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My Bambi II Review (Spoilers!!!) Animation
The animation is very smooth and well done. The environments don't look as idealized as the original, and they have a strange "fuzzy glow" look to them. It works though.
The characters display the same personality behaviors as the originals, however, sometimes the animals display "un-natural" animal movements to provide comic relief. The colors are beautiful, and the backgrounds have a enough detail to achieve the feeling of being in a winter covered forest and not simply a cheap Disney sequel. Overall, I enjoyed the animation a lot more than the usual Disney sequel.
Story
We all know that the story takes place during the period between Bambi's Mother's death, and his grown up self later in the spring. It is important to know that watching this film changes the WHOLE dynamic of the original. It makes some moments less grand, characters less stopic, and the moment where Bambi and his father run from the fire less emotionally stirring.
Bambi II also trades in the seriousness of the original for a decidedly lighter tone. There are a lot more jokes in this film than the original and they are a lot less subtle. Some even have a Warner Bros. feel to them. The overly cartoonish jokes are not numerous though. And while there are many, they are actually funny. A few caused me to laugh out loud even!
I think the film tackles a lot of real life problems. Bambi II starts right after Bambi's mom is shot. When we first see Bambi's father, he asks Owl to find him another Doe to take care of Bambi. I think this parallels human relationships and how eager some fathers are in dumping their children off to their mothers. Overtime, Bambi's father warms up to his son, and as is expected, that begin to have a lot of fun. Overall, there are no real surprises or unexpected plot points, but it serves it's purpose. It's basically what you imagined Bambi went through during his transition period, realized with animation.
Character Development
Honestly, there's not much of it. We see Thumper deal with his little sisters, but that's more for comic relief than giving insight on his transition period. Since half of the film takes place in Winter, Flower is hibernating. We are introduced to a new character named Rono or Ronu (Who we later realize is the stag that tries to steal Feline away from Bambi as an adult). Of course, this changes the dynamic of the original again because we see Ronu as a whinny bully, instead of a real menace. He seems like less of a threat when the original is watched again.
Bambi spends the majority of the movie trying to prove himself to his father, who constantly reminds him that he is a Prince and he must act like one. Bambi's father in turn tries to be a little more understanding of his son. Basically, nothing new or innovative in terms of character development.
Conclusion
Enjoyable. Definitely better than some of the other Disney sequels although it does nothing out of the ordinary. Art style is different, and the environments are less realistically stylized, but it works. It does change the dynamic of the original movie, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on your preference. The difference in the way you perceive the original characters is jarring when you see the prequel and then the original. I wouldn't buy it, but it's definitely worth a look!
Originally Posted by Soulquarian 
Thank You Poisonedapples 
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