MovieChat Forums > Bambi (1942) Discussion > Darkest Animated Film Ever?

Darkest Animated Film Ever?

posted 16 years ago by rainfyre66
77 replies | jump to latest

If you go on the Pinocchio message boards, you get a lot of debate over whether or not Pinocchio is the darkest animated film ever. It didn't occur to me until today that Bambi is probably the darkest animated film ever (anime doesn't count, fyi). I don't know about the rest of you, but even with all the cute and charming characters, it used to depress the hell out of me when i was a kid! I rewatched it today, and I still have to agree it's probably the darkest animated children's film ever.

Reasons?

Bambi's mom of course, and the whole tense "don't go on the meadow" set-up, that's a notorious Disney-traumatizes-you-for-life scene. The whole hunter killing animals thing is pretty dark overall. When the quail freaks out and gets shot out of the sky while trying to escape has disturbed me since i was a kid. The forest fire caused by man. The buck trying to take Faline by force and the intense fight that follows. The scary looking dogs that look like they could be from the Resident Evil films. Bambi's distant relationship with his father.

What makes this all the more dark is that the film is going for realism, it's not a fantasy like Pinocchio or The Black Cauldron, or the other fantasies that get named. It's a story about man vs. nature, and man is the enemy.

Your guys' thoughts?

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] gerwag 16 years ago

Watch Felidae:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109791/

[–] Erazer528 13 years ago

Followed your suggestion and just seen it!

Well, what should I say... HOLY SH*T! 0___o
I'm really not a leightweight when it comes to gore, but I cringed many times... brilliant movie though. 9/10.

[–] OmegaWolf747 10 years ago

Just tried Felidae. Fascinating concept. One question, why was Felicity done in? She was female!

---
House. My room. Cant walk. My medal. My father. Father, dont!

[–] MetFanMac 16 years ago

Sorry, still think Pinocchio's darker. Which is funny, because both of them are thought of as quintessential children's films. But what with Stromboli, the Coachman, and Monstro...

Supermodels...spoiled stupid little stick figures mit poofy lips who sink only about zemselves.

[–] SmallTownCritic 16 years ago

rainfyr,

Please let me know why you are so traumatized by this film?

I am a hunter, and all the things that you mentioned that traumatized you are part of my DAILY life. And before you start throwing things out such as "hillbilly/redneck/caveman/ignorant/murdered, i would like to let you know that i am a fire fighter, i drive a Chevrolet pickup truck, i live in a nice house and that i shower daily.

If the best thing that you can come up with is that its "cruel", then next time you eat any type of store/restaurant based meat, remember that the animal you are eating stood on a 4x4 pen for its entire life, standing in its own feces.

Im not trying to start any arguments, i would just like to hear your reasoning.

[–] FlonkertonChamp 16 years ago

And what if said person does not eat any animal products? There goes your only form of defense. Besides, one does not need to be a vegetarian to be bothered by needless killing of animals in the wild. You take their life for what you call "sport." some of us simply call it murder.

[–] joe_538 8 years ago

Yeah, people should only get their meat from a supermarket, where no animals have to suffer. Kidding aside, I have heard people make that statement multiple times, as well as cite an animated children's movie as a source of information.

Funny how some people only eat animals raised in a pen and fed hormones that were killed with a drill in the brain... then they call it cruel to harvest an animal cleanly from the wild. While animal rights groups like PETA are spending almost all the money they collect on payrolls, travel, self-promotion, and euthanizing thousands of dogs and cats, the majority of the money that actually goes into conservation comes from taxes, tags, and fees associated with hunting. 75% of the money that goes into state game departments comes from the sale of hunting licenses. Used for trails, fish hatcheries, game introduction programs, clearing overqrowth that affects migration, and the protection of endangered species among other things.

Population control through controlled hunting has increased the number of healthy bears, deer, turkey, waterfowl and other wildlife populations that would otherwise outgrow their habitat. It decreases the spread of rabies and Lyme disease, reduces deer collisions, protects crops, and keeps predators from encroaching on civilization. Florida saw an increase in bear attacks in the years after ending black bear hunting, and brought it back in 2015 to control the population. By opening the hunt to the public rather than sending their own people in at taxpayer's expense, they raised over $375,000 in permit sales for conservation.

