Bambi (1942)

How many of us really remember “Bambi”? Sweet animals. Bright and sunny forest. Young deer finding his legs. Thumper and that restless foot. So lovable. Memory is fickle. Walt Disney’s classic tale a dark coming of age story that is cute, yes, but also visceral, and quite intense at the climax. The story: Bambi is born and grows up among friendly rabbits, birds and skunks in a forest. He matures. Winter hits hard. Man comes. A gunshot. Mother is no more. Then later the fire, set by man. There is no tongue-in-cheek satire here, yes, some laughs, but mostly hard truths. Its theme: Growing up is hell, but you eventually will find happiness. The details are exceedingly rich, from every hand-drawn character to creeks and leaves. No perfected CGI film will exceed even the beautiful errand lines created by men and women. Check out that fight scene. Or Thumper thumping. “Bambi” rightfully holds its place as one of the greatest animated films out there. And, yeah, Bambi’s momma’s death put a lump in my throat. Maybe. A+