Disney
Now you can watch Bambi online. Disney wanted the deer in Bambi to be ‘more realistic’ than deer and animals in previous films, prompting the animators to visit the Los Angeles Zoo to sketch deer for reference. Bambi is also the first Disney film to feature not humans; the all-animal cast is anthropomorphized, although two actresses were used as reference points for the scene in which Bambi and Thumper slide across an icy pond.
More than seventy years after its initial release, Bambi has made more than $267 million, and with the launch of Disney+, families can now watch Bambi streaming. Here’s how to stream Bambi right now:
How to Stream Bambi – Exclusively on Disney+
Bambi is one of the fan-favorite Disney animated movies that will be streaming exclusively on Disney’s new subscription streaming service, Disney+.
You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Disney+ HERE, which will allow you to stream Bambi and hundreds of other movies and shows on your computer, phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device. If you extend past the free trial, the service costs $6.99/month. You may also opt for this discount bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99/month.
- 1. Sign up for Disney+ here
- 2. Go to Disneyplus.com or download the Disney+ app on your device
- 3. Log in using your information
- 4. Search for “Bambi”
- 5. Tap on Bambi
- 6. Tap the PLAY button
Disney+ also boasts a vast library of Disney-owned movies and series — plus several new original series coming soon. The service includes unlimited downloads so you can watch offline whenever and wherever you want. The list of compatible devices and smart TVs includes iPads, Apple TV, Amazon devices, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, Roku, PS4, and Xbox One.
Bambi: Overview
Release Date: August 9, 1942
Creators: Felix Salten, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Vernon Stallings, Melvin Shaw, Carl Fallberg, Ralph Wright, Chuck Couch
Director: David Hand, James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Graham Heid, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Norman Wright
Starring: John Sutherland, Sam Edwards, Sterline Holloway, Ann Gillis
Rating: G
Synopsis: A young fawn, the son of the forest prince, befriends a rabbit and a skunk as he is growing up.
How Long Is Bambi?
Bambi has a running time of 70 minutes.
Bambi Plot
One spring, the creatures of the forest are excited about one new arrival: a young buck who will become the Prince of the Forest, tasked with protecting all the animals who live there. His mother calls him Bambi and raises him to be kind. Bambi’s best friends are a rabbit named Thumper, a skunk named Flower, and a female fawn named Faline. Bambi’s mother cautions him about the dangers of the forest, especially Man, but this doesn’t stop Bambi and his friends from having little adventures. One day, Bambi’s mother takes him to find food but is shot and killed by a hunter. Bambi is sad, but he is saved from Man by his father, a buck who is the Great Prince. He continues to raise Bambi, and the next spring, Bambi and his friends are playing when Friend Owl cautions then about falling in love. They think Owl is silly but soon after each meet a girl of their species and falls in love. Bambi falls for Faline but Ronno, another young buck, challenges him. The two fight, but Bambi is victorious, and continues his courtship of Faline. Later, Bambi is sleeping is wakes up to the smell of smoke. The Great Prince warns him that Man has returned and started a fire. Bambi and his father help the forest animals to safety, but Faline is separated from them and cornered by the hunter’s dogs. Bambi saves her and they go to the riverbank where the rest of the forest animals are taking shelter. They all survive and the next fall, Faline and Bambi have a set of twins and Bambi becomes the new Great Prince of the Forest.
Bambi Cast
For the first time in a feature film, Disney used different actors to provide the voices of the characters in different phases of their lives. Many of the actors remain uncredited within the movie itself but among them are Donnie Dunagan, Ann Gillis, Hardie Albright, Stan Alexander, and Peter Behn. Here are the actors most recognized for their work in Bambi:
Paula Winslow as Bambi’s Mother, Pheasant
Bambi’s mother protects him as best she can but is killed by Man. Paula Winslow was a veteran actress and voice actor who appeared in 35 films and TV series including My Mother the Car, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and Bambi.
Will Wright as Friend Owl
Friend Owl is a wise resident of the forest who warns Bambi and his friends about falling in love. Will Wright was a well-known actor with more than 200 films and TV shows to his credit. He is best known for his parts in Along the Oregon Trail, All the King’s Men, and Rhapsody in Blue.
Fred Shields as Great Prince/Bambi’s Father
Bambi’s father is the Great Prince, and he protects the forest creatures. Fred Shields was a well-known theatre group owner and newscaster in Kansas City before moving to Hollywood. There, he would appear in movies such as The Three Caballeros, Meet Corliss Archer, and Donald Duck Visits Lake Titicaca. In most of his roles, he would appear as the narrator.
John Sutherland as Adult Bambi
Bambi is a kind fawn who grows up to be the Great Prince of the Forest. His best friends are a rabbit named Thumper and a skunk named Flower. He marries Faline. John Sutherland was a writer, director and actor in early Hollywood. His best known roles were in Too Many Winners, Lady at Midnight, and The Strange Mrs. Crane.
