Dir: Michael Fesser | Docu-drama 77’
Very cute nature film that romps in on the back of the original Bambi animation from Disney 1942 but will appeal to new audiences with its anthropomorphic style.
Bambi was possibly the first film you saw so the mere mention of it will make your heart leap; the spell is broken revisiting the story again as an adult, this reimagining of a baby fawn growing in the forest doesn’t quite have the same tear-jerking poignance as it did back in the day possibly because this is a real life doc-drama and the trite narration doesn’t quite feel right – but then who can beat David Attenborough’s spare, ironic delivery that never takes itself too seriously .
The story of Bambi is based on a 1923 book by playwright, screenwriter and novelist Felix Salten, (1869-1945), an Austrian of Hungarian origin, who also wrote several other animal tales, inspired by a stay in the Alps: Bambi, Eine Lebengeschichte aus dem Walde was a huge success.
Set in the France’s Loire Valley this new film with its original score by Laurent Perez del Mar is directed by Michael Fesser who works with a cast of real animals supervised by Muriel Bec, a recognised specialist in animal training for the audiovisual world for 30 years, and has over 1000 films to her credit, including those by Nicolas Vanier, Luc Besson, Pierre Salvadori, Dany Boon… With her company Animal Contact, based in the Loiret region of France.
Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods will certainly be a hit amongst tiny children and will bring a wave of nostalgia to accompanying adults too. @MeredithTaylor
In UK and Irish cinemas from 15 August 2025