and more acceptance towards the film.
Amateur Critic
Source: Bambi
All rights go to Disney.
I know it is sad when bambi"s mother died i cried my eyes out but it teaches you a lesson in life everything in life is all happy and good life has sadness and tragety but They should not of did that to Bambi"s mother
ReplyDeleteI actually really liked Bambi 2 as kid it developed his dad's chacther more and felt like a true connecting midqueil but I with everything else you said 100%
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