Movie review: Bambi

Who doesn' remember that adorable fawn that lived in a huge forest with his mother? Who doesn't  remember the rabbit that pounds its leg at an incredible speed ? Who doesn't  remember the timid skunk? Who doesn't remember that tragic scene that broke the hearts of many people in theaters and on television?

Bambi is a Disney animated classic, one of the first to be animated in color along with Snow White. Loosely based on the book by Austrian author Felix Salten*, the film narrates the childhood, adolescence and adulthood of a deer, Bambi. He was the only son of the Great Prince of the Forest, a very majestic deer that watches things go well in the forest, and is friend of the rabbit Thumper and the skunk Flower.

I remember that I used to watch it in the living room of my grandarents' home when I was a little girl; along with Pinocchio, it was one of my favorite films. Now that I have watched it again in adulthood, I have a better understood about the variety of themes that are subtly addressed throughout the film, from the role of the motherly figure as a transmitter of values such as friendship and respect towards others, to the dangers of unregulated hunting.

One aspect that I would like to point out is the symbolism of the crow and man. We don't see the latter; we do not even know how is he. We only know about him because of the crows that circle over him. In popular culture, the crow is a symbol of evil, death and betrayal; this reference is very well represented in the scene of the Great Prince of the Forest listening for the first time to the croaking of the animal. We can see how the animal tenses immediately when it realizes that death could be closer than he previously thought. However, death often arrives unannounced, so the victim has to use his instinct; the death of Bambi's mother is a sample that animals, in the absence of crows, perceive the presence of the enemy.

I would recommend this film as ideal for children from 10 years old; the film could be used as an element of teaching about environmental care or to raise awareness (as they happen in some cases) about poaching.