10 Shocking Moments From Family Films

2. Bambi's Mum Dies - Bambi

We would be remiss for not including what is easily the most emotionally devastating moment in any animated film aimed at children; it is, of course, the death of Bambi's mother at the hands of a hunter in Disney's heartfelt classic. It's even more horrifying to imagine how Bambi could have turned out given that it was originally meant to be a live-action film, which would have resulted in child therapy appointments sky-rocketing during the following years. Though it has a lot of cute animation and some wonderful music, the film is largely remembered for the traumatising effect it has on kids, informing them of the cruelty of man in a disarming manner that is completely lacking sentiment. This does feel like another fairly exploitative entry to the list, though; Bambi's mother is rendered as painstakingly cute as possible, such that when she eventually bites the bullet (sorry) we're crushed even harder by what is already a pretty grim scenario. If your kid doesn't cry watching this scene, they're probably going to grow up to become a sociopath. Just a warning.
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.