Mort Walker’s Bambi
Every 1942 Bambi card released by Hallmark likely bore Walker’s stamp of approval.
Every 1942 Bambi card released by Hallmark likely bore Walker’s stamp of approval.
I had the opportunity to talk to Donny Dunagan and Peter Behn about what they remember of that time.
As difficult as it is to believe, this year marked the 80th anniversary of Bambi, which was released to theaters in August of 1942.
An additional silent classic will receive its proper place today, along with the usual array of 1940’s stars getting their chance to feel the burn.
“You know, I often ask myself if I were in a burning house and I could carry out either the original negative to Bambi or the Mona Lisa, what would it be?”
Bambi was a bit of a challenge for the Disney song pluggers. For Bambi was something that had not been tried before–a feature-length, animated drama.
In Part Two, we look at how Bambi benefitted from the late ‘70s renaissance of the Disneyland Records label and the optomistic dawn of the compact disc era.
One of the earliest titles in the Disneyland Records series of book and record album sets was the story of Bambi with songs from the film and a script written by Roy Jr.
In 1962, Disneyland Records combined stories based on Funny Little Bunnies, the White Rabbit and Bambi’s friend Thumper on a low-key LP featuring Lucille Bliss.
“We had arguments with the people marketing the film,” stated animator Gary Goldman. “We made this film for us. We’re entertained by it, so why shouldn’t a teen-ager or an adult like it?”