Bambi
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 6+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
Bambi is a young deer who grows up in the forest with his friends Thumper the rabbit and Flower the skunk. His mother keeps him safe and teaches him about the world. One part is very sad, because hunters kill his mother, and there is a scary forest fire. This is one of the most beautiful films Disney ever drew, and one of the saddest. A mother gives everything to keep her child safe, and a father steps in when she is gone. Watch it with your child the first time, and be ready to talk about death.
For parents
Rated G, and Common Sense Media says 5 and up. We say Kids & Up because of the mother's death. It happens off screen, but children feel it, and many adults remember it for life. A quail is shot and shown dead, dogs chase Faline, and a fire set by men burns the forest. Sit with a young or sensitive child for the first viewing. The film never shows the hunters and gives no reason for the hunt, so a child may decide all hunting is wicked. The Church does not teach that. Animals may rightly be used for food, and they are owed kindness and care, never waste or cruelty. Ask: how does Bambi's mother show she loves him? Who takes care of Bambi afterward? What does it mean to take good care of the woods?