The domain of made-for-home video sequels to Disney animated classics doesn’t get much respect, and frankly most of the entries aren’t worthy of any, but Disney has a few of these that can hold their heads high (The Lion King 1 ½, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time), and Bambi II, released in 2006 some sixty-four years after the original premiered, is another that is far better than it has any right to be. Using the same artistic motif as the original film and with much of the same gentle and philosophical way of looking at the natural world, Bambi II is a fine example of what’s possible with this genre when some thought and care is put into its production.
Bambi II (Blu-ray Combo Pack)
Directed by Brian Pimental
Studio: Disney
Year: 2006
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 72 minutes
Rating: G
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish, French
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish
Region: A-B-C
MSRP: $ 39.99
Release Date: August 23, 2011
Review Date: August 18, 2011
The Film
3.5/5
Immediately after the killing of his mother by man, Bambi (Alexander Gould) is escorted to his den by his father The Great Prince (Patrick Stewart). As the one responsible for the care of the deer population in the forest, he feels ill-equipped to raise his own son, so he asks Friend Owl (Keith Ferguson) to find an available doe who can take Bambi off his hands, er, hooves. For his part, Bambi wants to make his father proud of him, but initially, nothing he does seems to suit his father’s views on the proper behavior of a young prince of the forest. Even with the help of his pals Thumper (Brendon Baerg) and Flower (Nicky Jones), Bambi has a hard time making any inroads with his father. The appearance of a know-it-all bully fawn named Ronno (Anthony Ghannam) sparks something within Bambi that makes him try his hardest and achieve things that seem to earn praise from his dad. Bambi is disheartened, then, when Friend Owl brings Mena (Cree Summer) to care for Bambi, and man’s constant foreboding presence is a further obstacle that Bambi must cope with in order to achieve the kind of maturity his father wants for him.
Animated with the same soft pastel backgrounds as the original film, Bambi II is clearly the offspring of its parent picture. The film takes a leap into the 21st century, of course, with its less than propitious use of modern jargon, the placement of the bullying Ronno who casts aspersions on Bambi’s masculinity, and a couple of emphatic close-ups when Flower uses his natural abilities in moves that suggest flatulence rather than instinct. Even though the sequel is actually longer than the original film, songs carry less weight this time around. “This Is Life” gets the film off to a most promising start as winter begins to lessen in severity. “The First Sign of Spring” is a jaunty tune where Bambi and his father frolic together freely in their first real father-son bonding moment. Other than those two songs, however, (and the strains of “Love Is a Song” from the original film that dot the soundtrack several times), music plays a much less important role. Instead, other sequences cast their own spell: Bambi’s dream about his mother is a lovely bit of surreal sentimentality; there’s a hypnotic moment where fireflies drift around Bambi and his father as they settle down for the night; and the climactic face-off with vicious dogs where Bambi uses his wits rather than pure brawn to win the day is actually nicely drawn and suspensefully staged.
The voice cast is reasonably well chosen for their roles. Alexander Gould makes a fine Bambi, and Patrick Stewart’s stentorian tones are perfection for The Great Prince. Brendon Baerg’s Thumper is much less engaging than the original voiced by Peter Behn though Thumper’s problem with his pesky sisters is a nice running gag. Anthony Ghannam’s Ronno is appropriately mocking and predictably cowardly in the face of real danger, a very good vocal performance. Director Brian Pimental voices both the Porcupine and the Groundhog with the former one of the film’s best additions to the story of the young prince.
Video Quality
5/5
The film has been framed at 1.78:1 and is presented in 1080p using the AVC codec. Sharpness is excellent throughout the running time, and colors, whether the usual pastels or the occasionally bright, stylized colors to simulate dream sequences or to symbolize danger from man, are beautifully saturated without any hint of blooming. There is no banding in the image, and it’s completely artifact free as well. The film has been divided into 16 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix does a superb job with the directionalized dialogue adding much width to the soundstage with its utilization. The music score by Bruce Broughton wraps easily through the soundstage and into the rear channels, and while there are certainly some effective ambient sounds placed around the listening area (a rainstorm is the most prominent), additional opportunities to make full use of the sound area have not always been taken advantage of.
Special Features
3/5
“Bambi II – The Legacy Continues” is a 480i featurette in which director Brian Pimental, animator Andreas Deja , and select members of the voice cast discuss the honor they felt making this sequel. It runs for 8 ¼ minutes.
The deleted song “Sing the Day” is played in the spot in the movie where it would have occurred with animated storyboards filling in for sequences that weren’t given the full animation treatment. It’s in 1080p and lasts for 2 ¼ minutes.
“Bambi’s Trivia Tracks” may be turned on before the movie starts or at any time during the movie’s running to see pop-up facts about the original film, its sequel, and about the natural world being depicted in the movie.
“Friend Owl’s Forest Fun Games” offer three games of increasing difficulty for the younger members of the family.
“Thumper’s Hurry Scurry” is an interactive search and find game which can be played with one or two players.
“Disney’s Sketch Pad” offers animator Andreas Deja illustrating how easy it is to draw Thumper in this 3 ¾-minute vignette in 480i.
The disc contains promo ads in 1080p for Spooky Buddies, The Lion King, Tinker Bell and the Pixie Hollow Games, Dumbo, Secret of the Wings, and Lady and the Tramp.
The second disc in the set is the DVD version of the movie.
In Conclusion
3.5/5 (not an average)
One of the best of Disney’s made-for-home video sequels, Bambi II doesn’t have the innate innocence or lovely delicacy of the original movie, but on the whole it constitutes a nice piece of the middle story involving the fawn’s youth that the original tale skipped and is at least worth a rental for fans of the original.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
