Disney has had unprecedented success in the last few years by producing live-action remakes of its classic animated movies, and Bambi is next in line. While it's certainly a classic of the Golden Age Disney era, revisiting the film after a bevy of previous remakes might not be the wisest course of action for the studio. That's to say nothing of the original film's relevance in the Disney pantheon.
Here's why fans could probably go without a Bambi remake, and why Disney doesn't need to make it.
The Live-Action Disney Films Aren't Succeeding Critically
Even outside of what may seem like an echo chamber on the internet, the general attitude surrounding the continued trend of Disney live-action remakes has grown increasingly negative. This is reflected in how they're being received critically, with even the most successful films financially getting mixed reviews from moviegoers.
The trend theoretically started with Maleficent in 2014, a film which received fairly mixed reviews, though admittedly, it was a more original take on its source material than the other remakes. Later films, such as Beauty and the Beast and especially The Jungle Book received praised, namely the latter for synchronizing the original Disney adaptation with the book. Since then, however, the films have started to be more and more negatively received.
2019 saw four live-action Disney remakes (Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King and Lady and the Tramp), not including Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Of those films, Aladdin and The Lion King broke numerous box office records, while Dumbo performed fine and Lady and the Tramp released on Disney+. However, none of them received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, with even The Lion King (which Bambi will seemingly follow stylistically) being criticized as a lifeless remake of the original. If a hyped remake of The Lion King wasn't critic proof, what hope does Bambi have?
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Disney's Classics Won't Stay Draws
One reason for the production and success of the remakes of Aladdin and The Lion King was pure nostalgia, as those who grew up with the originals are now starting families of their own. This might even prove the case for The Little Mermaid remake, which is also slated to hit theaters. While the wave of '80s/'90s nostalgia may have fueled those films' financial success, it's unlikely Bambi could have anywhere near the same success.
Much like Dumbo, as well as the completely unasked for remake of Pete's Dragon, the original Bambi is far too old to have had the same cultural impact as last year's offerings for its target audience. Bambi is a much older film and, although a beloved part of the Disney pantheon, was the childhood classic for a different audience. At least other early Disney films such as Snow White and Cinderella still maintain relevance by way of Disney princesses. However, Bambi doesn't have that going for it.
Bambi seems destined to be middling and less of a sure-fire win than Disney might like. The generally good box office performance of these remakes has propelled them to their consistent release radar, but less than desired films are unlikely to repeat these successes. In other words, there's little need for a new Bambi, if for no other reason than no one would care.