‘Bambi: The Reckoning’ Traces the Brutal Aftermath of a Disney Classic
There’s a new Bambi film out this week, but keep your children away from it. Far, far away. Bambi: The Reckoning is part of the Twisted Childhood Universe, a budding franchise made possible by iconic Disney characters becoming part of the public domain, allowing R-rated filmmakers to do their worst. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey recently garnered a sequel, and a third installment is now in the works, believe it or not. Now, Disney’s beloved tale of a fawn whose story is marred by tragedy has its own live-action feature for adults — although certain sequences might even be too gory for some grown-ups.
Bambi: The Reckoning is aptly titled, imagining what the eponymous forest creature might do to avenge his late mother’s demise, especially if tyrannical humans were to mess with his family once again. Interestingly, this grim, mostly dull horror-thriller lacks any sort of clever self-reflexivity, instead leaning into its grave tone. The film shies away from any acknowledgment of the 1942 classic, and the result has the same effect as Bel-Air, the drama series that took Will Smith’s iconic sitcom and re-imagined it without any laugh-out-loud humor. If anything, Bambi: The Reckoning will go down as a comment on the times we live in, as real-life darkness spills over into Hollywood. WWWT? (What Would Walt Think?)
Related: Oscar-Winning Director Who “Abandoned” Disney Live-Action Remake Reveals the Truth
