This latest Bambi story takes place just after the young prince's mother dies. He is taken under the care of his father, The Great Prince (Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: The Next Generation), and the older deer attempts to teach Bambi (Alexander Gould, Finding Nemo) how to be the prince he is to become. Meanwhile, Bambi's desire to play with his friends causes him to get into a bit of trouble, despite his desire to impress his father.
Bambi II includes other classic characters like Thumper (Brendon Baerg), Flower (Nicky Jones), Faline (Andrea Bowen) and Friend Owl (Keith Ferguson). To mix things up a bit, it also introduces a new character, a rival for Bambi named Ronno (Anthony Ghannam). Bambi has several run-ins with the apparently brave young deer, and the young prince feels like he keeps coming up second to the other fawn. The fact that he has lost his spots and has some antlers doesn't help Bambi all that much, but eventually Ronno's true character is revealed and Bambi learns that being as aggressive as Ronno is not the answer.
The movie's art does a great job of recapturing the classic soft color, painted look that makes the original film stand out so much. This, combined with the few bits of music accompanying the visuals, really helps to bring back that classic feel. The actors also do a great job of portraying their various characters, though I have to say, it was a little odd hearing Jean-Luc Picard's voice coming from a deer, but this isn't the first character he's lent his voice to, and eventually, I was able to get used to it.
As for special features, this Blu-ray/DVD combo release of Bambi II comes with a few games that will challenge the player's memory and basic math and color skills. There is also a deleted song, "Sing the Day," and a Disney Sketch Pad that goes over how to draw Thumper.
Throughout the film, I couldn't help but think how unnecessary Bambi II felt. Sure, the original Bambi has a bit of a time-jump in the middle of it, but that wasn't a part of the story that really needed to be told. It also bothers me how this newer film contradicts the original. In the original, when Bambi returns in the Spring, all of the other characters are amazed by his growth and antlers, but he is well on his way to that older look by the end of Bambi II, so why are they all surprised?
When it comes down to it, Bambi II is a rental at best. Unless your kids really get into the film and want to watch it over and over again, it isn't really worth the purchase.
