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[Luke]

FIRST TIME EVER ON DISNEY DVD

Walt Disney’s Timeless, Towering Classic


BAMBI

Special Edition

All-New Groundbreaking Digital Restoration Delivers Enhanced Picture & Sound
2-Disc Platinum Edition Includes a Forest-Full of Bonus Materials

AVAILABLE MARCH 1, 2005



BURBANK, Calif., - August 30, 2004 – Beloved by generations, Walt Disney’s timeless masterpiece BAMBI is
available for the first time ever on DVD in a magnificent 2-disc Special Edition on March 1, 2005. One of Walt
Disney’s greatest triumphs and all-time most requested Disney classics, BAMBI is one of the most celebrated
and endearing films of all time. Telling the coming-of-age story of life in the forest, BAMBI is a film experience
so strong that neither heart nor mind can ever forget it. Not available in any form for over eight years, this
exciting addition to Disney’s celebrated PLATINUM Series is the perfect Easter gift and will be available for a
limited time only.

Today’s technology meets Walt Disney’s vision, as the BAMBI Special Edition has undergone one of the most
expansive restorations in the history of The Walt Disney Company. This all-new digital restoration, done
exclusively for this Special Edition DVD release, required a team of film, computer and animation experts to apply
the most advanced technology and talent the studio has ever assembled. These efforts have restored BAMBI’s
extraordinary artwork to dazzling brilliance. The groundbreaking technology employed includes detailed frame-byframe
work on over 110,000 frames, requiring more than 9,600 hours of work! This has resulted in stunning digital
images with a far greater range of both color and density, allowing the quintessential Walt Disney classic to come
to life for everyone like never before.

The BAMBI Special Edition Disney DVD will feature a forest-full of bonus materials. Included will be “Inside
Walt’s Story Meetings” – a trip back in time where viewers experience the production of “Bambi” with Walt
Disney himself and his creative team; never-before-seen deleted sequences created from original storyboards; eight
games with something for all age groups from color recognition to trivia; the all-new “Forest Adventure Game”
with multiple levels of challenge that evolve from 2D to 3D animation; special sneak-peek at the all-new movie
“Bambi And The Great Prince;” DisneyPedia; Disney Time Capsule 1942 the Year of Bambi; “Disney’s Storytime:
Thumper Goes Exploring” an all-new story based on the Golden Book® classic; “The Making of Bambi” original
story concepts; music design, production stills; and much, much more.

The BAMBI 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION Bonus Features Include:

• “INSIDE WALT’S STORY MEETINGS”
This exciting one-of-a-kind bonus feature takes you back in time to experience the production of “Bambi”
with Walt Disney himself and his creative team.

What few knew is that at each creative meeting, Walt had a stenographer taking copious notes. With
“INSIDE WALT’S STORY MEETINGS,” audiences hear these story notes, reenacted by voice actors
(including an actor voicing Walt Disney's comments) and set to footage, sketches and other production
items. It offers fascinating insight into Walt Disney and his team's process of creating the beloved classic,
through actual discussions and with concepts that have influenced filmmaking today.

• NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN DELETED SEQUENCES
Disney researchers have uncovered storyboards from the original Bambi production. Now, with music and
dialogue added to these fascinating storyboards, discover sequences that were not part of the final film.

• ALL-NEW “FOREST ADVENTURE GAME”
This exciting game has multiple levels of challenge that evolve from 2-D to 3-D animation. Experience the
mysteries of the forest through the eyes of the inhabitants. The fun activities – from puzzles to trivia and
counting games – and the levels of complexity change along with the seasons of the forest.

• BAMBI AND THE GREAT PRINCE: SNEAK PEEK
Special sneak-peek at the upcoming all-new movie “Bambi And The Great Prince.”

• DISNEYPEDIA
In this Disney feature, branded on such hits as “The Lion King,” kids and adults can learn about the real-life
animals in BAMBI with animal and animated character comparisons.

• DISNEY TIME CAPSULE
BAMBI was first released in 1942, and this program takes viewers back for a look at that historical year.
In 1942 Walt and the Disney animators were enjoying a golden age of creativity. World War II, however,
would exact a heavy price on the Studio.

• “DISNEY’S STORYTIME: THUMPER GOES EXPLORING”
An all-new story based on the Golden Book® classic Thumper.