But if someone doesn't like animal byproducts, they shouldn't be a hypocrite; they should avoid lipstick, perfume, postage stamps, car brakes, tires, toothpaste, crayons, shampoo, anti-aging cream, sugar, plastic, glass, cement, rubber, insulation, fertilizer, wallpaper, candles, anti-freeze, tennis rackets, soap, tape, plywood... you get the idea.

[–] tuffysmom 8 years ago

The Plague Dogs just killed me. I cried all the way through that movie.

[–] fubleduck 15 years ago

We like deer enough to object to killing them but not enough to refrain from doing so. Deer are among my favorite animals, but I have to be pragmatic. I can't rate the hunting of a deer as any worse than the slaughtering of a cow or chicken just because I like them more. That's not morality, that's aesthetics.

[–] yertletheturtle 15 years ago

Who gives a *beep* if your a fire fighter!? You think we respect you for that? Lol, whats even funnier is that you justify hunting by saying you are a fire fighter!

Look at that turtle go bro!

[–] DriftRS 14 years ago

are you people dense... I dislike killing animals to, but you know people have to eat right? You know hunters generally eat what they kill? Deer is an edible animal...

Further, isn't it kinda more humane to hunt a creature in the wild then to stock it up on some little farm in a miserable life untill it's old enough to be slaughtered?

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] SmallTownCritic 12 years ago

A large quantity do not. Most hunters are evolving into an ethical bunch as alot of bad traditions become frowned upon. Hunter education stresses this, and so do almost all of the shows on TV these days.

The days of beer drinking shoot everything in sight are long gone and quite illegal now. Doesnt mean is doesnt still happen, but nowhere near the scale of the 50's-90's.

[–] stephen-morton 15 years ago

Anyone who calls hunting murder is stupid. You can object to killing animals, give solid reasonable moral objections, and refer to it as cruelty and dehumanizing to those who do it. I disagree but at least those make sense. But "murder" is a term reserved for the killing of human beings, and by applying it to animals you mark yourself as a radical who doesn't deserve a spot in an honest conversation.

Thanks for your input countryboy4484.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] rainbowclimbinghigh 14 years ago

The reason I was traumatized by Bambi was because of the scene where Bambi's mother dies and he goes out looking for her . The reason is that I had a childhood fear of losing my mother (thankfully she is still alive today), as I have always been very close to her. It's nothing to do with whether or not I think it's cruel to hunt animals; that's a whole other issue.

R~O
TEAM EDWARD!
"You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off"

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] fubleduck 14 years ago

Monstro the whale WAS scary, & no friend of Green Peace, but the darkest part was all those delinquents selling their souls at Pleasure Island. Their turning into asses was more disturbing when I viewed it in later years Kyle: It's bigger than Cartman's @$$!
Eric: No it isn't you guys

[–] pbm1138 16 years ago

Watch Ghost in the Shell. That's not even dark, yet it's waaaaaaaaaaaay darker than Bambi. In fact, there a multitude of animated movies darker than Bambi: Heavy Metal, Paprika, Fritz the Cat, the Aqua Teen movie, pretty much any animated movie that's rated R.

I don't poly-cotton to coping tropes, even my own.

[–] rainfyre66 16 years ago

In repsonse to some posts-

pbm- I'm not counting anime or other animated films that are meant for adults. I mention it in the post, though not the title of the post, I think Babmi is the darkest animated children's film ever. Though I am willing to believe that there are other foreign children's animated films that are much darker.

countryboy- Whether you hunt for sport is your business, but you're right, it is not something i particularly agree with, therefore, it does bother me when animals get shot by humans. However, I am not some activist and am not going to attack you if hunting is something you happen to enjoy. From my point of view, to make humans the "enemy" in a children's film is a bit dark. For most children, it can be a bit disconcerting to not only have a non-villain character in a movie die, but to die from a human's bullet. Keep in mind that most people are not born and raised hunters. Not at all a knock against those that are, it's just if you're not brought up with a hunter's mindset animal death is a bit more traumatic. Yes that includes finding out where hamburgers come from. It's also important to note that when it was released, Walt Disney wanted to make it clear that he didn't want to give an anti-hunting message, but as the movie is from the animals' point of view they would consider humans the enemy as they shoot the animals' friends and family, and burn down their forest. That's pretty dark for a children's movie. and on to...

