Bambi (1942)

Director:

David Hand

Writers:

Felix Salten (novel)
Larry Morey (story)
(more)

Release Date:

21 August 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Family | Romance

Tagline:

Walt Disney's multiplane technicolor feature

Plot:

Animated film about a young deer, Bambi, growing up in the wild after his mother is shot by hunters.

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title | Dog Attack | First Of Series | Bambi | Lightning

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Hardie Albright	...	Adolescent Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
Stan Alexander	...	Young Flower (voice) (uncredited)
Bobette Audrey	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Peter Behn	...	Young Thumper (voice) (uncredited)
Thelma Boardman	...	Mrs. Quail (voice) (uncredited)
Janet Chapman	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Jeanne Christy	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Dolyn Bramston Cook	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Marion Darlington	...	Bird Calls (voice) (uncredited)
Tim Davis	...	Adult Thumper / Adolescent Flower (voice) (uncredited)
Donnie Dunagan	...	Young Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
Sam Edwards	...	Adult Thumper (voice) (uncredited)
Ann Gillis	...	Adult Faline (voice) (uncredited)
Sterling Holloway	...	Adult Flower (voice) (uncredited)
Jack Horner	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Thelma Hubbard	...	Girl Bunny / Quail Mother / Female Pheasant (voice) (uncredited)
Cammie King	...	Young Faline (voice) (uncredited)
Mary Lansing	...	Aunt Ena / Mrs. Possum (voice) (uncredited)
Margaret Lee	...	Thumper's Mother (voice) (uncredited)
Babs Nelson	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Sandra Lee Richards	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Francesca Santoro	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Fred Shields	...	Great Prince Of The Forest (voice) (uncredited)
Bobby Stewart	...	Baby Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
John Sutherland	...	Adult Bambi (voice) (uncredited)
Paula Winslowe	...	Bambi's Mother (voice) (uncredited)
Elouise Wohlwend	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Will Wright	...	Friend Owl (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
David Hand		(as David D. Hand)

Writing credits
Felix Salten		(novel)
Larry Morey		(story adaptation)
Perce Pearce		(story direction)

Produced by
Walt Disney	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Edward H. Plumb		(as Edward Plumb)

Cinematography by
Maxwell Morgan		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Tom Codrick		(as Thomas H. Codrick)
Robert Cormack		(as Robert C. Cormack)
Lloyd Harting
David Hilberman
John Hubley
Dick Kelsey
McLaren Stewart
Al Zinnen

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Atwood	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Mike Holoboff	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Bob Ogle	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Sidney Franklin	....	artistic consultant (uncredited)

Sound Department
C.O. Slyfield	....	sound director (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Rachel Clement	....	restoration artist (uncredited)

Animation Department
Patrick L. Almanza	....	lead clean-up artist (new version)
Dick Anthony	....	background artist (as W. Richard Anthony)
Casey Basichis	....	clean-up artist (new version)
Preston Blair	....	animator
Jack Bradbury	....	animator (as John Bradbury)
Merle Cox	....	background artist (as Merle T. Cox)
Marc Davis	....	animator (as Fraser Davis)
Phil Duncan	....	animator
Art Elliott	....	animator
Bernard Garbutt	....	animator
Ray Huffine	....	background artist
Kenneth Hultgren	....	animator
Travis Johnson	....	background artist
Ollie Johnston	....	supervising animator: "Thumper"
Bill Justice	....	animator
Milt Kahl	....	supervising animator (as Milton Kahl)
Eric Larson	....	supervising animator
Ed Levitt	....	background artist
Don Lusk	....	animator
Bob McIntosh	....	background artist (as Robert McIntosh)
Joshua Meador	....	animator
Ken O'Brien	....	animator (as Kenneth O'Brien)
Art Palmer	....	animator
Art Riley	....	background artist
George Rowley	....	animator
Jeff Schiffman	....	clean-up artist (new version)
Louie Schmitt	....	animator (as Louis Schmitt)
Retta Scott	....	animator
Stan Spohn	....	background artist
Joe Stahley	....	background artist
Frank Thomas	....	supervising animator: "Thumper" (as Franklin Thomas)
Tyrus Wong	....	background artist
Edwin Aardal	....	animator (uncredited)
Jerome Brown	....	animator (uncredited)
Paul Busch	....	animator (uncredited)
Lars Calonius	....	animator (uncredited)
Brad Case	....	animator (uncredited)
Ugo D'Orsi	....	animator (uncredited)
Russ Dyson	....	animator (uncredited)
J.S. Escalante	....	animator (uncredited)
Paul Fitzpatrick	....	animator (uncredited)
Joseph Gayek	....	animator (uncredited)
Blaine Gibson	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
George Goepper	....	animator (uncredited)
Franklin Grundeen	....	animator (uncredited)
Harry Hamsel	....	animator (uncredited)
John Harbaugh	....	animator (uncredited)
M. James	....	animator (uncredited)
Lynn Karp	....	animator (uncredited)
Jack Kinney	....	animator: opening sequence (uncredited)
Paul B. Kossoff	....	animator (uncredited)
Dan MacManus	....	animator (uncredited)
Fred Madison	....	animator (uncredited)
Murray McClellan	....	animator (uncredited)
John McManus	....	animator (uncredited)
James Moore	....	animator (uncredited)
Curtiss D. Perkins	....	layout artist (uncredited)
John Reed	....	animator (uncredited)
Glenn Scott	....	layout artist (uncredited)
Hazel Sewell	....	animator (uncredited)
Sandy Strother	....	animator (uncredited)
Don Tobin	....	animator (uncredited)
Harvey Toombs	....	animator (uncredited)
Don Towsley	....	animator (uncredited)
Noel Tucker	....	animator (uncredited)
Karl Van Leuven	....	animator (uncredited)
Jim Will	....	animator (uncredited)
Vernon G. Witt	....	animator (uncredited)
Cornett Wood	....	animator (uncredited)
Cy Young	....	animator (uncredited)
Robert W. Youngquist	....	animator (uncredited)

