Hunters must hurry. A new Grand Prince of the Forest is coming. And he brings murder into it.
In the 80 years since the first film was released in 1942, Bambi and his woodland friends Thumper and Flower have maintained a pleasing image.
But currently, the once-sweet deer is turning to the dark side in the upcoming film Bambi: The Reckoning, EW stated. The news first came from horror site Dread Central.
The disastrous adaptation of Felix Salten’s 1923 novel Bambi will begin shooting in January. The film is from ITN Studios and Jagged Edge Productions and is directed by filmmaker Scott Jeffrey.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield continues to bleed childhood nostalgia while serving as the film’s producer. In particular, Frake-Waterfield directs his twist on the infamous horror of another children’s film, Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey.
“The film will be an incredibly dark retelling of the 1928 story we all know and love,” Jeffrey said in an interview with the outlet. “Finding inspiration from the design used in Netflix’s The Ritual, Bambi will be a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness. Prepare for Bambi on rabies!”
Although the production did not reveal any other plot details, it is common knowledge that Bambi was traumatized by the death of his mother. In the Disney cartoon, a hunter killed Bambi’s mother.
This plot awakens a thirst for revenge. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more logical it becomes. Do it Bambi!
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Childhood Films Becomes Darker
The Ritual, on the other hand, was famous for its skinny-looking giant creatures. This latest version of Bambi doesn’t look cute, suggesting he’s not your average forest-exploring deer.
If Bambi looked that terrifying, chills go down our spine to think what Thumper would look like.
And if you wonder how it’s possible, here is the answer. Bambi – like Winnie-the-Pooh – passed the public domain this year. Public domain enables other creators to use the characters however they want, family-friendly or gory.
As you can see, Pooh slashes his victims with a sledgehammer.
Bambi: The Reckoning is among the series of newly adapted childhood films. Previously, Disney made a photorealistic adaptation of their original movies. It includes The Lion King in 2019 and The Jungle Book in 2016.
But, frankly, seeing a realistic portrayal of Bambi’s mom’s death may make it a gory movie.
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Bambi in the Original Film
The first Bambi saw David Hand as director and Walt Disney as producer.
Furthermore, the film bagged three nominations for the Academy Awards. It includes Best Sound (Sam Slyfield), Best Song (“Love is a Song” by Donald Novis), and Original Music Score.
The American Film Institute in June 2008 introduced its list of “10 Top 10” – the greatest ten films in every ten classic American film genres. And the results came after surveying more than 1,500 individuals from the creative community. Bambi ranked third in animation.
Moreover, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress admitted the film in December 2011 as being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”
