I admit to a strong prejudice against Disney's direct-to-video sequels of their classic animated films. Movies like Aladdin: The Return of Jafar and 101 Dalmations 2: Patch's London Adventure may have made money for the studio but they were inferior sequels that ultimately damaged the Disney brand and killed the "animation renaissance" of the early 1990's.
So it was with a palpable sense of unease that I loaded the Bambi II Special Edition Blu-Ray into my machine. After 74 minutes, I can honestly say that this movie was perfectly acceptable children's entertainment, but anyone who loved the original Bambi will want to throw this disc across the room.
Disney Home Video Presents Bambi II Special Edition Blu-Ray, Starring Patrick Stewart and Alexander Gould
It's winter and Bambi (Alexander Gould) is searching the snow-covered forest, calling for his mother. Then the Great Prince (Patrick Stewart) appears and utters the immortal lines that brought so many generations to tears: "Your mother can't be with you anymore."
So begins 2006's Bambi II, which seeks to fill the gap between Bambi losing his mother and re-appearing as a teenager in the first film. Big mistake. Setting aside some continuity errors (such as Thumper only having 4 instead of 5 sisters), it sets Bambi II against its predecessor in ways that demonstrate how much chaos theory turned that 1942 film into a classic. For instance, Peter Behn - who voiced Thumper - may have been a terrible actor from a technical standpoint, but his stilted delivery and difficulty remembering lines gave Bambi some of its most memorable moments. Brendon Baerg does his best voicing Thumper in the sequel, but he's a trained actor trying to imitate an untrained one - an impossible task.
It doesn't help that several jokes in Bambi II deliberately recreate gags from the first film. A double irony here: according to Don Hahn's documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty, Disney's animation renaissance was started when they threw out the motto "What would Walt Disney do?" - a mantra that stifled innovation at the Mouse House in the years following Walt's death. So it's doubly ironic to see DisneyToon Studios imitate the first Bambi so closely with this sequel.
Bambi II Special Edition Blu-Ray Extras
For the kiddies, there are 3 interactive learning games hosted by Friend Owl. There's also a (schmaltzy) deleted song: "Sing the Day". Thumper takes center stage with the Hurry and Scurry interactive game and the "How to Draw Thumper" featurette. Speaking of featurettes, there's the inevitable 'making of' featurette, and a pop-up feature which brings up various bits of trivia as you're watching the flick.
Only Show Bambi II Special Edition Blu-Ray to Those Who Haven't Watched the First Film
If Bambi II wasn't such an inferior sequel to a beloved classic, this film would be a lot easier to like. There's a lot of charm, and some touching moments as Bambi forges a loving relationship with his father. But the filmmakers made this movie in such a way as to invite direct comparisons to the 1942 original, and that's a battle Bambi II just can't win. It gets a 2.5/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
Join the Conversation