MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • August 8, 2020
On August 8, 1942, the animated Disney film Bambi was premiered in London. It was released in the U.S. later that month. The movie was based on "Bambi, A Life in the Woods," a novel about a roe deer by Viennese author Felix Salten published in 1923.
The look of the movie was based on reconnaissance trips to the Katahdin region by Maine artist Maurice “Jake” Day. Bambi was changed to a Maine white-tailed deer (some online reports wrongly say mule deer). The film has a worldwide gross of $267 million. In January 2020, it was announced that a live-action styled adaptation was in development by Disney.
Soon after the film’s original release, Walt Disney allowed his characters to appear in fire prevention public service campaigns. However, Bambi was only loaned to the government for a year, so a new symbol was needed, leading to the creation of Smokey Bear.