Latest news with #FelixSalten
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods review – chilled-out, heartwarming baby deer drama
This live-action adaptation of Bambi, a Life in the Woods, the original novel by Felix Salten, is not in the mould of Disney's heavily augmented and even nightmarish CGI 'live action', but more like a nature documentary with a voiceover. It's not dissimilar to those sentimental anthropomorphic shows that add narrative to footage of deer and rabbits. The story begins moments after Bambi's birth, and he is adorable – all knock-kneed charm and massive eyes. The production wisely eschews the intricacies of dialogue, so the players express themselves much as silent actors. They get particular mileage out of a very knowing crow: its limited appearances recall the scene-stealing performances of a Judi Dench or Maggie Smith. A rabbit seems a little at sea in a key secondary role that requires more chemistry. Thumper's shadow from the 1942 Disney cartoon is long. I suspect this rabbit was cast for looks, not acting chops. The target audience is no doubt younger children, but drug-addled students might like to add this one to the roster – it is extremely mellow. Apart, of course, from the Great Tragedy, which lands with bleak emotional punch worthy of Werner Herzog, as the narrator intones: 'Sadness is a deep coldness on the inside, and he doesn't know yet that it will last for ever.' Yikes. Perhaps this film is the movie equivalent of the beautiful wooden toys kids reject in favour of something loud and luminous. But for parents who can't face another lurid cartoon, this is the (mostly) chilled-out alternative. Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods is in UK and Irish cinemas from 15 August.
The Independent
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Horror movie about killer ‘mutated' Bambi shocks social media with first trailer
A new trailer for the upcoming indie horror movie Bambi: The Reckoning has spooked users on social media. The twisted new take on Felix Salten's 1923 coming-of-age novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods, famously adapted in 1942 as the Disney classic Bambi, has been produced by Jagged Edge Productions. The London-based production company was also behind the 2023 slasher Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, the 2024 sequel Blood and Honey 2, and this year's Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare. The horrorsploitation films, which utilize well-known characters from children's classics that have entered the public domain, are said to inhabit 'The Twisted Childhood Universe' or 'Poohniverse.' The official logline for Bambi: The Reckoning reads: 'After a mother and son get in a car wreck, they soon become hunted by Bambi, a mutated grief-stricken deer on a deadly rampage seeking revenge for the death of his mother.' On social media, some users welcomed the idea of an ultra-violent Bambi going feral to seek revenge, with one writing on X: 'Arm the animals against the hunters! YES!' Another wrote: 'F*** yea! Cannot wait! My wife and I love these! We own both of the Winnie the Pooh ones and Mouse Trap! The Twisted Childhood Universe is like getting true versions of all the Grimm brothers stuff before Disney sanitized and romanticized them all. Just waiting for the Peter Pan one to come out on Vudu to snag it too!' The Mouse Trap, which was made by a rival Canadian indie horror studio, applies a similar horrorsploitation treatment to the Disney short Steamboat Willie, which famously featured the public debut of Mickey Mouse. Several praised the Bambi: The Reckoning trailer, with one user writing: 'This trailer with the creepy forest and fog is seriously spooky – giving me chills! The tense vibe is so intense, I'm already worried I won't sleep this summer after seeing it in theaters!' Beneath the Bambi: The Reckoning trailer on YouTube, one fan commented: 'I cant wait. After seeing how different Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare was from Blood and Honey, I'm really excited to see the direction Bambi goes in. Absolutely hooked on these movies.' However, not all social media users were so enthusiastic, with some arguing that the use of old IP is unoriginal. One wrote on X: 'The obsession with taking beloved characters into horror movies is a little annoying, tbh. Just make a decent horror movie without the gimmick.' Another asked: 'We really living in the timeline where bambi is horror now. what's next, cinderella slasher?' While a third questioned simply: 'What the hell is the 'poohniverse'?'
