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Memorable Movie Moments
Feb. 12th, 2014 10:53 amWatched Bambi for the first time since I was like eight last night.
I think I liked it better this time around. I could appreciate the backgrounds, which are astoundingly lovely, and the simple narrative, and especially the animation of the bunnies. God, whoever did them must have REALLY watched a lot of bunnies.*
Rewatching something I'd previously seen only as a kid is always fascinating. Gives me some insight into my thought processes from way back when. For one thing, as a kid I couldn't stand the soundtrack. I thought it was cloying and obnoxious, but was under the vague impression that it was For Grownups and wondered if that meant I'd like it better when I was one myself. Now, since I havebecome a grownup, I can put that theory to the test--and I can tell you all that, nope, it's still cloying and obnoxious.
Sometimes the questions in life DO get answered.
On the other hand, something else got better that I hadn't even thought of. Another of my childhood hangups--one I have only just recently realized was even there--was a disproportionately strong distaste for even the slightest of awkward moments. Things that wouldn't even faze me now; things I might not even have noticed if I didn't carry the memory of how much they disturbed me. But for itty bitty Amelia, a startling moment, a stumble, or even an accidentally too-loud voice would be enough to send me running from the room. And Bambi's baby phase is just one awkward moment after another. It all started coming back to me: him yelling "BIRD!" too strongly bothered me, as did his falling on the ice and, especially, that moment where he gets too enthusiastic about running onto THE MEADOW!!! and his mom has to chase him down. And a whole bunch of others besides. I think they embarrassed me, in some ill-defined way.
And yet I was totally untraumatized by the infamous Ma Gets Shot scene.** Go figure.
(The scene with the pheasants, however, is burned deep into my brain. That was INTENSE.)
Mostly I just liked the feeling of the nature in the movie. It was lovingly put together. I suspect it wasn't always accurate (I guess white-tailed deer rut in the fall, not the spring, and much like the Lion King I note they didn't go with the whole polygamy angle), but it was enjoyable.
*Though I did notice that they had pads on their feet, which is not a thing actual bunnies have. Rabbits have no pads on their paws, only fur. Which can be pretty hilarious. If you ever have the opportunity to see a rabbit try to bolt on a linoleum floor, don't miss it, because it's one of the few times that cartoon physics can be seen in live action.
**Thinking about it now, I suspect the reason it was so traumatic for so many other kids was twofold: the suddenness, and--even worse--the following moments when he's running through the vast, cold, empty woods calling for her. I can see how that would be the most horrific thing for a child--kids don't really grasp death, but the fear of suddenly being alone and helpless looms pretty large.
I think I liked it better this time around. I could appreciate the backgrounds, which are astoundingly lovely, and the simple narrative, and especially the animation of the bunnies. God, whoever did them must have REALLY watched a lot of bunnies.*
Rewatching something I'd previously seen only as a kid is always fascinating. Gives me some insight into my thought processes from way back when. For one thing, as a kid I couldn't stand the soundtrack. I thought it was cloying and obnoxious, but was under the vague impression that it was For Grownups and wondered if that meant I'd like it better when I was one myself. Now, since I havebecome a grownup, I can put that theory to the test--and I can tell you all that, nope, it's still cloying and obnoxious.
Sometimes the questions in life DO get answered.
On the other hand, something else got better that I hadn't even thought of. Another of my childhood hangups--one I have only just recently realized was even there--was a disproportionately strong distaste for even the slightest of awkward moments. Things that wouldn't even faze me now; things I might not even have noticed if I didn't carry the memory of how much they disturbed me. But for itty bitty Amelia, a startling moment, a stumble, or even an accidentally too-loud voice would be enough to send me running from the room. And Bambi's baby phase is just one awkward moment after another. It all started coming back to me: him yelling "BIRD!" too strongly bothered me, as did his falling on the ice and, especially, that moment where he gets too enthusiastic about running onto THE MEADOW!!! and his mom has to chase him down. And a whole bunch of others besides. I think they embarrassed me, in some ill-defined way.
And yet I was totally untraumatized by the infamous Ma Gets Shot scene.** Go figure.
(The scene with the pheasants, however, is burned deep into my brain. That was INTENSE.)
Mostly I just liked the feeling of the nature in the movie. It was lovingly put together. I suspect it wasn't always accurate (I guess white-tailed deer rut in the fall, not the spring, and much like the Lion King I note they didn't go with the whole polygamy angle), but it was enjoyable.
*Though I did notice that they had pads on their feet, which is not a thing actual bunnies have. Rabbits have no pads on their paws, only fur. Which can be pretty hilarious. If you ever have the opportunity to see a rabbit try to bolt on a linoleum floor, don't miss it, because it's one of the few times that cartoon physics can be seen in live action.
**Thinking about it now, I suspect the reason it was so traumatic for so many other kids was twofold: the suddenness, and--even worse--the following moments when he's running through the vast, cold, empty woods calling for her. I can see how that would be the most horrific thing for a child--kids don't really grasp death, but the fear of suddenly being alone and helpless looms pretty large.
