Bambi Meets Godzilla

I remember watching this short when it was bonus material for the video "Godzilla 1985." It was shown right before the feature presentation started. In the video, as "Bambi Meets Godzilla" was shown before "Godzilla 1985," which is the first Godzilla film I've watched, this cartoon was actually the first Godzilla I've encountered, strangely enough. For anything Godzilla-related, this cartoon was the first to bring it to me. What a first impression of Godzilla!

The first time I saw this movie was in the mid 70s. It was a small town theatre (Elora Gorge Cinema) that held about 120 people. It was part of a midnight show and sandwiched between Reefer Madness and the Beatles' Let It Be.

Everyone sparked up when Reefer Madness started so when Bambi made her appearance we were all pleasantly buzzed.

When Godzilla made his appearance we were all pretty much destroyed. That was the first (and one of the few) times I've seen people actually rolling in the aisles. Some people were still laughing 10 minutes later and afterwards, it always brought a smile to our faces when mentioned.

I've seen it a few times since then and it still cracks me up... even when I'm sober.

Next to the original film with Raymond Burr this is the next best Godzilla movie. The film makers get right to the point. No time is wasted on worthless dialog. The Deer and giant creature meet and one of them wins, End of story roll credits. Vastly superior to the 1998 Godzilla full length feature film.

The first time that I saw this amazing film, I wasn't really paying much attention. I didn't notice the title, and I was casually glancing at the screen every now and then just waiting for something to happen. Then it did. Life just hasn't been the same since...

Once upon a time there was a 7 year old boy who was staying up in front of the set well past his bedtime. What appeared to be anyway, was an innocuous introduction for a cartoon. An innocent fawn walked onto the screen,grazing so eloquently to the sound of the forest birds chirping so heavenly. So peaceful. Almost gracefully. What could possibly be more harmonious than this virginal rhythm of nature? What could...? What the...?! Where did that come from?! How could this be?! Where's my Mommy!?

BAMBI MEETS GODZILLA has long since been a cult classic and staple at cartoon/animation festivals. Well representative of the counterculture,it has won numerous accolades for best animated short in most quarters. If you haven't seen it yet, it is also featured on Cartoon Network every once in awhile. The last time I saw B.M.G. was about 11 years ago(long after the visceral assault on my prepubescent psyche)on the late nite show NIGHT FLIGHT. It was obviously an underground film,but since you can now find it at BlockBuster and buy it on Amazon.com, I'm not sure how the creators managed to sidestep(unlike you know who!) the Walt Disney Company. The film is no doubt groundbreaking(a relevant term)and had to be the inspiration for such artists as Tim Burton, Matt Groening,Mike Judge,Rob Zombie and Tre Parker to name a few. It's good to see that art can be a device as well as a form of expression.