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The Next Reel Film Podcast
Trailer
Bonus
Episode 2
Season 4
Bambi • A Conversation with Screenwriter Todd Alcott • Movies We Like
“Your mother can’t be with you anymore.”
Talking About Bambi with our Guest Todd Alcott, Screenwriter
Talking About Bambi with our Guest Todd Alcott, Screenwriter
When released in 1942 during WWII, Walt Disney’s Bambi struggled to find its audience. It still did well enough for itself, but it wasn’t until its subsequent releases over the decades when Disney would bring its classics back to theatres where it really found its audience. Since that time, it’s often cited as one of the best animated films out there. Why does this simple film about a young deer learning about life in the forest work so well?
Screenwriter and graphic artist Todd Alcott joins us to talk about Bambi, one of his favorites. But as he says, even that didn’t happen over night. It took decades and multiple viewings to realize what the story was really about and why it clicked so suddenly. And for a film from 1942, there are elements within that make it feel somewhat subversive. It’s a story with little plot about a passive protagonist that doesn’t have any clearly established goal, after all. What screenwriting handbook said that was okay?
The film is about life, the mistakes we make, and how we try learning from them. It’s also a reminder that there’s no clear path for life. Just when things make sense, life changes the rules. It’s quite a lot to absorb from what seems like a simple little film. But that’s why we like it, and are thrilled that Todd brought it for us to talk about on Movies We Like.
Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!
Film Sundries
Learn more about supporting The Next Reel’s Movies We Like through your own membership with The Next Reel.
- Todd’s site
- Todd on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and IMDbPro or IMDb
- Watch Bambi on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
- Original 1942 Theatrical trailer
- Poster artwork
- Letterboxd
Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.
Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:
- Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
- The Film Board
- Movies We Like
- Sitting in the Dark
Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!
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Chapters
- Welcome to Movies We Like • Bambi
- Meet Todd Alcott
- First Viewings of Bambi
- Flower
- Absentee Fathers
- Beats
- Gap After Mom Dies
- Mystery of Life
- What Does the Protagonist Want?
- Trying to Figure Life Out
- Always Changing, Always Learning
- Males
- Never Wavers in the Face of Ridicule
- Life Continues to Be Surprising
- Childhood in the 40s
- Fitting It Into the Natural World
- Characters Moving Through the World
- Timeless Quality Yet Impossible to Make Now?
- Capturing the Real World
- Dogs and Deer
- Twitterpated
- Sequels and Remakes
- Awards
- Budget and Box Office
- Liking 'Cute'
- Having Kids
- Finding Todd