DVD Review: Bambi II

DVD Reviews

By Jeff Swindoll Feb 8, 2006, 15:09 GMT

“A prince does not who hoo”

Bambi II is another of Disney’s sequels to one of Uncle Walt’s masterpieces, some cry sacrilege but this sequel is really pretty good.

Bambi II is a mid-quel and takes place in the middle of the first Bambi (right after Bambi’s mother is shot till he first starts getting his horns). Bambi reunites with his father who must now raise him upon the death of his mother. The Great Prince (voiced solidly by Patrick Stewart) has to teach Bambi (voiced by Alexander Gould who also voiced Nemo in Little Nemo) the ways of the forest. All of the favorite characters from the first film return, Thumper, Flower, and Wise Old Owl.

Bambi feels that he has to prove himself to his father and this gets him into some comic adventures. He also has comic assistance from Flower and Thumper when they encounter a territorial porcupine (a vocal cameo from director Brian Pimental who also voices the Groundhog). He also has a rival in the character of Ronno (voiced by Anthony Ghannam). Of course, Man is still around and Bambi has a suspenseful encounter with some hunting dogs and literally behaves like a deer in headlights. He later encounters the dogs towards the end of the picture, but has learned from the Great Prince and is able to defeat them. The Great Prince also learns how to appreciate his son along the way.

This picture by no means eclipses Bambi, but it is not as bad as one might imagine. The animators have respect for the original film and tried to replicate the style of it. They mention in the featurette that making a sequel to a Disney classic is not an easy task and they knew they had their work cut out for them. They succeed even though the original was hand drawn and the sequel is computer animated. Their goal was to make the film in the original style as close as possible. The effect is not seamless, but a close enough approximation. The original had oil paintings in the backgrounds, the sequel has oil painters producing their brushstrokes with a mouse.

Disney also has a virtual babysit.....ahem feature called Fastplay. When you pop the disc into the player you're presented with a menu that informs you that Fastplay will continue in several seconds unless you select the menu. Fastplay will then play the previews, feature, and the video based bonus features. In other words, little fingers don't need to have access to daddy's remote control to watch the DVD. This is not a bad little feature, but I prefer to have a little more control over my viewing. You can stop the Fastplay feature by pressing the menu button at any time. Bambi is presented in “family-friendly widescreen (1.78:1)” and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Bonus features are a little light, but still interesting. There is a 8 minute making of featurette entitled Backstage Disney : The Legacy Continues that features interviews with the vocal cast and filmmakers. A funny moment occurs when the live deer the animators are using for models start eating their sketchpads. I guess the deer didn’t want the sequel made?

Again, this movie will not make you want to pitch out your copy of Bambi but it is a movie the kids will enjoy. The respect that the animators have for the original comes through in the finished product and it is a worthy addition to sit beside your DVD of Bambi.

Bambi II is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an April 24th release. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.

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page: 1

brittanyFeb 25th, 2006 - 05:35:43

i think that its a good show

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tiaFeb 25th, 2006 - 05:37:25

i think that its a good show to just like my momma

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BambiKillerFeb 25th, 2006 - 18:07:59

Does Godzilla kill Bambi in the sequel? Or will that be in the third one when they turn the Bambi story into a trilogy?

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.....Tia D.May 17th, 2006 - 17:52:41

Awwwww, Bambi is so cute, I miss that movie I haven't seen it in the illest minute.
I ain't even gonna lie, but I love that movie, it moved me. lol
Naw but for real, people might think I'm to old, but I don't care I love animals and Bambi is one of them, hes just sooo cute!!
-Tia

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GROOVYGALDec 20th, 2006 - 20:18:22

HIYA
I THINK BABMBI 2 WAS FAB I WATCHED 3 TIMES IN LESS THAN A WEEK I LOVED IT! I FELL IN LOVE WITH ALL THE WOODLAND CHARACTERS. I DONT KNOW WHY BUT I LOVE SAD PARTS IN A MOVIE CAUSE THERES ALL WAYS GOOD TO HAPPEN. THE SONGS WERE LOVELY AND REALLY SET THE SCEEN. BUT MY FAVORATE CHARACTER WAS BAMBI HE WAS BRAVE AND REALLY COOL, I LOVED HIM AND WANT ONE!
LUV GROOVYGAL

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