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It's an unwritten rule that Disney's direct-to-DVD movies are best left unwatched. This especially goes for sequels to popular films but the worst are unwanted follow-ups to timeless classics like Cinderella. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that Bambi II surpassed expectations.

It's not better than the 1942 masterpiece, it doesn't even come close and it's essentially a children's film. But as an animated film unto itself and a direct-to-DVD fare it is much better than expected with excellent animation. Actually this isn't a true sequel to the original Bambi because this film takes place during the original film. It fills in the gaps from when Bambi's mother was shot by hunters and when he emerges as a young buck in shortly thereafter.

This film opens just after Bambi (voiced by Alexander Gould), a young fawn in a forest, has found out that his mother was killed. He's informed of this sad news by his father, the near-mythical Great Prince of the Forest (in this film voiced by Patrick Stewart), and is taken under his father's tutelage. Whereas in the original film, the Great Prince was an ethereal, mysteriously distant yet strong father figure, this film brings him back down to earth. The result is that the Great Prince is shown to be more flawed. He instructs his son of how a Great Prince must act in front of the other deer and how to survive especially against the threat of Man. He is too easy to admonish Bambi for making mistakes and he is afraid to show his feelings to his son. Chiefly, the Great Prince doubts his ability to raise Bambi and asks Friend Owl to find a surrogate mother to take over Bambi's upbringing. All this adds more dimension to the Great Prince.

As the scene where Bambi learns of his mother's death represents the end of his innocence and childhood, this sequel represents the transition between childhood and adolescence. By the end of the film, Bambi isn't the young strapping buck seen near the end of the original film but he has definitely undergone the changes that will prepare him for the next phase of his life. Interestingly, this film implies that a lot more time passed in the first film between the time of his mother's death and when he next appears as a buck. When his mother died, it was clearly stated that winter was ending, evidenced by the new grass they were finding. By the time when Bambi next appears without his spots and sporting antlers spring is in full bloom. With Bambi II, the Groundhog Day event occurs which would place the film in mid-winter. As to why animals with a vague concept of Man would observe an event observed only by humanity isn't answered and is a flaw. It's implied at the end of Bambi II that summer has arrived and Bambi still hasn't transformed into a buck. So it can be inferred that a year passes by in the first film between those two periods. But this is only a minor quibble.

Viewers are re-introduced to returning characters like Thumper (unfortunately the voice by Brendon Baerg isn't as captivating and joyful as the original actor but is otherwise fine), Flower, Feline and Bambi's nemesis Ronno, the rival buck later in the first film who duels with Bambi for Feline. Fans of those characters will be overjoyed to see them again in animation form. The new characters like Porcupine and the Groundhog aren't as memorable and seem shoehorned into the plot somehow disrupting the timeless feel of the films. Actually the disruption is more apparent when the filmmakers stick in a pop tune during the film that cannot compete with the original's classic tunes like "Time is a Song That Never Ends" and it's too bad. There wasn't any way the newer music could improve on the original and in the end will just date the movie later on. Mercifully the musical sequence is very short and forgotten quickly as the plot advances.

As Bambi and his father learn to adjust to each other, Bambi is still grieving for his mother and the threat of Man is still ever-present. This threat leads to a retread taken from the climax of the original film when Man's surrogates the hunting dogs appear once more. Also the rivalry between Bambi and Ronno is more present in this film although Ronno is far less menacing than in the original film. In that movie, Ronno was a silent threat but in Bambi II is given dialogue and many flaws culminating in giving him an appearance of a spoiled brat who gets in way over his head. It takes away some of the menace of the original Ronno but since this movie takes place before his initial appearance in the original it can be deduced that at some point he developed a harder edge. All the while Bambi learns to move on and enjoy life while learning the finer points of being a deer. The film's emotional crisis is when a replacement for Bambi's mother is found and the aftermath. The Great Prince has bonded with his son and is conflicted over sending Bambi away, while the young deer is confused and upset by this turn of events. But this dilemma will lead to his learning to face danger and his fears as the film nears its end.

Simply put, Bambi II is a basic coming-of-age story which will be enjoyed by Disney fans with its better-than-average animation and plot. - - J. L. Soto