Music Department
Charles Henderson	....	music arranger: choral arrangements
Paul J. Smith	....	orchestrator
Alexander Steinert	....	conductor
Charles Wolcott	....	orchestrator

Other crew
James Algar	....	sequence director
Samuel Armstrong	....	sequence director (as Sam Armstrong)
Chuck Couch	....	story developer
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Carl Fallberg	....	story developer
Charles Garcia	....	digital restoration: Pixel Magic (1997 version)
David Hand	....	supervising director (as David D. Hand)
Graham Heid	....	sequence director
Jane Randolph	....	ice skating model
Bill Roberts	....	sequence director
Paul Satterfield	....	sequence director
Jeff Schiffman	....	restoration project manager (new version)
Melvin Shaw	....	story developer
Vernon Stallings	....	story developer
Norman Wright	....	sequence director
Ralph Wright	....	story developer
Donna Atwood	....	ice skating model: "Thumper" (uncredited)
Maurice Day	....	researcher (uncredited)
Don Graham	....	consultant: animal anatomy and motion (uncredited)
Rico Lebrun	....	consultant: animal anatomy and motion (uncredited)
Robert Winkler	....	voice-over (uncredited)
Dee Worth	....	secretary (uncredited)
Vi Zimmerman	....	secretary (uncredited)

Thanks
Sidney Franklin	....	appreciation: inspiring collaborator

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Buena Vista Film Distribution Company (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-releases from 1957 onward)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (2005) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Gativideo (199?) (Argentina) (video)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Pictures (1966) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Daiei Motion Picture Company (1951) (Japan) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Walt Disney's Bambi (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/4 | Brazil:Livre | Australia:G | Philippines:G | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Peru:PT | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #5013) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1974) | Greece:K | Iceland:L

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

For the film's DVD release in 2005, over 110,000 frames were cleaned up individually, requiring more than 9,600 hours of work. This was done from a copy of the original nitrate negative borrowed from the Library of Congress.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bambi looks in the pond while in the meadow and sees Faline's reflection, he repeatedly looks at both his and her reflections. After Faline giggles, Bambi stops in awe and blinks twice. On the second blink, the reflection's eyes do not blink with Bambi's eyes.

Quotes:

[Bambi and his mother are eating grass; suddenly she stands in attention]
Bambi's Mother: Bambi. Quick! The thicket!
[they run; a gunshot is heard]
Bambi's Mother: Faster! Faster, Bambi! Don't look back! Keep running! Keep running!
[Gunshot is heard, then silence]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Oz: Capital P (#1.4)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Looking for Romance (I Bring You a Song)

Disney's Truest Masterpiece--Man Is In The Forest!

From the opening scene where the multiplane camera glides through a quiet forest until the stirring forest fire climax, a viewer has to be aware he is watching one of the all-time great films. So much of the cycle of life is covered that it's hard to realize the film is a mere 69 minutes. In a book called 'The Making of Bambi', Ollie Johnston reveals that originally there was much more footage that Disney eventually trimmed, cutting out whole sequences before the film previewed. Obviously, he made a wide decision.

There is no extraneous scene here, it moves seamlessly through its cycle of life story with the charming animal creatures carrying the story to its logical conclusion. The background music complements all of the drama and comedy. The storm sequence is the most beautiful blend of music and drawings ever achieved by the Disney artists. The naturally drawn deer are the result of months of careful preparation and study, giving the entire film the feel of a nature study as well as giving the audience great entertainment.

The choral work is extremely effective, particularly on songs like 'Love Is A Song' (Oscar nominated), 'I Bring You A Song' and 'Little April Shower'. The impressionistic forest glows with a life of its own and is the real star of the film, thanks to the influence of Japanese artist Tyrus Wong. No wonder this was Disney's favorite film. It will stay fresh and young forever. An awesome achievement!

In conclusion, having done some choral work myself as a glee club singer, I especially appreciated the great contribution made by the mixed chorus (male/female) that does such a wonderful job on all of the choruses that blend so seamlessly with the rich background score. Truly exceptional choral vocals conducted by Charles Henderson.