Bambi 2 720p - (2006 Lang: English)

A midquel which tells the story of how Bambi meets and gets to know his father...

I am currently studying animation in college, and perhaps more than other people I've been expecting less and less from Disney since they started putting out sequels to their classics. I've been terrified ever since I heard that a "midquel" to Bambi was in the works, since I was positive it would be another campy, over-the-top rehash of the original.

Imagine my surprise, then, at the quality of Bambi 2. Perhaps it's because there's a legitimate gap in the original story for this to fill (Between the death of Bambi's Mother and his return as an adult), or maybe because of the creative details that were added (Several ideas and sequences were taken straight from the book, which was a nice surprise), but I found myself genuinely enjoying this movie.

Disney really seems to have put some thought into the kind of legacy they're picking up here. The themes and art style of the original are carefully preserved, the characters are expressive and lively. There is no sarcastic or self-aware humour; the writing is thoughtful and the storyboarding is beautiful. My one qualm are the two songs used in the film. They seem too...modern. I missed the choir. Luckily, those are two brief moments in an entire film.

If it had been left up to me this film would never have been made, but I can't imagine it being done with more care and respect for Walt's vision. The characters are treated with respect, the story has real meat to it, and the result is a great movie.

After his mother is killed by Man, Bambi (Alexander Gould) stumbles upon his father, the Great Prince of the Forest (Patrick Stewart), who takes him back to his den. The Great Prince asks Friend Owl (Keith Ferguson) to find a doe to raise Bambi, since his duties are to his herd, but Owl informs him that because of the harsh winters the does can barely feed themselves, let alone any extra mouths. The Great Prince has no choice but to look after Bambi until the spring.

Months later, the Great Prince allows Bambi to accompany his friends, Thumper (Brendon Baerg), and Flower (Nicky Jones), to see the Groundhog, whose shadow will foretell if winter will end soon. Bambi lies to them about how close he and his father are, while the Great Prince keeps the truth of his mother’s death from him.

At the ground hog ceremony, Bambi meets up with his crush Faline (Andrea Bowen). The Groundhog (Brian Pimental) is coaxed out of his hole, only to be scared back in again by Ronno (Anthony Ghannam), an older fawn than Bambi. Ronno tries to impress Faline with his stories of his encounter with Man, and the whistles they use to imitate deer, but Faline does not believe his tall tale while Bambi actually believes it and says it is unbelievable, but Ronno takes it literally. Bambi and Ronno immediately dislike each other, but Bambi is intimidated by Ronno, afraid to stand up for himself, and is relieved when he leaves with his mother.

The other animals leave as well, and Bambi falls asleep waiting for his father to come get him. But after many hours of waiting, Bambi dreams of his mother and hears her voice calling him into a meadow. It turns out to be an ambush by Man using the same trick Ronno warned him about. The Great Prince comes to his rescue and orders Bambi to run, but the fawn is too scared to obey. Both manage to escape and Bambi is yelled at for almost getting himself killed. It’s then that Bambi realizes the hunters killed his mother, and the Great Prince confirms it. While Bambi sleeps, the Great Prince tells Friend Owl that winter is ending and he should have no problem finding a doe now.

In the days following, the Great Prince confines Bambi to the den where he’ll be safe, not trusting him to be out by himself anymore. When he leave, Bambi confesses to Thumper and Flower the estranged relationship he and his father share, and tells them he wishes he could impress him. They decide to help Bambi learn how to be brave by sneaking out, and while doing so get into an altercation with a porcupine. It ends with quills rammed into Bambi’s backside and his father almost catching him outside of the den. Ronno and Faline, hearing the commotion, investigate. Bambi gets into another fight with Ronno when he sees him bothering Faline. Ronno chases him and Thumper through the forest until Bambi leaps to safety over a large ravine. The Great Prince, having seen the whole thing, is both angry at Bambi and impressed by his feat. Ronno (jealous of the young prince) tries to leap after him, but falls into the chasm, thwarted for now.

The next day Bambi practices jumping with Thumper, determined to make his father proud again. Thumper encourages him to just talk to the Great Prince, and the two finally connect when the older stag shares some wisdom with him about feeling the forest in his hooves. The Great Prince finally decides to allow Bambi to come along with him on his patrols, and as the days progress the two get closer than ever. He helps Bambi to overcome any obstacles in his path, as well as his fears, and Bambi helps him to loosen up and have fun; all the while Ronno continues to grow jealous of the young prince.

One morning, Friend Owl finds Bambi and the Great Prince playing and introduces them to Mena (Cree Summer), the doe he’s found to be Bambi's new mother. Bambi realizes the Great Prince planned on sending him away (unaware that he’s changed his mind) and snaps at his father, telling him he wished he was with his mother instead of him. The Great Prince changes his mind again, deciding he’s not what’s best for Bambi, and sends him to go live with his new mother. Bambi, despite being immensely saddened, eventually accepts the change, deciding his own happiness isn’t as important as his duties as a prince.

On the way to Mena’s den, Ronno shows up to taunt Bambi one last time and the two get into another fight that sets off one of Man's traps, snaring Mena and alerting Man. While the cowardly Ronno flees Bambi saves Mena by leading the Man’s dogs away from her, as his father works to set her free. The dogs chase him through the forest, and his friends help him to fend them off. Bambi keeps them away as long as he can, using the techniques the Great Prince taught him, until the hounds corner him on top of a rocky peak. Bambi manages to escape the last one by kicking it off a cliff, but falls off as well when it crumbles beneath him. His friends and his father all grieve him until Bambi reveals he’s still alive, and he and the Great Prince reconcile.

Sometime later, Thumper shares his version of the adventure with the rest of his friends, while Bambi (whose antlers have just grown in) enjoys the tall tale with Faline. Ronno appears and vows vengeance on both of them, until he’s bitten on the nose by a snapping turtle and runs off screaming for his mother for help. The gang is unfazed by Ronno’s threat (unaware that he will indeed return in their future), and Bambi leaves to meet up with his father, who decided to raise him after all. The film ends with the two sharing a tender moment as the Great Prince shows Bambi the field where he and Bambi's mother met in childhood.

I grew up watching the old Disney movies, and Bambi has always been one of my favorites. When I first saw that they were making a new Bambi movie, I was really torn. I hoped that it would be a good follow-up, but was afraid that it would ruin the whole Bambi experience.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the movie, though not as good as the original is far surpassing many Disney sequels.

The animation quality is good. Not only is it much better than most of Disney's recent sequels, it is is actually up to, and at some points even surpassing, the animation in the original. The songs were beautiful, and to my immense relief, they are all sung in the background in the style of the original. There is only one point at which any of the animals sing. It was extremely cheesy, but mercifully short.

The only real failing of this movie is that it lacks the fresh, genuine feeling of the original. While Bambi I felt unique and novel, Bambi II often feels cliché and it seems like they are recycling some material from The Lion King. The addition of Ronno as an antagonist adds nothing to the story but goofiness and low-quality humor. The Great Prince's character seems to be the caricature "single dad" struggling to understand his kid. And while Bambi's character has always been humanized (as are all animals in Disney movies) he seems far more "human" and much less "animal" than he did in the original.

Overall, I liked this movie, and was able to get a few nostalgic moments. Although it does not quite live up to the original, it is nevertheless a sweet and enjoyable movie.