MovieChat Forums > Bambi (1942) Discussion > Why don't they show Bambi's mom when she...

Why don't they show Bambi's mom when she dies?

posted 9 years ago by Purplecover101
6 replies | jump to latest

Where they concerned with the graphics. Or why was it cut?
They had no problem showing Mufasa or Kerchack from Tarzan when they died.

[–] WeAintFoundShin 9 years ago

They did not show Mufasa when he died. Before and after his death, yes.

Bambi demands a special edition with an animated version of this for Bambi's mother:

https://www.google.com/search?q=george+of+the+jungle+pride+rock&biw=1280&bih=855&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI7oCU8cn-xwIVSpeICh1luQzz#tbm=isch&q=mind+blown+deer+gif

[–] cobnut 9 years ago

The Lion King and Tarzan were made decades after Bambi. When Bambi was made, ratings restrictions were far more stringent, especially for childrens films, and audiences were overall more sensitive and less jaded. If they'd shown his mother's dead body, few parents would've paid to take their child to see the film.

The mirror... it's broken.
Yes, I know. I like it that way. Makes me look the way I feel.

[–] Weber4278 9 years ago

At one point Disney considered showing her death on screen (getting shot and falling down) but ultimately decided it was more powerful if done off screen, and I agree...we don't need to see her be shot to feel the impact of her death.

And in my opinion it's not so much the moment she is shot but the scene after...when Bambi is wandering the woods alone looking for his mother...THAT is when her death truly hits you, and you feel how alone Bambi is.

[–] TutuAnimationPrincess 9 years ago

^I think Weber hit the point best. It's not about censorship, the first five Disney film had plenty of evidence that there was no need to pull punches. Instead, the best decision was made to make the scene work best and be the most impactful.

"Unless you're an alien, time traveler, or esper, your opinion doesn't matter."

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

And in my opinion it's not so much the moment she is shot but the scene after...when Bambi is wandering the woods alone looking for his mother...THAT is when her death truly hits you, and you feel how alone Bambi is.

Agreed. It's a lesson the Lion King understood. The saddest part of Mufasa's death isn't the death itself, but Simba's reaction immediately afterwards.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] owlfy 9 years ago

As if this cartoon isn't depressing enough, if it had showed Bambi's mom being shot and dying I would have been even more traumatized at 8. This Goddamn film ruined my psyche as a kid. It's a horror film disguised as some cute and cuddly animal flick. I can watch gory horror films all day, but show me Bambi finding his mom dead and I lose my sh!t.