The original Bambi is a true masterpiece in every way. For me, no other animated film tops it - not even Disney's crowning achievement, The Lion King. It is simply one of the best animated films out there. It's storytelling at its greatest. I heard great things about this sequel and I decided to check it out. I didn't expect it to live up to the original, because I knew it wouldn't. However, it's still a really worthy successor, and here's why.

The animation is breathtaking, especially for a direct-to-video film. It's actually feature film quality, the reason being that Disney had been casting out all of its animators in favour of computers. People who worked on films like Brother Bear suddenly found themselves working on DTV projects. It's a sad truth, and I found this truth to be undertone in the film. Computer animation simply cannot capture the heart and the beauty of this little film.
The artwork and backgrounds stay true to that of the original film. However, instead of being done by hand, the backgrounds are made using art programs on the computer. However, this is hardly noticable.

Storywise, like the original, the plot is simple. It's what happens within the plot that is intense and touching. After his mother's death, Bambi has to be raised by his unwilling father - the Great Prince himself. What results is a very touching story about love and moving on.
If Bambi 2 has one really big flaw, it's that there is too much dialogue. The first film only had enough to help you understand each character's personality. In Bambi, actions speak louder than words. But this is made up for the fact that the characters (like Thumper, for example) are hardly different from what they were in the original. This sort of thing is rare in a sequel, and in the given circumstances, this is very well-done here.

The musics are also close to the original, but with a more modern feel. Alison Krauss singing 'There is Life' in the opening accompanies the film very well. There's also music from the original too, which helps keep the emotion and essence of what Bambi is all about.

Now, I believe that most of Walt Disney's original films do NOT need sequels. But I felt that Bambi 2 was a real exception. It does not ruin the original in any way, despite the claims of Disney fanatics who probably haven't even seen it. I think that this is up with The Lion King II as Disney's best direct-to-video sequel. This beats the heck out of Disney's other sequels, Universal's five thousand Land Before Time sequels, the Balto sequels etc. This is a real winner in the world of DTV films, and if you're a fan of the original Bambi, this at least worth watching, and more than once!

Although, there are a few continuity errors with the first film. One example is that in the original, Thumper had five sisters, and in this film there are only four. Perhaps Bambi's mother wasn't the only mortality that winter...

Edit, 2007: the rating for this film has been changed according to my new rating guidelines, which boil down to 'This is a DTV, and I don't expect it to be as good as a box office blockbuster that cost 100 million dollars'

You have to hand it to Disney: either they are amazingly brave, or amazingly greedy. If ever there were an animated movie which should never have been sequeled, this is it. It would be up there with 'Citizen Kane II', or 'The Koran II'.

To a large extent I agree with Thalia's very good review below, though I tend to see a few more positives and a few less negatives.

Bambi II covers the period after Bambi's mother's death* and his emergence as a full grown buck. In fact there is room here for another midquel.

Taking on probably the greatest animated film of all time, and making a DTV sequel seems like either madness or money-grubbing. We're not talking about something like a follow-up to 'The Sword in the Stone' or 'Oliver and Company'. We're talking about daring to follow-up on the possibly the greatest animated movie of all time. The holy grail. And doing it on a budget. One hell of a tall order.

So how does it fare?

I think, in order to appreciate this movie, you have to forget the first one was made. Ironically, if you do that, this film doesn't really make much sense. It goes without saying that it falls far short of its parent (I'd give 'Bambi' 5 stars if I could), but erasing the original from your mind - to whatever degree that's possible - what are the pros and cons?

What doesn't work: at 62 minutes, this is very short, even for a DTV sequel. The story, taken 9in isolation, is rather unremarkable. The incidental characters, and most of the supporting ones, completely fail to re-capture the combination of innocence and artistic brilliance of the original. Thumper is an irritating sidekick. Flower is too lightweight to talk about.

The songs are horrible. It seems to me that an army of clones have produced animated songs for about the last 15 years. This is just the same as Brother Bear II. They all sound the same,. are designed to make you fell the same way, sound like they're sung by the same person. A pox on this rubbish. With a nod, again, to 'Over the Hedge', which had the good taste to use Ben Folds.

