Bambi, along with Dumbo, was among the first Disney movies that my mother bought for me when I was very young. She herself had never really seen (or at least paid attention to) Disney movies when she was young, but she bought the VHS tapes for these two films anyway because so many of her neighbors and church friends were saying they were good for children. When she first saw the first few minutes of Bambi, with the beautiful multiplane shot of the forest, the enchanting tunes of "Love is a Song", and the "aww"-inducing voices of the baby animals, she fell in love with it and decided from then on to buy Disney movies for my brother and me.
As for myself, I remember while I did like Bambi as a character, I was too irritated by the childish antics of Bambi's friends to truly enjoy the film (ironic, considering I was a kid!) I did love Bambi's mother, as she was always so loving and protective. But then, of course, there was that famous moment that traumatized a child to no end, and the following scenes were more enjoyable, though some of them were either boring or scary. Suffice to say, Bambi was not my favorite Disney movie partly because the annoying little baby animals left too much of an impression on me.
It wasn't until I reached my high school and college, when I researched more into Disney history and re-watched the film, that I came to have respect for the film and fell in love with it. Now, Bambi is one of my favorite Disney films for the sublime artistry of its animation and music and the depth of its story and themes.
As the fifth Disney animated feature, Bambi is considered by many animation professionals and experts to be the last (or at least one of the last) film of the golden age of Disney animation. Bambi was not successful upon its initial release in 1941 because of public disinterest due to World War II and criticisms for the film's dark scenes. However, the film found its audience over time with its rereleases and is now one of the most iconic Disney films. The death of Bambi's mother is particularly remembered as one of the most traumatizing memories for many children, and Man is listed as one of the greatest movie villains by AFI.
The scene which I will analyze is the second half of the meadow scene, where we are introduced to the Great Prince of the Forest and the main antagonist, Man. This is a very pivotal moment as the scene and the film as a whole start to take on a more serious tone.
At the beginning of this shot, Bambi is playing with his new friend Faline, whom we are introduced to at the first half of the meadow sequence. Their attention turns toward the right of the screen, which is heralded by an abrupt change in music. The orchestration shifts from the fragmented scherzo of Bambi and Faline's playtime to that of a majestic, bombastic brass fanfare referred to behind the scenes as "Gallop of the Stags".
The shift in music is a transition point and a beginning of a new sequence where Bambi and the audience first meet the male deer of the forest as they come galloping toward the meadow.
The placement of this shot right after the shot of Bambi and Faline looking off-screen allows the audience to infer that the two fawns are looking at the stags. This basic cinematic technique is called eyeline match.
We also get a sense of where the stags are as they move in from the right, the direction which Bambi and Faline were gazing at, to the left of the screen.
This is an establishing shot showing a whole herd of stags.
The shot also functions as a panning shot which stands still as the camera closes in on one the bucks who is becoming more visually identifiable from the distant, faceless mass.
As the camera focuses on the two bucks, the herd is disappearing behind them, effectively transitioning to a full shot of the two.
Even though the shot had been focusing on these two deer for few seconds, they are just nameless extras who will not appear in the film again. Their importance, however, is in what influence they hold over the main character.
In an another demonstration of eyeline match, Bambi and Faline have shifted their gaze from right to left. This implies that within the previous shot, the stags have moved past the rocky knoll the fawns were standing on and are now to their left.
Bambi rather clumsily tries to charge at Faline like the bucks did...
This is another panning shot following the stags as they are charging and leaping off a rocky ledge. The quick camera movement makes you feel the momentum of the charge and the power of these stags.
The rocky ledge is also drawn elongated and pointing horizontally - the background art is staged specifically for that panning effect.
The stags leap off the ledge on cue with a series of cymbals. This is an example of Mickey Mousing, a technique of synching the rhythm of the music with that of the action onscreen.
Unlike the stags' majestic, almost uniform, leap off the ledge, Bambi can only follow along and watch from the top of the ledge.