• THE MAKING OF BAMBI: ORIGINAL CIRCLE OF LIFE
• AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

The new 2-disc DVD features state-of-the art remixed sound with the all-new 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater
Mix. The extensively remixed soundtrack provides dramatic clarity and crisper sound.

Bambi first displayed his wide-eyed innocence on movie screens in 1942. The timeless coming-of-age story has
enchanted every generation since. A landmark film at the Disney Studios and in animation history, the film took
years to make. Walt Disney was delighted with the results he saw, and remarked to his staff “it’s a story that’s
going to have a tremendous amount of appeal.”

BAMBI was nominated for Academy Awards® for Best Sound, Best Song (“Love Is A Song,”) and Best Scoring
of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, 1942. This enormously popular film has been theatrically re-released to
generations of audiences in 1946, 1956, 1963, 1969, 1977, 1982, and 1988. Not only is BAMBI one of Walt’s
most popular and enduring films, but the movie also has its own 37 cent U.S. Postage stamp, issued just this year
(2004).

In this famous coming-of-age story, the young deer Bambi grows to adulthood as he experiences the wonder and
adventure of life in the Forest. BAMBI’s unforgettable iconic characters include Thumper the playful rabbit,
Flower the lovable skunk and Owl, the wise friend. Through changing seasons, fans will be “twitterpated” by the
endearing classic tale of Bambi, the young prince of the forest.

BAMBI’S breathtaking animated artwork stands among the milestones of Disney’s first “golden age.” Animated
by many of Disney’s legendary “nine old men” - including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Marc Davis, Milt Kahl
and Eric Larson – BAMBI was the first of Disney’s animated masterpieces to have an all-animal cast. To achieve a
greater level of realism, Walt Disney brought live animals into the studio for the animators to study, a first for any
Studio. From their anatomical studies, the BAMBI animators created the most life-like animals ever seen in an
animated film. They pioneered the art of creating animals that were anatomically accurate, yet they incorporated
endearing emotion and attitudes into the animals’ personalities. Following this precedent, The Walt Disney Studios
has been known to be a temporary home for lions, raccoons and meerkats, among other exotic creatures.

To create the beautiful imagery of the forest, background artists painted hundreds of landscapes based on
extensive field research and nature photographs. As a result, the hidden textures of BAMBI’S magical
forest are delicately revealed as it changes from season to season. Animators even studied slow motion
photography of drops of milk to recreate the elaborate splash patterns made by a raindrop.

STREET DATE: March 1, 2005
Direct prebook: January 4, 2005
Distributor prebook: January 18, 2005
Suggested retail price: $29.99 (2-disc DVD)
$24.99 (VHS)
Feature running time: Approximately 67 minutes
Rated: “G”
Bonus DVD materials not rated and subject to change.
DVD aspect ratio: 1.33:1 enhanced for 4x3 screens – the aspect ratio in which the film was originally
created.
Sound: All-New 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix
Dolby® Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Dolby® Digital 2.0 Original Mono Theatrical Mix
Languages: French, Spanish 5.1 audio tracks

Walt Disney Home Entertainment is distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., a recognized industry
leader. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney,
Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax, Dimension and Buena Vista videocassettes and DVDs.


Pre-order BAMBI: 2-Disc Platinum Edition from Amazon.com

Read our BAMBI: Platinum Edition DVD Review

Preview BAMBI: Platinum Edition's menus and bonus features

Read our Interview with Don Dunagan (voice of Bambi)

[Disneykid]

What's there sounds good, but I'm seriously hoping "much much more" is literally that this time since no commentary, galleries, trailers, or little detailed featurettes are mentioned (well, except the "original story concepts, music design, production stills" that are tucked away in the press release). This also has more children's features than I was expecting, but it doesn't seem like overkill to me...yet...Hopefully we'll be getting more info on the meatier specs in time.

Oh, and why is it touting that the film is "enhanced" for standard televisions... I realize the film is in the Acadamy ratio, but that wording is just odd...
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Kelvin

My DVD/BD Collection

[Loomis]

[Isidour]

Hi!

HOOOOOORAY!!!!!!

yea baby..sing whit me...
that´s the way
aha ahah
I like it...

