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This charming original production cel from Walt Disney’s Bambi captures the young fawn in one of the film’s beautifully observed moments of movement. His wide, expressive eyes and open mouth give him an unmistakably youthful personality, while the delicate markings across his back and the soft modeling of his body emphasize the naturalistic approach that distinguished Bambi from earlier Disney features. Behind him, a beautifully rendered winter landscape of snow-covered ground, bare branches, and layered blue tones creates an atmosphere that is both peaceful and expansive. The printed background is particularly effective with this cel, with subtle variations of blue giving the snow remarkable depth.
Released by RKO Radio Pictures on August 13, 1942, Bambi is a full-length animated film produced by Walt Disney Studios and based on Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten. The story follows Bambi, a white-tailed deer, from his earliest days as a fawn through his growth into a young adult. Along the way he forms enduring friendships with Thumper, the pink-nosed rabbit; Flower, the shy skunk; and Faline, his childhood friend who eventually becomes his mate. His parents are the Great Prince of the Forest and his unnamed mother. The film's emotional power comes from watching Bambi experience the wonder of the natural world while gradually encountering the joys, dangers, friendships, and losses that accompany growing up.
Walt Disney was determined that the animals in Bambi should appear considerably more realistic and expressive than those in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. To accomplish this, wildlife painter Rico LeBrun was brought into the Disney Studios to lecture the animators on animal anatomy, structure, and movement. Disney artists also visited the Los Angeles Zoo to observe animals firsthand. Walt went even further, establishing a small zoo at the Disney studio that included rabbits, ducks, owls, skunks, and two fawns appropriately named Bambi and Faline. These living models allowed the artists to study the subtle movements and behavior of animals directly rather than relying solely on drawings or photographs.
The final design of Bambi was created by Marc Davis, who combined LeBrun's careful study of deer anatomy with an important artistic exaggeration: Bambi's face was given baby-like proportions, including a short muzzle and exceptionally large, expressive eyes. That combination of anatomical realism and heightened Disney appeal is immediately apparent in this cel. His body moves like a real fawn, yet his face communicates an almost human sense of curiosity and innocence. The result is a character who feels convincingly like a young deer while simultaneously possessing the emotional expressiveness necessary to carry the story.
The animation of Bambi was accomplished by an extraordinary group of Disney artists, including Frank Thomas, Milt Kahl, Eric Larson, Ollie Johnston, and Preston Blair. Bambi's voice was likewise divided among four actors to correspond with his changing age: Bobby Stewart as the baby Bambi, Donnie Dunagan as the young Bambi, Hardie Albright as the adolescent, and John Sutherland as the young adult. Donnie Dunagan also served as the performance model for the character, with the animators incorporating his facial expressions into Bambi's design. That approach helped give the young deer an unusually expressive face, and the result can be seen clearly in the animated poses and gestures throughout the film.
One of the great achievements of Bambi is the way its characters are integrated into their natural environment. Disney's animators did not treat the forest merely as a backdrop; the environment becomes an essential part of Bambi's story. Water, snow, wind, falling leaves, fire, and changing seasons all contribute to the film's emotional atmosphere. The special effects—particularly the water—and the lush, hand-painted backgrounds create a remarkably immersive world. This cel demonstrates that achievement beautifully: Bambi's small figure stands out against an expansive field of blue snow, while the winter trees above him establish a sense of scale and place.
The film was recognized with three Academy Award nominations: Best Sound for Sam Slyfield, Best Song for “Love Is a Song,” sung by Donald Novis, and Best Original Music Score. Decades later, its reputation continued to grow. In June 2008, the American Film Institute included Bambi at number three in its animation category of its 10 Top 10, which selected ten notable films in each of ten classic American film genres. In December 2011, Bambi was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, recognizing the film's enduring cultural, historical, and artistic significance.
Bambi was Walt Disney's favorite film among those he made, a fitting choice given his lifelong interest in nature and natural-history films. What makes the film so enduring is the remarkable balance between beauty and emotion. The viewer experiences the innocent happiness of Bambi's childhood, the excitement of discovering the forest, the warmth of friendship, and eventually the sadness and dangers that accompany maturity. This cel captures one of the lighter, more innocent sides of that journey: a young Bambi racing joyfully through his environment, still at the beginning of the remarkable journey from fawn to deer. Its combination of expressive character animation, sophisticated naturalistic movement, and exquisite use of backgrounds makes it a wonderful representation of the artistry that went into creating one of Disney's most beloved films.