On top of that (pardon the pun), with this beautifully composed long shot, we see that the ledge is far too high up for Bambi to even attempt the jump. He is still only a fawn.
As Bambi contemplates the spectacle and perhaps the idea of being an adult, he may be wondering: can I only see them from far off?
From the hopping stags, we immediately cut back to Bambi still on the ledge.
Bambi's reaction makes it clear that the previous shot was from his perspective.
He may not be able to leap off this tall ledge, but he can at least hop like them.
The action now follows Bambi hopping like the stags in the background and trying to get a closer view or meet up with them.
Bambi suddenly is distant from the audience as the camera stops following him. This filmmakers are making sure the audience is anticipating a moment Bambi is naively not aware of.
The shot here is staged so that the bucks are charging toward the camera, making them suddenly appear much larger than they did before. Appropriately, the fanfare also swells up dramatically. This visual and audial assault give the audience a sense of how powerful and overwhelming they really are. It also helps us relate to how tiny and feeble Bambi must be feeling as he gets a close-up of the adult male of his species.
By making the deer come so close to the camera, the filmmakers and animators are attempting to give these series of drawings an illusion of depth.
Until now, the princes have been seen from a distance, from Bambi's perspective. This is why Bambi was able to look upon them with curiosity and admiration. Now, after this close encounter, he knows that he has to approach them with caution. The deer also do not need to be seen from far off any longer.
The top half of the shot is where the sky and the stags are. The bottom half of the shot shows the ground and Bambi watching from a safe spot. He has been forced to hide under a log as he is overwhelmed by everyone around him. Bambi, still being a fawn, is literally below the adult deer and do not really belong with them.
Still imitating the princes' hops.
But then, the stags all come to a halt, as if for a gathering.
I always thought that the way they all suddenly stop and then become motionless felt rather stiff and unnatural.
With this long shot, we get our proper introduction to the Great Prince of the Forest, a mysterious and enigmatic character who will later on play a larger role in Bambi's life. As majestic and powerful as the other deer were, there is someone greater than they.
We cut from the wide shot of Bambi surrounded by other bucks to this close-up of him. This signals that the following moments with the Great Prince will involve him personally.
This is a low-angle shot of the Prince. Look at how huge that blade of grass looks to the camera.
I don't know if it's just me, but the two trees that he is between almost look like a gate of some palace.
Here, the Great Prince seems much larger than the other stags standing in front of him. This is less about showing the actual size difference than it is about emphasizing the difference in hierarchy. As mighty as the other deer are, the Prince exceeds them, as indicated by his darker color and larger antlers, and he commands their respect.
Now, let's look at the ordering of the next two shots.
Shot #1: The stags pay their respect by turning their heads.
Shot #2: Bambi backs away from the Great Prince.
The ordering of the shots goes from the Prince to the other deer and then to Bambi. The sequence denotes hierarchy within the deer society in
Bambi.
The difference in hierarchy is also conveyed by the camera angles for each character. The Prince is the leader of the herd, and so he is shown at a low-angle. The other princes are below the Prince but are still stronger than Bambi. So, they are shown at an eye-level angle. Bambi is the youngest deer in this scene, and so his vulnerability is communicated by a high-angle.
The other deer know the Prince and respect him. Thus, they all uniformly salute him with brief gestures of respect and only need to be seen for few seconds. Bambi, on the other hand, has never seen the Prince and is intimated by him. So he backs away, not knowing how to respond to the mighty stag. Appropriately, Bambi's reaction is very animated while the other stags remain nearly static.
In this panning shot, the Prince and the Bambi are shown together in the same frame. The Prince dwarfs Bambi in size, and the low-angle of the shot adds to his overwhelming presence.
As the Prince slows down, the camera stops moving. The audience are led to anticipate that the Prince will stop and take notice of Bambi.
(To be continued in Part 2)
