"Man is in the Forest"

Bambi (1942)

In 1942, Bambi premiered to a world wrought with strife, still in the midst of World War II. In a way, it's tale, set in a world far away from the one we know, couldn't have come at a better time. Despite beginning work on the feature, well before America's involvement in the war, Disney's film about a young deer's life growing up in a grand forest, was a welcome escape from the horrors of the world in the 40's. And although it's initial disappointing box office sales, it received glowing reviews.
Honestly, Bambi is one of the few Disney movies I don't remember too vividly. Obviously, the stand out moments of certain characters and scenes come to mind, but I knew, the movie as a whole, would be a fresh retelling as I settled in to watch it after so many years.
Immediately, as the title sequence begins, the first thing I notice is the beautiful theme of "Love is a Song," I remember the tune as it plays from my childhood, but as an adult, the lyrics begin to stand out, and I can see it for how powerful it is.
"Love is a song that never ends

Life may be swift and fleeting
Hope may die yet love's beautiful music
Comes each day like the dawn

Love is a song that never ends
One simple theme repeating
Like the voice of a heavenly choir
Love's sweet music flows on"

Frank Churchill, who composed the music for this film, died shortly after it's release, and one of his last requests before his death, was that this song be dedicated to his wife. That fact, in itself, is enough to solidify the theme and message of not only this song, but also the movie. 

Obviously, the biggest memory most people have of this film is the traumatic death of Bambi's mother, which most film buffs rank high on the list of saddest moments in film. The fact that Disney decided to not even show the villain of this movie, was a truly brilliant decision. 'Man', became this strange foreign force of nature that was so far removed from the balance of this world we got a glimpse of, that it allowed us, probably for one of the first times in movie history, to see our impact on the world around us. It opened our eyes to the true destructive nature of us as a species, ironically, at a time in history, when we were fully at our most violent. Maybe the status quo couldn't see it at the time, but looking back now, it shows how much pop culture and films are impacted by the current times. 

Allowing us to connect to these innocent woodland creatures that don't fully understand who or what we are, when we come in and kill them for sport, could easily upset certain members of society. Which, many people I know, have been.

Easily, this movie could be written off as the message being how bad the human race is to mother nature. But, when I began to put it into mind, along with the entirety of this movie, I truly saw the message at the core of this film.

This movie is truly about the resilience and strength of life itself. The movie begins with a birth, the passage of time is shown, with all the seasons and the impact they bring, characters die, others grow, love is kindled, destruction comes, and life renews and the cycle begins again....

One animated movie running in a only 70 minutes long, encapsulating the true cycle of life, and how insignificant we truly are in the grand scheme of it all. Yet, the moments where we connect with one another, and our ability to love, is something that continues on throughout our short lifespans, in one form or another.....

Needless to say, I was pretty blown away when I came to this conclusion as the movie ended. In a way, it makes the death of Bambi's mother rather a small point in the movie, which in itself, is a big point! Pretty clever stuff, Walt.......

As Bambi grows, and experiences moments that we can relate to; discovering the world around us, making friends, the loss of our parents, becoming 'twitterpated'..... We become drawn in, and that's what makes those traumatic scenes all the more powerful, and the overall story more strong with an impact.

As I continue to watch these movies, I can't decide if these powerful messages I walk away with, are the result of reading too into them due to my lifelong Disney enthusiasm, or if they truly are the morals intended for audiences to leave with.... Regardless, so far, I am thoroughly cementing my fondness of these movies, and I will continue to suggest a revisit to all of my friends and family to them, and hopefully see them as I have.