Bambi: The Reckoning director explains how his version of the story is more faithful than Disney’s. The mascot horror film is directed by Dan Allen, and puts a horror spin on the Bambi story. Its plot follows a mother and son as they become haunted by a grieving deer who goes on a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly rampage after a car wreck kills his mother. Bambi: The Reckoning features a leading cast including Roxanne McKee, Nicole Wright, Tom Mulheron, Samira Mighty, and Russell Geoffrey Banks. The script is adapted by Rhys Warrington from the Felix Salten novel.

Speaking with SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar), Allen explains why he thinks Bambi: The Reckoning is the more faithful adaptation of the story than the Disney version. He believes that it is far too extreme to call mascot horror films like this “childhood killers.” His film, he says, is “thematically about the loss of innocence and the death of childhood.” As such, he believes that mascot horror films like these “are more faithful than the Disney films” because “Disney made them much more palatable and friendly to young audiences.” Check out the full quote from Allen below:

So often, these films have been called ‘childhood killers’; I think that is a bit extreme. But to actually engage with it on a narrative level and have a movie that is thematically about the loss of innocence and the death of childhood makes this really quite faithful to the heart of it.

I genuinely think that, in many ways, these adaptations are more faithful than the Disney films. Probably not with Winnie The Pooh, but in terms of Peter Pan and Bambi. They are actually pretty dark stories! Disney made them much more palatable and friendly to young audiences. You’re still going to get that violence; you’re still going to get the gore, but not at Peter Pan level. It’s more about the build-up to it; that’s where it finds its fun and energy – with loads of destruction as well.

What This Means For Bambi: The Reckoning

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Allen references the Peter Pan story in this quote. There was recently a horror version developed called Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. Similarly to Bambi: The Reckoning, it took a horror approach to the classic story best known for its 1953 rendition. This came after a wave of horror films, including the wildly successful Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel. The mascot horror subgenre leans into the darker parts of texts typically adapted for children, as in the case of Bambi: The Reckoning.

Allen is right to point out, however, that the source material often has pretty dark themes. Even the original Bambi movie sees the тιтular fawn experience the death of his mother, who a hunter kills. This forces the young animal to experience a harsh truth and grow up quickly. The animated The Little Mermaid is also famously sanitized from the source text. Allen and his team decided to lean into the more tragic parts of Bambi, making it a horror genre film.

Our Take On Allen’s Bambi: The Reckoning Perspective

Not All Mascot Horror Is The Same

Allen also makes an important statement in noting that not all mascot horror is created equal in terms of adapting these themes. He exempts the movie Blood and Honey from being a more faithful adaptation of Winnie-the-Pooh than its animated predecessors. This is likely because Winnie-the-Pooh, as a book, was originally aimed at young audiences in the first place. The other texts, by contrast, featured young characters, but very adult themes. This makes horror films like Bambi: The Reckoning more faithful than something like the Steamboat Willie horror film Screamboat.

Source: SFX Magazine via GamesRadar