DVD Review - Bambi Diamond Edition

                     

The Walt Disney Studios proudly announces the addition of BAMBI to its coveted, cutting-edge Blu-ray™ Diamond Collection line-up of Disney’s greatest animated-classics. Released from the Disney vault for a limited time only, BAMBI Diamond Edition features the loveable and adorable wide-eyed fawn and his forest friends in Blu-ray high-definition on March 1, 2011.

The Diamond Edition debut of BAMBI, Walt’s fifth full-length animated classic, is an endearing tale about a young prince of the forest who learns valuable life-lessons about friendship, love, and the miracle of life. The movie is a must-own coming-of-age story that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has especially packaged with families in mind - providing the ultimate, interactive hi-def home entertainment experience with a newly enhanced digital restoration, enhanced picture and sound, games, activities and more.

The new BAMBI Diamond Edition will be available as a 2-Disc Disney Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) for the suggested retail price of $39.99 US/$46.99 Canada, a High Definition Movie Download for the suggested retail price of $19.99 US/$39.99 Canada, and/or a Standard Definition Movie Download for the suggested retail price of $14.99 US/$24.99 Canada. Those who wish to own the standard definition DVD version of BAMBI will need to wait seven additional weeks – until April 19, 2011.

Disney’s new “Second Screen” technology, which is being introduced for the very first time on the BAMBI Diamond Edition release, will further transform the at-home movie watching experience by empowering viewers with the ability to engage with film content on multiple media platforms and bring them to life in their own hands at the touch of a button. By simply downloading the new Disney Second Screen App onto an internet-connected computer or iPad™* and synching it to the movie, consumers will instantly be able to dive deeper into the film by engaging with fun interactive elements like animated flipbooks, galleries, photos, trivia and more.

Film Synopsis:

As morning light breaks across the meadow, a young deer named Bambi is born and hailed as ‘Prince of the Forest.’ Soon Bambi emerges from the thicket on wobbly legs, much to the delight of his new friends, Thumper, the playful rabbit, and Flower, the bashful yet lovable skunk. But the fun of nibbling on fresh blossoms and frolicking through the woods is only the beginning. Exploring his new world, and guided by the wisdom of Friend Owl,Bambi learns valuable life lessons with every adventure – experiencing the power of friendship, family, and love along the away.

The Making of the Film:

BAMBI was Walt Disney’s fifth animated full-length feature film which released in 1942 during World War II and took approximately five years in the making due to the exquisite artwork and attention to detail of each and every scene, character and figure.  The artwork itself was created by some of the legendary “nine old men,” including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Marc Davis, Milt Kahl and Eric Larson and in order to achieve the film’s unprecedented level of realism, animators modeled anatomical studies using live animals (including a pair of fawns named Bambi and Faline) and imbued each with a uniquely endearing personality. Bambi’s delightful forest home received the same painstaking attention to detail, as background artists painted hundreds of landscapes based on extensive field research and nature photographs. 

Walt Disney broke the longstanding animation tradition by casting child actors in the roles of Bambi’s young animals, including Bobby Stewart as Baby Bambi, Donnie Dunagan as Young Bambi, Hardie Albright as Adolescent Bambi and Peter Behn as Young Thumper. The cast also includes Sam Edwards as Adult Thumper, John Sutherland as Adult Bambi, Paula Winslowe as Bambi’s Mother and Sterling Holloway (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and The Jungle Book’s Kaa, the snake) as Adult Flower.

Film Accolades:

BAMBI was nominated for three Academy Awards^® for Best Song (“Love Is a Song,”), Best Sound Recording, and Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. To date, BAMBI is No. 3 on the list of American Film Institute’s Top 10 Animated Films of All Times. And in 2004, the movie was commemorated with a first-class U.S. postage stamp and in the 1990’s the film inspired astronomers to name a pair of asteroids after the adorable characters – Thumper (April 20, 1993) and Bambi (October 17, 1995). 

Bonus Features:

            Backstage Disney:

• Inside Walt’s Story Meetings-Enhanced Edition - A fascinating, multi-tiered, interactive story-telling experience. Go back in time with dramatic voice re-enactments of the moments with Walt that led to the creation of this classic film.
• 2 Never Before Seen Deleted Scenes
• Deleted Song: “Twitterpated”
• Blu-ray Galleries—A collection of the extraordinary images originally created as part of the design process for BAMBI.

Family Play: Games & Activities:

• Disney’s Big Book of Knowledge: BAMBI Edition— An interactive educational gaming experience that uses the film as a learning tool. Players can customize their own Big Book of Knowledge and learn all about forest creatures, seasons andmore! Each time a player completes a task, they are rewarded with new stickers to decorate their Big Book of Knowledge.

Digital Exclusive:

•  The Golden Age

Classic DVD Bonus Features:

• The Making Of BAMBI: A Prince Is Born—A comprehensive look at the making of BAMBI covers the story, the characters, the actors, the art design, the music and the history of Walt Disney’s classic film using behind the scenes footage, production stills, animation, artwork and multiple interviews withperformers and behind the scenes participants.
• Tricks of the Trade (excerpt)—In an episode from the 1957 Disneyland TV show, Walt narrates the story of the multiplane camera, an animation innovation crucial to the production of BAMBI.
• Inside the Disney Archives—Disney Supervising Animator Andreas Deja guides viewers through Disney’s Animation Research Library, where artwork from past Disney animated feature films is stored, including early story sketches of Bobo the rabbit,” (who became Thumper),  glass paintings made for the multiplane camera and more.
• The Old Mill—Winner of the 1937 Academy Award^® for Best Short Subject/Cartoon, The Old Mill was a testing ground for several techniques critical to Walt’s artistic vision for BAMBI, including the multiplane camera, animating realistic animals and experimenting with such natural occurrences such as wind, rain and lightning. 
• DisneyPedia: Bambi’s Forest Friends 

Disc Specifications:

	BLU-RAY	DVD
Street Date	March 1, 2011	April 19, 2011
Direct Prebook	January 4, 2011	February 22, 2011
Distributor Prebook	January 18, 2011	March 8, 2011
Suggested Retail Price	2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) = $39.99 US/$46.99 Canada; High Definition Movie Download = $19.99 US/$39.99 Canada; Standard Definition Movie Download = $14.99 US/$34.99 Canada	2-Disc DVD = $29.99 US/$35.99 Canada
Feature Run Time	70-minutes	70-minutes
Feature Rated	G	G
Technical		FastPlayÔ enabled
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1	1.33:1
Sound	7.1 DTS-HD High Resolution Audio,	5.1 Dolby Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix (DEHT)
Languages	5.1 Dolby Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix (DEHT) French and Spanish Language Tracks	5.1 Dolby Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix (DEHT) French and Spanish Language Tracks
Subtitles	English SDH, English ESL, French & Spanish	English SDH, English Line 21/CC, French & Spanish

My Take on the DVDAs a Disney movie fan, I have know Bambi for it seems like all of my life. This new DVD does so much more for the movie than the VHS that I had at home in the past. The new DVD provides vibrant color that jumps off the screen as well as a ton of extras that I had never seen before, and I believe are new to all viewers.

One of the things that I always love in the early Disney films is the magic of the animators hands, something that you don't see as much today with the use of computer generated animation, but in seeing a movie like this you see and are reminded of a foregone era.

All-in-all, this movie is a gem and the new release makes it one that you will not want to miss!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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