Bambi, ein Leben im Walde (Bambi, A Life in the Woods) is a book by Felix Salten, first printed in 1923. Bambi is the name of the main character who is a small male deer (buck).

Felix Salten was the pen-name of Siegmund Salzmann, who was born in Budapest but grew up in Vienna.

The story was made into an animated film by Walt Disney Productions first released in the United Kingdom on August 8, 1942. The company took the liberty of changing the species into a white-tailed deer, and of putting him into an American forest.

The film has often been criticized for giving several generations of children what many believe to be an unrealistic view of nature. It reflects the orthodoxy of its time, which has later been questioned, that e.g. forest fires are always bad. Hunters have complained that the film has also turned millions against their pastime, especially with the scene of the death of Bambi's mother.

In 1969, a short film spoofing the Disney film, Bambi Meets Godzilla, was released.

Today, the emotional response of revulsion at attractive animals being harmed is called The Bambi Effect.

See also: Smokey Bear

External links

• Bambi, the Austrian deer, article by Paul A. Schons published in Kulturecke by the Germanic-American Institute, September, 2000
• Internet Movie Database listing
• The Big Cartoon DataBase entry for Bambi