Originally intended to be Disney’s second full length animated film; Work began on the project in 1936, but Disney’s quest for perfection and dedication to realism saw the film slowly come together over a period of six years. When it was eventually released in 1942, Bambi was the studio’s sixth major release, but it was definitely worth the wait.

A timeless classic beloved by all, the movie follows the fortunes of a young deer, Bambi, as he learns the ways of the forest, makes friends, finds love and learns, very wisely, to fear the destructive nature of man. The scene with Bambi and his mum – you know the one we’re talking about – will leave you in floods of tears every time and is probably the most traumatic sequence ever committed to film.

The fact that we care so much proves that Disney’s dream of perfection did in fact, come to pass. Sad stuff aside, this is a very sweet and funny film with a solid score of musical favourites, Little April Shower and Twitterpated among them, and an adorable supporting cast of critters from lively Thumper (rabbit) to precious Flower (skunk). As beguiling now as it was more than sixty years ago.

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BAMBI AND MORE…
• The Special Edition Disney DVD features a unique deleted scene featuring Bambi’s previously unseen first screen kiss with girlfriend Faline.

• This two disc Special Edition Disney DVD of Bambi has undergone the most detailed restoration in the history of the Walt Disney Company to date, requiring over 9,600 hours of work on over 110,000 frames.

• Pre-production of the film began in 1936 and was intended to be Disney's second full-length animated film after ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937). Disney's quest for perfection kept the film in production for so long that Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), The Reluctant Dragon (1941) and Dumbo (1941) were all released before Bambi.

• In striving for realism, the artists attended lectures from animal experts, made field trips to the Los Angeles Zoo, watched specially filmed nature footage shot in the forests of Maine and even studied the movements of two fawns that were donated to the Studio.

• The two fawns donated to the studio for research purposes were actually named Bambi and Faline, which is where the famous names came from. The fawns were kept by the studio while artists studied their movements and behaviour. When they were fully-grown, they were released in nearby Griffith Park. Other animals, such as skunks and squirrels, were also kept in the Disney zoo for research.

• The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Sound, Best Song ("Love Is A Song"), and Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

• The world premiere was actually held in the UK on 8th August 1942 making it the first Disney full-length animated feature to hold its world premiere outside the United States.

• Bambi was Walt Disney’s own personal favourite Disney film

• Total footage of the film measures at 6259 feet, including 100,144 frames of film and an estimated 400,576 drawings.

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