Bambi (1942)
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film about a young deer growing up in the forest with the help of his mother and woodland friends. After he loses his mother to a hunter, Bambi must learn to survive on his own. He grows into adulthood, faces danger from hunters and fire, and eventually becomes the Great Prince of the Forest.
Narrative Score
Full Plot & Ending Explained
Intro
Bambi is born in the forest to his unnamed mother, and the animals of the meadow and woods gather to celebrate the arrival of the new prince, who is destined to succeed the Great Prince of the Forest one day.
Turning Point 1
As Bambi takes his first steps, he befriends the energetic rabbit Thumper and the shy skunk Flower, while his mother teaches him about the forest and keeps him close to protect him from danger.
Turning Point 2
Bambi grows bolder and begins exploring beyond the safety of his mother’s side, including meeting the doe Faline near the water and learning from Friend Owl that love and growing up are part of life.
Turning Point 3
During a meadow outing, the Great Prince senses that Man is nearby and rushes the animals to safety, but Bambi is briefly separated from his mother before they are reunited just as gunfire erupts in the distance.
Turning Point 4
Later, while Bambi and his mother search for food in winter, Man returns; Bambi’s mother tells him to run, but she is shot and killed, leaving Bambi terrified and alone until the Great Prince appears and reveals himself as Bambi’s father.
Turning Point 5
Under his father’s guidance, Bambi matures into a young buck alongside Thumper and Flower, who also grow up and find mates of their own, while Bambi and Faline begin a romance that is repeatedly threatened by Man’s presence.
Turning Point 6
When Man and his hunters return, Bambi is separated from Faline but rescues her from attacking dogs, then survives being shot himself; the hunters’ campfire sparks a forest fire that drives the animals toward the riverbank as Bambi, his father, and Faline struggle to survive.
Ending
The forest recovers after the wildfire, and in the following spring Faline gives birth to twins while Bambi, now the new Great Prince of the Forest, watches over them from above with his father’s blessing.
Cross-checked against Wikipedia and other public film references. View on Letterboxd ↗ The Narrative Score above is an experimental 5-axis rating, not a critic score.