7. Bambi (1942)
Bambi is a 1942 animated film directed by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten. The main characters are Bambi, his mother, his father (the Great Prince), the rabbit Thumper, the skunk Flower, and Bambi's future mate Faline. The movie takes us through Bambi's childhood as he learns what it means to be a deer in the forest, and what it means to live near man. This film is one of those key moments of childhood that everyone remembers - especially when Bambi's mother is shot and killed by a hunter.
Dark Inspirations? Much like the movie, the book by Felix Salten traces the life of Bambi from fawn to buck, but the details of that life are far more striking in the written form. For example, when Bambi's mother is killed by a hunter, his friend Gobo goes missing. Eventually Gobo returns having been captured and raised by man. Gobo now thinks he is a friend of mankind until he is shot and killed by a group of hunters from whom he thought he was safe. We are also treated to Bambi viewing a dead human body as a lesson that mankind is not immortal.
The inspiration for the movie Bambi? We have a book that, through the actions of Bambi and his cohorts, show us that children are whiny and too reliant on their mothers, men always leave their women to raise their kids alone, puberty is something to be made fun of, mankind is evil and treacherous but not all-powerful, and parents always die. Boy, am I depressed.