Meta- that is also why i have to disagree that Pinocchio is not darker. Pinocchio is a fantasy fairy tale, and while yes, Bambi has "fantasy" elements too, what with animals talking and doing human-esque things, it's intent was for realism, and that we (humans) are the enemy against animals gives it a darker edge and moral than that of a human and magic based fairy tale. There are other elements too that i mention in the post.

These are all just my opinions of course, so i expected disagreement from the beginning.

[–] pbm1138 16 years ago

Okay. I still think Who Framed Roger Rabbit is darker. It's only rated PG, so I'd count it as a children's movie. Of course, the adult undertones are still there. And I know that it's primarily live-action, but there are cartoons.

I don't poly-cotton to coping tropes, even my own.

[–] UnicornMaiden 15 years ago

Personally, I think Grave of the Fireflies is the darkest animated movie I have ever seen, but you said you're not counting anime.

If you're only talking about American movies that are intended as children's movies then I have to say that The Fox and The Hound is way darker than either Bambi or Pinocchio.

"The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone..." ~ The Last Unicorn

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] samusarmada 10 years ago

It's not a children's film. Like all early Disney films it was meant for adults and children in equal measure.

[–] fubleduck 15 years ago

Jonny Quest has a higher body count than Bambi. But sometimes a single death can have more shock value, due to what's expected up to that point. It's not always the quantity of deaths. Sometimes it's the quality of the life lost.

[–] mooveejunkie 16 years ago

Darkest film ever??? Bambi? Its up there, but Princess Mononoke and Paprika would be the darkest for me at least. Also there is one VERY dark scene Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame, it involves Catholic references and the notion of lust @_@ and its a G rated film.

[–] solidgameboy12-1 16 years ago

Darkest Animated Family Film Ever? Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

Please Turn Me Over ~ Mr. Blue Sky

[–] casanova99 16 years ago

What about The Mouse and His Child? I'm an adult now and I still get freaked out by that movie.

[–] AnalogTT 16 years ago

Saw it today. I expected more from the Bambi's mother's death scene. Any possible feelings were wiped out instantly by the merry spring scene. What hit me was the fact that the death didnt affect Bambi himself. Nothing affected Bambi. Nothing affected his friends, who were just cute toys going about. No real bond-forming. Life happens in a forest and we observe it. Lucky we got the frightening bits in the end and the dramatic visualizations. The overall tone was not dark, it was neutral, nice things happen, bad things happen, life goes on. My whole family got bored, it wasn't engaging, and you need just that to get any tone to a movie.

[–] mike-gals 16 years ago

Yes he did ask for your thoughts but he did hit the nail on the head, well almost. It is indeed "one of" the darkest animated movies ever made aimed at our youngest. I think that is the importance of his post. What audience the movie was aimed at. I am 34 now and still remember seeing that movie as a 3 or 4 year old and feeling quite sad at certain before mentioned scenes. BUT... I also remember it as being one of the cutest,cuddliest movies I have ever seen. But I also have to agree with last post that it does give the impression that good and evil exist but that is not a good thing, maybe not for the too young as our kids are being deprived of innocence at an earlier age than ever before. Yes in todays world kids do need to be a lot stronger but I have a 2yr old and an 8 month old and my aim would be to hold onto their innocence for as long as possible. So in summary, I think I will not be showing this to my kids, well not until there a wee bit older than 3 or 4. I must say I would have before I read the original post. Funny that!

[–] markrlaw1 12 years ago

WATERSHIP DOWN....hands down the darkest animated film EVER

[–] cutebruiser 15 years ago

I found Watership Down to be much darker.

[–] roboh-1 14 years ago

I agree. Wathership Down is far darker, but less known. Excellent movie too!

[–] flash_drive 15 years ago

This is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. Yes, it was very sad when Bambi's mom was killed, and the quail was also serious, but keep in mind that this is exactly what people do when they invade the woods and mindlessly shoot things, whether for sport or idiocy. That's just the way people are. They have no concern or respect for nature. And that was painfully taught as a lesson within this move, which is all about nature and the creatures who live there.

-- "Mulder, toads just fell from the sky!"

[–] fubleduck 15 years ago

Conservation is financed by hunting licence fees.

[–] 15 years ago

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