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Bambi II Movie Review

Bambi II is a 2006 animated direct-to-video feature from Disneytoon Studios. It’s one of the better direct-to-video sequels.

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“I think it’s best to leave the past in the past.

A Prince does not look back. Only ahead“

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Just like many of these direct-to-video efforts, this one is also a midquel that is set just after the death of Bambi’s mom. The movie is all about his relationship with his tough dad, and how eventually the king softens up to his son and the two develop a genuine father-son bond.

Every scene that centers on their relationship was a winner. The movie showcases the importance of fathers in any kid’s life and how fathers should not be too harsh toward their kids, but also have fun with them as well. There are many wonderful lessons that he teaches Bambi, the one with fear being the most beautiful and important of the bunch.

He is a fantastic character who was here humanized while before he was almost mystical in his rare appearances, but it works in the context of the story. Bambi himself is just as endearing as he was before, but I personally found all of the other characters largely inferior. Thumper is never as funny as he was before with Flower, Feline and Owl all being underdeveloped as well.

The scenes with the gang were not all that great, so I wanted more of the father-son scenes as those were the real heart of this movie. Comparing this film to the original is foolish as the first flick was a genuine work of art and this one is nothing of the sort, but still it’s solid enough, and it stands tall among the pantheon of Disneytoon movies.

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Bambi II has pretty good animation that tries to emulate the look of the original, and it somewhat succeeds, but again gone are the lush landscapes and the true artistic imagery. But comparing it to the other direct-to-video flicks, it runs circles around them all. As for the soundtrack, the less said about it, the better. It’s the weakest part of the movie as all numbers are cheesy, sounding cheap and unambitious.

Bambi II is actually a pretty solid successor to the original film. Gone is the art of the first movie, but at least its heart is in the right place. The minor characters are badly used here, but Bambi and his father are excellent and their relationship is superbly realized. The animation is also very strong, but the soundtrack is quite poor.

My Rating – 3.5