Almost 65 years later, a sequel to Bambi was released but as we all know, the original Bambi had a beginning, a middle and an end. So Bambi 2 fits somewhere in the middle of the first movie in terms of continuity and at times is almost a recap of the original story.

Thumper’s Story
 

As opposed to the original story, this midstory of Bambi focuses on the relationship between Bambi and his powerful father, played by the delightful Patrick Stewart (Star Trek the Next Generation) whom our young fawn seeks protection after the death of his mother.

However Bambi's father, the Great Prince of the Forest is not your archetype father but rather is a teacher for his son as he attempts to show his son how to act like a real prince should. Needless to say, after quite a few close calls, Bambi's father is quite disapproving of his young son which is where Thumper and Flower come to the rescue.  Not only do Thumper and Flower offer some much needed light-hearted entertainment but they help in creating a great link to the original 1942 story.

Beginning of the Spring

Unfortunately for Bambi, his antagonist is Ronno, an older fawn who is more bully than friend. To further complicate things for Bambi, his father has moved on with another deer and from there things go from bad to worse that involves chase scenes, fights and human hunters.

But in classic Bambi fashion, the story does work itself out and although the story is not as magical as the original, it's still an entertaining journey about this young fawn destined to become the Great Prince of the Forest. The highlight of Bambi 2 for me is the resolution of the relationship between Bambi and his father that is actually quite moving at the end and proves that this powerful deer is not the disciplined heartless father that he portrays to the animals of the forest.

Video, Audio & Special Features

In terms of animations, Bambi 2 moves into the world of CGI and unlike the original film which is dateless, old CGI unfortunately stands out a little more. There are some nice animated scenes but overall, it lacks that originality of the original. On Blu-ray however, there are vibrant colours and sharp images which is probably why some of the CGI stands out, due to the quality of the release. For audio, Bambi 2 supports a 5.1 sound track that does use the surround aspect of the sound quite well. Audio is clear as is the music and the sound effects.

Learning to be brave

Lastly, we have some interesting special features that include games, for the children, a deleted song from the movie and some additional featurettes on how the legacy of Bambi is furthered by this movie.

Special Features

Disc 1

• Friend Owl's Forest Fun Games

• "Sing the Day" Deleted Song

• The Legacy Continues

• Disney Sketch Pad

• Thumper's Hurry & Scurry Game

• Bambi's Trivia Track

Disc 2

• "Sing the Day" Deleted Song

• The Legacy Continues

• Bambi's Trivia Tracks

• Disney Sketch Pad

All in all, Bambi 2 is an interesting and entertaining movie but compared to the original, unfortunately it's light is not as bright. Nonetheless an interesting take on a true Hollywood classic!

For your chance to win a copy of Bambi 1 or 2 on Blu-ray, click here!