Cammie King Conlon as Young Faline
Faline is Bambi’s friend and they fall in love. Cammie King Conlon was a child actress in Hollywood best known for playing Bonnie blue in Gone with the Wind. In addition, she would appear in several documentaries including Living Famously, change in the Wind, and The Making of ‘Bambi’.
Sterling Holloway as Adult Flower
Flower is Bambi’s friend, a skunk. Sterling Holloway was an award winning actor who appeared in 181 films and TV shows during his career. He is best known for his voice work, appearing in several Disney films including Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, and The Aristocats, as well as Bambi.
Sam Edwards as Adult Thumper
Thumper is a rabbit who befriends Bambi when he is a fawn. Sam Edwards was born to a show business family; his mother was Edna Park. Sam would appear in more than 150 productions, including Twelve O’Clock High, The Beatniks, and the TV series Little House on the Pairie.
Bambi Songs and Soundtrack
Frank Churchill and Edward H. Plumb scored the film, but Bambi was the first Disney feature not to feature a song sung by one of the characters. Instead, Disney used off-screen soloists or choirs to sing the songs.
Bambi at the Box Office
Bambi was the fifth full-length, animated feature released by Disney, and it was an initial box office failure. World War II closed off many markets for the film, and production costs were high. The film was created on a budget of $1.7 million, and the initial box office run only brought in about $1.6 million. The film would be re-released to theatres in 1947, 1957, 1966, 1975, 1982, and 1988 before being made available to the home-video market. These releases and childrens’ fascination with the film have made it one of Disney’s most successful franchises and to day the film is estimated to have made at least $267 million.
Bambi Reviews – What the Critics Said
Bambi holds a 90% approval rating on the site Rotten Tomatoes, but it was originally panned by critics because it was a departure from previous Disney films. Many said the movie lacked the fantasy elements that made previous Disney films popular. The movie also received criticism from hunters, who believed the movie was an insult to them. Even Walt Disney’s daughter is said to have disliked parts of the film, saying that it wasn’t necessary for Bambi’s mother to die.
Where Bambi Fits in the Disney Movie Pantheon
Bambi may not have been a money maker out of the gate for Disney, and in a time that Disney needed a movie to be a hit. However, it has since become a family favorite and has rated a sequel. Set in the winter after his mother dies, Bambi II features Bambi and his father. At the time of its release, Bambi was nominated for nine awards, including three Academy Awards. Walt Disney was awarded a Golden Globe in 1948 for his Hindustani version of the film, it is always a Genesis and Hugo award winning film. In 2011, Bambi was added to the National Film Registry list for preservation, and it appears on AFI’s 10 Top 10 list for animated features at number three, and Man is listed as the 23rd best Villain in AFI’s 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains list. The film has also been nominated to the AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list and their 100 Years of Film Scores list.
Bambi Trailer
Bambi Trivia: 5 Fast Facts
Bambi is a classic and one of the most-loved of Disney’s classic films, and has been named to several Best Of lists. Here are a few fast facts about Bambi:
1. ‘Bambi’ Character Creates New Word
The word ‘twitterpated’ has entered the cultural lexicon. It means to be overcome with romantic feelings. But, the word wasn’t always a word, it was coined by Friend Owl, a character in the film Bambi, who tells the now teenaged characters that they’ll soon fall in love.
2. Disney, Twin Books Publisher in Copyright Fight
The author of the original book, ‘Bambi, A Life In the Woods’, originally sold rights to his book to Sidney Franklin. Upon realizing he couldn’t make a live-action movie version of that book, Franklin sold only the movie rights to Walt Disney. However, Disney began including Bambi in comics and other features, prompting a copyright fight between the movie producer, and the publisher Twin Books, to whom print rights to the book were later sold. Disney claimed the book was in public domain, which the court upheld until a 1996 reversal by the Ninth Circuit Court.
3. Bambi Characters to Fight Fires
Walt Disney allowed Bambi to be used in promotional ads about the prevention of forest fires, but only for a year. After the initial year, the government had to come up with another spokesperson, and so Smokey the Bear was created. Bambi would return to Forestry Department campaigns in 2006 when the Ad Council was allowed to use footage from the movies in their ads for wildfire prevention.
4. Artists Tap Stars for Live-Action Movements
For the most part, there were no human or movement models used during the production of Bambi. There is one exception: for the scene in which Bambi and Thumper slide across the icy pond, the artists felt they needed reference points. They asked Hollywood star Jane Randolph and figure skater Donna Atwood to model for them.
5. Rights to Bambi Text Sold Twice
Walt Disney’s Bambi is loosely based on a fictional story by Felix Salten. Rights to the book were first bought by producer Sidney Franklin, who wanted to make a live-action movie about the book. Realizing that the technology didn’t exist for this to be done well, he sold the rights to Walt Disney, believing Disney could make a go of the film as an animated movie rather than live-action. Work began on the Disney version in 1936 but production delays meant it wasn’t released for several more years. The original film rights were sold for $1000
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How to Stream Bambi: Your Family Viewing Guide