Bambi’s mother dies again: Why the scene continues to traumatize the world

Bambi is back on the big screen. Unlike Disney’s live-action adaptations like The Jungle Book (2016) or The Lion King (2019), which relied on computer-generated animals, this new version takes a semi-documentary approach, with shots taken in nature. It’s a French production, titled Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods. Directed by Michel Fessler, who previously wrote The Emperor’s Voyage (2005), a film that captured the migration of penguins as a narrative, Bambi uses montage and a voice-over (provided by French singer Mylène Farmer in the original version) to tell the story of Felix Salten’s classic, drawing from recordings of deer, rabbits, ospreys, and other forest inhabitants in the 50,000-hectare Orleans forest in the Centre-Val de Loire region.

Before anyone gets all worked up, rest assured that no fawn’s mother was harmed in the making of this film, even though it aims to maintain a sense of realism. Like in the Disney classic, the death of Bambi’s mother occurs off-screen — audiences only hear a shot and see Bambi running. This moment is enough to evoke a familiar cinematic trauma for many viewers, and to traumatize a whole new generation of cinema goers.

The pivotal moment in Bambi’s narrative, when a hunter fatally shoots his mother and Bambi narrowly escapes, marks the end of the character’s carefree childhood. It is also the point at which Bambi must learn to survive on his own, with the aid of his father in the Disney version. This scene, much like other popular stories, is one of the first encounters children have with death through fiction.

“Salten’s novel is what is known as a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story,” Ana Garralón, a translator and critic specializing in children’s literature, tells EL PAÍS. “The loss of a loved one serves as a process of accepting individuality. Because the characters are animals and the story unfolds in a non-realistic setting, readers can maintain a certain distance. In childhood, death is perceived quite differently than it is by adults, and grief has other connotations.”

Garralón observes that “death has been a recurring theme in children’s literature since its inception,” often carrying “allegorical and symbolic connotations.” He provides an insightful perspective on the context of the 1923 novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods, noting: “Some say that death in Bambi symbolizes the fear Salten experienced as a Jew, because he was persecuted, and his life was in danger.”

Similarly, American scholar Jack Zipes, in the introduction to a recent English-language edition, described the novel as “a brilliant and profound story of how minority groups throughout the world have been brutally treated, even when they try to live peacefully in their own environment.”

The new French film adheres more closely to the structure and events of the Disney adaptation than to Felix Salten’s original novel (even including a character inspired by Thumper the rabbit, who does not appear in the book). In the novel, the death of the mother is just one of many grim events the protagonist witnesses in a brutal and unforgiving natural world. Here, danger lurks not only in humans but also among the forest’s own creatures, through predation and collaborating with humans. Bambi’s journey is less about the passage to adulthood and more about the loss of innocence. It charts a shift from childish joy to a self-imposed solitude — a coping mechanism for a male deer surrounded by constant threats. Over time, he becomes wiser but also hardened and less capable of love.

This perspective is why Garralón describes the animated film as “corny and manipulative.” “Disney presented an idyllic version of nature and sugarcoated everything,” he explains. “The film cut out many things that appear in the novel, such as violence and death in nature itself. As soon as the ferret is born, it kills the mouse; the crows are plundering; the meadow is full of dangers; and even animals like grasshoppers or butterflies are not exactly friendly.”

The conversation

However, the Disney adaptation had its own distinct context. Released in 1942 during World War II, it resonated with audiences, including many children who were already familiar with the idea of growing up without both parents. The film was also a landmark technical achievement for Disney, with its production extended over several years due to its complexity. Though initially conceived as Disney’s first animated feature, it ultimately became the studio’s fifth.

Beyond its technical success, the film established a vision of nature that profoundly influenced Disney’s artistic direction and societal perceptions of wildlife. Walt Disney himself donated the image of Bambi for government campaigns promoting forest conservation. The film also played a role in shaping conservationist, environmentalist, and animal welfare sensibilities.

“I think that made me grow up thinking hunting isn’t cool,” shared musician Paul McCartney, who has been a vegetarian since he was 33. “A lot of these classic stories, through their efforts, kids — as I once was — have grown up feeling it’s a bad idea to be cruel to animals.”

The sense of wonder and fascination with nature’s discovery, a central theme in the opening passages of Salten’s novel and the films, remains one of its most significant elements. In the new movie, Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods, one standout moment is a night scene in which the fawn marvels at fireflies. This moment is enhanced by the immersive cinematography in the landscapes surrounding Orléans, where the fawn’s birth and its enthusiastic first steps also take place.

Some film critics have noted that much of the emotional impact of Bambi’s mother’s death in the Disney version stems from its visual composition. Beyond the emotion conveyed by the snowy landscapes, which grow darker as the perspective zooms out to show Bambi alone in the vast expanse, the editing plays a key role. Moments before the attack, the film introduces shots of the mother looking ahead, as though recognizing the human threat represented by the audience itself.

The studio invoked the emotional impact of Bambi in a different Shakespearean narrative with The Lion King (1994), where the young hero, Simba, must navigate his journey after the heartbreaking loss of his father, Mufasa. Earlier, another animated film, The Land Before Time (1988), produced by Steven Spielberg, similarly crafted a prehistoric adventure centered on the sudden orphanhood of Littlefoot, a young dinosaur, who, like Bambi, is a herbivore.

In an article about the Blu-ray re-release of Bambi, child therapist Dr. Michael Brody highlighted how the character’s “very innocent” appearance fosters greater connection and identification: “Lions are tough. They kill deer and zebras. Deer eat grass and have thin, fragile legs.”

While some contributors to the piece viewed Bambi as “a good launching point for conversation” with children — a rite of passage to help them understand that their parents won’t always be there — Brody expressed some reservations. “If you’ve got a kid who has a problem separating from you as a parent, then avoid Bambi,” he advised. “All kids separate at different times and with different levels of confidence,” he continued. “You’re going to feed into the child’s fears more. You’re not going to be able to explain this away.”

In 2006, Disney released a sequel originally intended for the home market, Bambi II. Arriving more than 60 years after the original, the sequel explored the significant gap in the classic animated film’s narrative: Bambi’s upbringing under the care of his father. The story delved into themes of grief from both perspectives, placing the character in another trauma-like situation that reflected his growth through the process.

Disney has also been developing a photorealistic remake for years, though the project was officially paused after director, Oscar winner Sarah Polley, announced she was pulling out of the project, and amidst a broader shake-up at the studio. As of now, aside from the recently released French live-action adaptation, other intriguing interpretations of Bambi have emerged.

One such example is the satirical fake trailer aired by Saturday Night Live in 2016, featuring Dwayne Johnson as Bambi and Vin Diesel as Thumper, reimagined as revenge-driven animals battling the hunters with brutal precision. Additionally, this year will see the release of Bambi: The Reckoning, a British horror film that joins the recent trend of turning classic children’s characters into sinister villains. Films like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) have similarly taken advantage of expiring licenses to inject horror and dark humor into beloved stories.

Bambi: The Reckoning tells the story of a mother and son who, after a car accident in the woods, must face a mutated, vengeful deer that witnessed its own mother’s death at the hands of ruthless hunters. While narratives exploring grief can be deeply enriching, alternative takes like this might offer a different kind of satisfaction.

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