[jabroni76]

As of now, I don't care for the special features. I'm just excited for having this, my second favorite Disney Movie on DVD. Sure the features are gonna concern me later, but honestly, we're all gonna buy it whether there were 200 awesome features or 3 good features.

Either way, this is great news, and without doubt my most anticipated film for the 2005 year!

[DisneyQuack]

Another title for my Disney Vault
_________________
My DVD Collection

[MickeyMousePal]

Yay!!! Yay!!! Yay!!!
I can't wait for Bambi to come on DVD!!!!
_________________
The Simpsons Season 11 Buy it Now!

Fox Sunday lineup:

8:00 The Simpsons
8:30 King of the Hill
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 American Dad

Living in the 1980's:

[Jake Lipson]

This doesn't have me worried. Like Aladdin's inital press release, it seems to me that this press release is just a quick announcement with a preview to make retailers aware that the title is coming, and I'm sure we'll get more details later. Besides, the meaty features that we DO know of sound incredible.

Also, like Sleeping Beauty, I'd expect them to port over the making of from the '90s VHS release directly; I saw it recently and it was suprisingly solid for such a short runtime (15m or so.) It included one of the deleted songs, which was an alternate song for the rainstorm from the POV of the raindrops. Pretty cool, but I can see why it was cut.
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My modest collection of little silver movie discss

[Starion]

Thanks for posting the press release Luke. I might buy this movie even though I heard that Bambi is sad.

[disneywb]

I'm excited to hear the details about this release, although I admittedly hope they flesh out the special features to include more documentaries. Of course, the "Disney Time Capsule" sounds really cool; it's nice to have a historical framework for the release of the film.
As much as I'm not really fond of the games, It'll be nice to see something new to do with the games from the classic films, unlike the princess games.

[Jack]

Sounds like a solid release. Obviously, it's not going to be on par with Snow White, which is really too bad - just look at the bounty of archival material on that disc. However, it should at least match the quality of Aladdin's set, perhaps even surpass it.

Thanks for posting the PR, Luke!

[Starion]

I just noticed the Dolby® Digital 2.0 Original Mono Theatrical Mix. I guess movie theatres didn't have the capability to play stereo soundtracks in 1942. It's nice to see Disney including the original audio tracks on their DVDs. I'm starting to like Bambi even though I haven't seen it. I might even buy the Bambi stuffed animal I saw at the Disney Store.

[confibulator]

Hmmmm, the direct-to-DVD sequel is getting a preview on this one, huh? I was hoping that it was on the ropes after hearing that it might not get a release next year.

Ah well, glad to hear about this release (especially as it ushers in the two PE titles a year era).

[PublicEnemy#1]

I haven't seen Bambi since I was 4. I'll buy it though as I'm trying to get all the platinums and I don't have the VHS.

[Poppins#1]

[DreamerQ18]

WOW how exciting the relase sounds great and I am not worried about not knowing everything that is going to be on the DVD yet. Since it is still early and Aladdin hasnt even been released but I am SUPER EXCITED!!!! Thanks Luke for the press relase.

[Joe Carioca]

Exciting news! Thanks for posting Luke!

Well, we all know this DVD is going to look and sound great but, as far as bonus features go, besides the "meaty" features announced it doesn't sound THAT exciting. 8 games is a bit of overkill for me... well, but as it has been said, there is a long way 'till March so I'm sure lots more is going to show up.

Besides, it is great to finally have more of the "old ones" getting the royal treatment.

[MickeyMouseboy]

I was expecting a more serious release with no stupid games just like snow white

[Joe Carioca]

A few aditional comments:
1- Unfortunatelly, it seems there is no Gift Set this time. I wonder if Disney will only release gift sets for the Platinum editions released in October?"Or only the newer movies are going to get the special box treatment?
2- It is surprising that Disney is including both a regular DD5.1 track and a DEHTM track. Since this movie was originally released in mono, I guessed there was not much they could do with the remixing, so the Enhanced Mix track comes as a surprise. Let's hope they don't make it too "modern", otherwise it will be kinda betraying the origins of the movie.
3- It's definately going to be a new "making of" featurette. The original one was called "Bambi: The Making of a Masterpiece". Let's hope it is at least 40-something minutes long, like the other Platinums.

[Joe Carioca]

DVD File has a few aditional suplements listed, which can always be taken with a grain of salt.