FIRST TIME EVER ON DISNEY DVD

Walt Disney’s Timeless 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., - February 8, 2005 – 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. BAMBI is one of Walt Disney’s greatest triumphs and one of the all-time most requested Disney classics. It is widely believed that BAMBI has had the greatest impact on viewers of any Disney film. Originally Theatrically released in 1942, it has been Theatrically re-released many times since for millions of fans. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of Walt’s legendary animators who worked on BAMBI, have ascribed the film’s continuing popularity to its dynamic mixture of fantasy and reality. Available for a limited time only. 2-disc DVD $29.99 (S.R.P.); VHS $24.99 (S.R.P.).

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. 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. 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-by-frame 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. The quintessential Walt Disney classic now comes to life as never before. (more)

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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; the all-new “Forest Adventure Game” with eight games in multiple levels of challenge with something for all age groups from color recognition to trivia; special sneak-peek at the all-new movie “Bambi And The Great Prince of the Forest;” DisneyPedia; Disney Time Capsule 1942: the Year of Bambi; “Disney’s Storytime: Thumper Goes Exploring” an all-new story based on the classic; “The Making of Bambi;” original story concepts; music design, production stills; and much more.

BAMBI SPECIAL EDITION

DISC ONE

· FEATURE PRESENTATION

· STATE-OF-THE ART REMIXED SOUND

With the all-new 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix.

· ALL-NEW DIGITAL RESTORATION

Done exclusively for this Special Edition DVD release.

· “INSIDE WALT’S STORY MEETINGS”

This exciting one-of-a-kind bonus feature, over one hour in length, 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), 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.

· DISC 2 PREVIEW

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BAMBI SPECIAL EDITION

DISC TWO

· NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN DELETED SCENES

Disney researchers have uncovered storyboards from the original Bambi production. Through these rare storyboards, discover the “Winter Grass” and “Bambi’s First Snow” sequences that were not part of the final film. The deleted scenes are introduced by Disney Supervising Animator Andreas Deja.

GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

· ALL-NEW “FOREST ADVENTURE GAME”

This exciting feature has eight games in multiple levels of challenge. The fun activities – from puzzles to trivia and counting games – and the levels of complexity change along with the seasons of the forest.

· DISNEYPEDIA: BAMBI’S FOREST FRIENDS

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.

· WHAT’S YOUR SEASON? PERSONALITY PROFILE

Find out what season of the year your personality is best suited for in this fun activity.

· “DISNEY’S STORYTIME: THUMPER GOES EXPLORING”

An all-new storybook starring Thumper. Using audio, text and still images, you can listen and read along or read along on your own.

· VIRTUAL FOREST

Watch the seasons pass in a beautiful forest.

BACKSTAGE DISNEY

· THE MAKING OF BAMBI – A PRINCE IS BORN

This comprehensive look at the making of BAMBI covers the story, the characters, the actors, the art design, the music and the history of Walt Disney’s classic film. Behind the scenes footage, production stills, animation and artwork are combined with multiple interviews and historical insights for an in-depth and fascinating look at the film.

This feature includes interviews with Peter C. Behn (voice of “Thumper”), Donald R. Dunagan (voice of “Bambi”), Cammie King Conlon (voice of “Faline”); story developer Mel Shaw; famed animators Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Marc Davis, Erik Larson, Milt Kahl; story artist Joe Grant, and “Bambi” background artists Tyrus Wong and Bob McIntosh.

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There are interviews with Disney producer Don Hahn; Pixar Animation Studios director and Executive Vice President John Lasseter; DisneyToon Studios animation director Dave Bossert; Disney Feature Animation director Aaron Blaise; Disney Feature Animation art directors Cristy Maltese and Ric Sluiter; Disney supervising animator Andreas Dejas; famed conductor John Mauceri; animation historians Charles Solomon, John Culhane, Paul F. Anderson, Ron Barbagallo and Miles Krueger; and more.

· RESTORING BAMBI

From the original nitrate film stock to the cutting-edge digital technology, learn how BAMBI has undergone one of the most expansive restorations in the history of the Walt Disney Company. Meet the many talented people who are essential to the restoration process, and visit the vault of the Library of Congress. Via a before-and-after split screen, see for yourself how the first-ever DVD release of BAMBI has been restored to its original glory.

· THE LEGACY CONTINUES:

BAMBI AND THE GREAT PRINCE OF THE FOREST

Here is a special sneak-peek at the upcoming all-new movie “Bambi And The Great Prince of the Forest.”

· DISNEY TIME CAPSULE 1942: THE YEAR OF BAMBI

BAMBI was first released in 1942, and this program takes viewers back for a look at that historical year.

· THE ART OF BAMBI

Scroll through a vast still frame gallery of dazzling artwork, and partake in a slide show gallery. Included: concept art, story sketches, color keys, backgrounds, posters and character designs. Many of these images have not been widely seen or reproduced.

· TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Walt Disney, from his color 1957 Disneyland TV show, narrates the story of the multiplane camera. This animation innovation was crucial to the production of BAMBI.

· INSIDE THE DISNEY ARCHIVES

Take a tour of Disney’s Animation Research Library, where artwork from past Disney animated feature films is stored. With Disney Supervising Animator Andreas Deja as your guide, you will see some of the incredible hidden treasures from the library, and meet some of the staff. Among the many gems, you will discover early story sketches in which Thumper is called “Bobo the rabbit,” see beautiful glass paintings made for the multiplane camera, watch as Andreas flips and animates archival drawings, and more.

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· THE OLD MILL

The Academy Award^® – winning short “The Old Mill” (Best Cartoon Short, 1937) served to test several production techniques that would be influential in the production of BAMBI. It was the first film to make use of the multiplane camera, and provided the artists with an opportunity to hone their skills in animating realistic animals and experiment with such natural occurrences as wind, rain and lightning – all artistic elements essential to Walt’s vision of creating the world of Bambi.

· ORIGINAL THEATRICAL TRAILER (1942)

BAMBI is a film experience so strong that neither heart nor mind can ever forget it. 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 took years to make, but 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. 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 in 2004.

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. (more)

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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.

Not available in any form for over eight years, this exciting addition to Disney’s celebrated PLATINUM Series is the perfect Easter gift.

STREET DATE: March 1, 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.

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 Restored Original Mono Theatrical Mix

Languages: French, Spanish 5.1 audio tracks

© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.