USCCB - (Film and Broadcasting)

Bambi

Alphabetical Listing of Movie Reviews

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Bambi -- Walt Disney's classic animated feature conveys the simplicity, charm and excitement of Felix Salten's novel, especially in its appealing characterization of Thumper, Flower and all the others who inhabit the young deer's forest world. The story has some intense moments, notably the forest fire sequence and the death of Bambi's mother, though in a context not beyond the resources of most young viewers. The DVD premiere of "Bambi" is all you could wish for: a pristine print with a more accurate color palette than even on the film's ballyhooed laserdisc incarnation, restored soundtrack (as well as alternate French and Spanish tracks), and multitudinous features spread over two discs. There are aural re-enactments of Walt Disney's story meetings -- lasting more than an hour -- wherein you can hear how the final film so closely mirrored the original concept. This, like the "Restoring Disney" feature on the second disc, is hosted by Patrick Stewart, who will play Bambi's father in the upcoming sequel, which gets its own plug in "The Legacy Continues" feature. There's a 53-minute "Making of Bambi" documentary; Walt Disney explaining on his television show how some of the film's effects were achieved; a look at the vast Disney archives where seemingly every scrap of Disney material is lovingly kept; a look at the actors who voiced the characters, including Thumper; and a couple of deleted scenes, though those are storyboard reconstructions rather than fully animated scenes. Add to all these a 1937 "Silly Symphony" that presaged some of Bambi's animation techniques, a 1942 time capsule, and a plethora of games and activities for the kids, and you have first-rate family entertainment. But even if there were no extra features, this is one of the true Disney masterpieces, and a must-have for the family library. A-I (G) 1942

These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

The classifications are as follows:

A-I -- general patronage;
A-II -- adults and adolescents;
A-III -- adults;
L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
O -- morally offensive.

Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.