that's why they call me humper

Over and over again I hear or read that Bambi is the most "mythic" of all Disney movies. What people usually mean when they say this is that they can't forget the scene where Bambi's mother is shot.

What makes Bambi mythic? Simple: a combination of cute child voices, a great score, moody shading, and no story. There's very little dialogue, and no narration. So it operates mostly on an emotional level. Perfect for four-year-olds.

Which is not to say it's bad. It's masterfully crafted, and it still works. There's just not much there. At 69 minutes, it is second in brevity (Dumbo is five minutes shorter) among the major Disney animated features. (My own definition of "major Disney animated feature" starts by including all theatrically-released animation-only films produced at Disney Feature Animation (i.e., not Dinosaur), then excludes sequels (i.e., Rescuers Down Under) and all those worthless package pictures between Bambi and Cinderella (e.g., Saludos Amigos: "Walt Disney goes South American in his gayest musical Technicolor feature") .)

Actually, the more I think about it, I'm not sure Bambi really is a feature film. No theater chain today would accept such a short runtime. It's barely over an hour, yet it drags at times. With no story, it feels like a cartoon short with a message.

Not that I'm dismissing it. It's aesthetic qualities are worth the price of admission. And what's with the limp-wristed skunk who gets whitewashed mid-film into a regular Pepe Le Pew? I predict Bambi will be treated increasingly as a work of art rather than as an entertainment product out of Golden Era Hollywood.

So is it still worth watching after 63 years? Yes -- but just barely.