Bambi (1942): Seasons of Change

A few words on Disney’s classic work of art

Disney’s Bambi is an ode to seasons, but not just in the literal sense. All things in the film go through seasons of change, from harmony to disharmony and back.

The forest goes through stillness and fire.

The song of love that initially announces itself as the film’s theme is later mocked by the Old Owl, because hardness and love both form the spine of life.

The film’s narrative rests on the seasons that succeed themselves in the life of a family: close motherly care calmly and responsibly extends a blanket of security in the young years of exploration, while distant fatherhood, which has herd and territory to attend to, lends a different type of helping hand to Bambi, demanding that he finds his footing to face the looming danger when it encroaches on the family’s stable ground, and calling on the son’s strength and impetus.

And last but not least, seasons of emotion that go through the characters’ faces in a matter of moments are painted by the animators exceptionally well. Frustration morphs into playfulness, contentment into shock, excitement into defeat, joy into sorrow, tentativeness into resolve. A reminder from the less self-conscious animal kingdom that nobody needs to keep a single straight face while learning — and the state of learning is without a doubt a lifelong one.

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