The animation is very good, but let's not even pretend that they equal the sheer artistry of the original, and its synchronisation with classic songs.

The story is rather unremarkable in its own right. It's a coming-of-age tale. Nothing much new here in the realm of Disney DTVs.

What does work:

It may not be 'Bambi', but the animation and backgrounds set new standards for Disney DTVs and DTVs in general. Be they digitally generated or not, there are quite a few scenes which are throat-catchingly beautiful, and if the film were longer and had more room to breathe, with more scenes of this type, it could have rated higher.

The Owl is a deft crossover between 30's to 40's and modern styles. He wouldn't seem jarringly out of place in the original.

The film conducts itself with a dignity which is almost completely lacking from Disney sequels. It may be sillier and more lame than the original, but it's a long way from embarrassing.

The animation of the deer is wonderful. The subtlety of the facial expression of Bambi, his father, and the other deer, is outstanding.

Patrick Stewart is an absolutely perfect choice as voice actor for Bambi's father.

There are moments of beauty which, while they don't equal the original, don't insult it either.

In summary

I give a little leeway for DTV's, and think 3 stars is about right. I enjoyed this film, despite the tremendous emotional baggage and expectations it carried. I agree that it if they were going to make it at all, it should have been a full-blown, longer cinema release, but OTOH it sets new standards for DTVs.

It has little of the inspiration and sheer artistry of the original, but in its own right, it has many merits.

Consider this: compare it with any Disney feature film made between '101 Dalmatians' (1961) and 'The Fox and the Hound' (1980). If there were no original Bambi, and this had dated from say, 1969, would everyone be beating up on it?

An enjoyable disappointment.

The animation is wonderful, but the story is very dull. The grandeur of the original is not present and the new characters are either just plain annoying or dumb. There was, in my opinion, too much talking throughout the whole film, and too much forced humor. Although I did get a few chuckles out of it, none of it was extremely funny. This one is good for a younger audience.

The original Bambi has been one of my favorite movies since before I could speak full sentences. It has a special place in my memories and is a beautiful, emotional story. Then along comes Bambi II. I must say, as far as Disney sequels go, this one wasn't as bad as it could have been. Still, it leaves much to be desired.

The backgrounds were as beautiful as the first Bambi, but the animation seemed off, lacking the fluid grace of the first. The music, a key point in any movie, was interruptive at best and too overbearing. As for the plot, it was somewhat interesting and had enough feel to make my eyes water at times, but really was too simple. I took one idea and never strayed, making it a little boring. The actors, to their credit, did well enough. Disney's choices were good, considering they could not use the original voices.

If one were to completely disregard the personalities of the characters and simply remember the original Bambi's plot, the movie is halfway decent.

Remember the first movie, Bambi? Remember how beautiful and moving it was?

Well, Bambi 2 follows the original's beauty and emotion 64 years later, but in a brand-new story! I'll tell you this: I'm impressed! Disney has finally figured it out!This is the way a sequel (or a midquel, as this really is) should be!

**Warning: Possible Spoilers**

Bambi 2 starts off when Bambi's mother is gone and his father, the Great Prince of the Forest, takes the lone buck under his wing. He tries to teach the young prince about how a prince should act, but Bambi has other ideas, like thinking of how to impress his father. (Okay, no BIG spoilers.)

This was a breathtakingly, beautiful story by Disney. The voices were actually real close to the original 1942 original. The animation was very fluid and clean. And the backgrounds . . . . very gorgeously painted (digitally) and true to the beauty of the first film.

If you think that Disney direct-to-video sequels are destroying the originals with bad quality stories and animation, this is one that you would have to see for yourself, because Bambi 2 keeps the original story alive and still makes it stand out as its own film. This is one of the best animated sequels I have ever seen (especially from Disney)!
Ladies and gentlemen, Bambi is back. And he's as good as he was in 1942! And better!

This is a must-see sequel/midquel! Four Stars!