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!

Animated film at its 90-seconds best with a punch line that leaves you giggling as if you have just seen a raunchier moment in the renaissance comedy. I adore the way Rossini's pastoral music is being employed here. Canadian wry humor (and some brilliant animated film history) meet the Bambi ideals of our youthful dreams? You bet! It's like life with its insurance policies when it suddenly steps on your head. And this Godzilla ain't no Inoshiro Honda either! This film has elements of perfection: the simplicity of form, the brevity, the unexpected, the Aesopian morale of the story (ouch, what a punch!)and, best of all, that joyful touch of grouchiness without even being mean-spirited. **** out of 5 stars/or in the IMDB terms 8/10.

Seeing as this cartoon is very short (I wouldn't be at all surprised if the opening title and closing credits run longer than the body of the cartoon itself), there are probably more laughs per second here than anything else ever done. The music is perfect, the credits are hilarious and if I write much more, this comment will come dangerously close to taking longer to read aloud than the running time of the cartoon. Bambi should have prepared more for this meeting. Highly recommended.

A sweeping epic of monumental proportions, "Bambi Meets Godzilla" combines a lyrical script, stellar performances by the entire cast, the most outstanding special effects available at the time and a score which is a classic in its own right to produce a spectacle that is as memorable as it is lengthy. Not many movies can command an audience's attention for as long as "Bambi Meets Godzilla", but here the performances are so engaging, and the visuals so stunning, that it feels as if the movie is over almost before it has begun. Even so, it is just barely sufficient to contain the entire sweep of the grand drama it has embraced. Truly a magnum opus in every sense of the word.

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.