Bambi

It's an interesting experience to go back and watch these classic Disney movies as an adult. I never really liked a lot of Disney movies when I was younger, so to try and understand their appeal as an adult is sometimes more difficult for me. The flaws of some of the earlier films are not present in this one. It doesn't feel rushed like in Dumbo - the animation while not attaining the heights that were reached in the detail of Pinocchio also is not as creepy as some of the humans in Snow White. The story itself is pretty basic, but it works for the film. You believe that Bambi is a deer and this is what happens to deers when they grow up. My standard of judging the success of a Disney film is if I would recommend kids to watch it. Or rather, which film I would recommend that they watch the most. So I still think that they would enjoy Pinocchio better than Bambi but if you wanted to show them more films I think Bambi would be an acceptable alternative. But be prepared for a difficult conversation about life and death. It's interesting how the previous film Dumbo shows really objectively horrible animal abuse and it's just accepted as part of circus life and Bambi shows the somewhat realistic lives of animals in the forest and the threat that humans pose to them. And by doing this it's a movie that has convinced a lot of people to think differently about animals and animal rights. I just find the juxtaposition of those two films very interesting.