8 Overlooked Animated Disney Films That Are Better Than You Think
1. Bambi
This one always seems to get a short shrift compared to the simplistic joys of Pinocchio and the grandiose heights of The Beauty And The Beast. No one runs around saying it's bad necessarily, but there's not the comparable level of love for what is possibly Disney's best film, full stop.
A coming of age story, chronicling the life of a deer from birth to full-antlered adulthood, Bambi is one of their more narratively-light films, which is probably a big part of its lack of attention.
Following on from Fantasias ethos that music and animation can be tied together, the films songs all comes directly from the life of the forest. In fact a lot of the film's creativity lies in its showcasing the beauty of nature. This obsessive recreation makes Bambi's growth not a product of events, like many other childhood stories, but a simple development brought on by time. The backdrops are sumptuous paintings that create an enveloping vastness, while Bambis development is presented with a childlike naivety that allows it to work for both wide-eyed kids and their nostalgic parents alike.
And yet all everybody seems to remember is the death of Bambis mother. A touchstone of Disneys ability to make kids cry (although in that department you feel theres a lot of bandwagon jumping), the revered scene where the unseen hunter fells the female deer is only a small part of a film that has so much beauty. Besides, the real strength of that scenes emotion isnt in the shot at all. Bambi is so tragic because after killing the hero's mother, it moves on; the very next thing it shows is a bunch of birds chirping in celebration of spring. How about that for the depressing.
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