Arguably Walt Disney's greatest cinematic achievement was his 1942 animated feature Bambi, a story about a young fawn and his woodland friends that is as menacing as it is enchanting. Over half a decade later, this universally adored children's tale comes to Special Edition DVD fully restored and remastered.

Deer Diary

On the first of two discs, Patrick Stewart invites you inside story meetings for Bambi through a series of dramatic re-enactments based on word-for-word transcriptions. At over an hour long, this offers a wealth of insight into the development process and reveals the integrity of Disney's original vision for the film. David Hand may have directed it, but this is very much a Walt Disney movie.

Film historians and contemporary animation bods (like Toy Story helmer John Lasseter) delve into the 'Making Of' Bambi in another feature length documentary, describing it as "the original circle of life" ie a precursor to The Lion King. You can also hear from Peter Behn and Donnie Dunagan who voiced Thumper and Bambi respectively and there are detailed notes on art design and scoring too.

Find out how preservation experts managed to restore the original nitrate print of Bambi without blowing themselves up in Restoring Bambi and go into the archives with animator Andreas Deja who snaps on the rubber gloves to rifle through old concept art and character designs. Of course the best of these are showcased in separate galleries.

Walt's World

Walt Disney gets to speak for himself in Tricks Of The Trade, a delightful 1957 film in which he - with the help of Mickey Mouse! - explains the innovative multi-plane camera, used in the making of many a cartoon classic. For added nostalgia, there's also a time capsule featurette providing a historical context for the seminal Bambi.

First Snow is the best of two deleted scenes presented as moving storyboards with voiceover. It captures the little fawn chasing snowflakes, a cutesy moment designed to convey his sense of wonderment and curiosity. Incidentally, this scene is also discussed in one of the recorded story meetings.

A whole host of games and activities rounds out this two-disc package along with a sneak peek at Bambi 2 and 1937 cartoon The Old Mill - cited as a major influence on Bambi artists. With its combination of archive material, retrospective analysis and fun for the kids, Bambi: Special Edition is simply unmissable.

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