I grew a new appreciation for “Bambi” only about a year ago. This was when my eldest son (who was two years old at the time) found a “Bambi” videotape in our VHS library. He watched the film and fell in love with the characters. As little kids will do, he latched onto the movie, and we watched nothing else for several weeks. In that time, I had more than enough viewings to study the film in detail. I know it like I was an animator on it myself.

One of the magical things about Walt Disney’s “Bambi” is that, aside from some outdated styles of song, everything about it holds up to the films of today. I would put “Bambi” against anything that Disney (or any other studio) is releasing today. Even without the aid of fancy digital technology, the animation in “Bambi” is stunning.

Sure, there’s a strong anti-hunter (and by default anti-human) undertone to this movie. But just because you have a set of deer antlers hanging in your office doesn’t mean you still can’t like the film. (Yes, I admit. I shot Bambi in the woods of West Virginia.)

“Bambi” wasn’t a traditional story, and it still isn’t. The story, in fact, is secondary to the characters. What serves as the story is more of an experience of forest life seen through the rose-colored glasses of Disney animation. This is something I didn’t get in high school, back when I saw it during one of its last theatrical releases. There is an undeniable lovability about the entire film, and it is something to treasure with your children.

Disney has released a 2-disc Special Edition that has some of the best special features I’ve seen on a Disney classic in a long time. The first thing to take notice of is thet new restoration of the film, making the animation as brilliant as ever - and free from scratches, dirt, gate weave and all the other products of film degredation. There is also a completely remastered soundtrackin Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.

The second disc contains the bulk of the special features, including two deleted scenes shown in storyboard pencil roughs. The Backstage Disney section includes a set of video clips, including a none-too-subtle sneak peek at the sequel “Bambi and the Great Prince of the Forest” (which is sure to be substandard to this classic).

There’s an art gallery of “Bambi” animation work, an hour-long making-of featurette, a Disney time capsule for 1942 when “Bambi” was released and the original theatrical trailer. These features are pretty standard, but there are some others that stand out well.

The Games and Activity section includes set-top games young children can play on the DVD player, teaching them different skills like matching and sequencing. There’s also a personality profile to let you know what season you most resemble, a virtual storybook about Thumper, and an nature video about the real animals of the forest.

Other neat features includes a 1957 video Walt Disney did explaining the multi-plane camera which the studio pioneered to give “Bambi” it’s animated depth. There’s also the original cartoon “The Old Mill” from 1937, which served as a test run for the multi-plane camera. Disney supervising animator Andreas Deja hosts a visit to the Disney vaults where he examines original artwork from the film, and Patrick Stewart takes the audience through the film restoration process.

However, the best feature on this whole set is the “Inside Walt’s Story Meetings” documentary on the first disc. We all know that Walt Disney died long before director commentaries were around. However, thanks to some inginuity by the studio, we get the next best thing. Over the course of production, there were dozens of story meetings about the movie, and Walt Disney had each one transcribed. Actors have been brought in to recreate the voices, which are played over scenes of the film and behind-the-scenes footage.

It is amazing to listen to the depths of detail the animators went through, and it really makes you realize how brilliant those who worked on this film were. Through this process, we hear how Thumper evolved from a minor character named Bobo, the discussion on what to call Flower the skunk, whether or not to show the hunter, should we see Bambi’s mother die and how strongly Walt Disney felt about a minimal approach to dialogue.

“Bambi” was a great film, and the “Bambi” DVD is an excellent DVD. If you have kids, get this 2-disc set. And if you don’t have kids, become one and at least treat yourself to watching this classic again.



Specifications: Film digitally restored and remastered. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Original theatrical fullscreen (1.33:1). THX-certified, including optimizer. French and Spanish language tracks. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.