Bambi DVD: Review By Brian

A true American classic has finally made it's way to DVD, and I'm sure Disney fans are overcome with joy.

Marking Disney's fifth full length animated feature, Bambi was originally released theatrically in 1942. After a string of successful films like Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia and Dumbo, Disney unleashed the super-cuddly Bambi into the mainstream which not only faired well with kids, but had grown-ups alike tearing up and sniffling in the aisles when powerful scenes like the death of Bambi's mother were showcased. With that said, I think it's safe to say that Bambi is one of the ultimate feel good Disney flicks of yesteryear, and one that many fans of Walt hold close to their heart.

Bambi came at a time when America was at war. Spirits were low and Walt Disney took it upon himself, as he did with all of his endeavors, to restore a sense of wholesome goodness to the world that would shed a ray of hope on dark times. This was always the essence of Disney and what made his art form so magical.

Bambi serves coming of age story which so many animated flicks (i.e. The Lion King) have taken pages from since. A story of growing up without parents, valuing those who love you in return, confiding in those you can trust and becoming fully aware of the dangers and pitfalls of the real world.

I remember reading an article a few years back about how Bambi serves as an inspirational tool to many young orphans in orphanages around the world. I also recall the article mentioning how a big percentage of orphans who have grown up still hold Bambi as their favorite film of all-time, one in which they might not have become the person they were today without such a film. As a filmmaker, I don't think Mr. Walt Disney could have asked for any more.

Bambi: Inside Walt's Story Meetings

Patrick Stewart hosts a featurette that makes it mark in this set which clocks in at just over 70 minutes, automatically making this sort of feature alone worth the price of admission. With the film only running for 66 minutes total, this featurette hands over boats loads of information and historical reflecting of time in which the film was created. Never-before-heard audio transcripts of the production meetings, storyboards, clips and photos are abundant making this featurette, hands down, the shining gem in this DVD set.

Backstage Disney:

- The Making of Bambi: A Prince Is Born

A segmented doc*mentary of sorts which takes the viewer on a journey through the making of the film from start to finish. A goldmine of behind-the-scenes Disney info lush with commentary from the people involved. Look for Donnie Dunagan who MovieWeb recently interviewed for this release! priceless stuff!

- Restoring Bambi

How they cleaned this flick up! A great little doc revealing the restoration process. I wish this was a bit longer and in depth, but I guess it gets the job done.

- The Legacy Continues: A Sneak Peek at the All-New Bambi Movie

Another Disney sequel coming straight to video. Uh oh.

- Disney Time Capsule: 1942, The Year of Bambi

Another short little featurette showcasing the era in which Bambi was born and the other things the world was going at the time of it's creation.

- The Art of Bambi, Tricks of the Trade, Inside the Disney Archives, The Old Mill, Bambi Theatrical Trailer

More short doc which further the disc's special feature content and give you a glimpse of the vault of media Disney has stored in it's archives. Pretty standard DVD fluff for Disney, but well worth a watch by any means. More is always better.

Deleted Scenes

Priceless to say the least as once again, this stuff came from the Disney film archives of 1942, and considering what is being offered, that fact alone is astonishing.

Disney Games

Tons of content to keep the kids busy, and when it comes to Disney, they know their stuff. A welcome addition to say the least.

Absolutely immaculate. No wonder Disney has taken so long in getting this film to DVD. The original film has been cleaned up, telecined, sharpened, contrasted and restored for a truly superb image. Any version of Bambi you may have owned prior to the release of this DVD must be replaced immediately. This is the high resolution version of this film you can possibly get your hands on. If you're a fan, a purist or the like, you're not going to want to pass this one up.

Like the video, the soundtrack has also been remixed for an enhanced with a Dolby Digital 5.1 home-theater soundtrack. The final product being nothing short of amazing. Clean well balanced tones residing in a perfect mix of dialog, music, sound effects, and ambiance. Honestly, I couldn't even think of one thing that could be better in the re-rendered version of Bambi. It comes in ranking as one of the highest quality DVDs I own, and it still continues to amaze me that this movie was originally produced in the 1940s.

Packaged in a glossed over cardboard slip case wrapping a plastic clamshell, this DVD is served up in a very elegant and classy manner. It'll have no problem standing tall as a crowning jewel in any DVD collection.

A classic on so many levels this DVD is hard to resist. And with this remastered version coming to DVD, the disc sits very comfortably in the same league as any contemporary animated film. There was a lot of work that was poured into this release and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if this title was one to be the first to hit HD-DVD as the format makes it's presence at the end of this year. The quality of the disc screams for a release of that sort of calibar, and it would be great to see an uncompressed remaster hits stores shelves.

Disney fans, home theater enthusiasts, DVD lovers and purists a like, you're going to adore this DVD. This is must own disc for anyone. Period.