The animated story of Bambi, a young deer hailed as the “Prince of the Forest” at his birth. As Bambi grows, he makes friends with the other animals of the forest, learns the skills needed to survive, and even finds love. One day, however, the hunters come, and Bambi must learn to be as brave as his father if he is to lead the other deer to safety. —IMDb

Director

David Hand

In 1930, David Hand joined The Walt Disney Studios as its 21st and most ambitious young animator. It didn’t take long for Walt Disney to notice his knack for getting things done, and so he moved Dave (as he was called by his friends) into directing animated shorts such as, “Pluto’s Judgement Day” “Alpine Climbers” and “Little Hiawatha.” Later, in 1933, Walt promoted him to Production Supervisor of the Studio, and around that same time, entrusted Dave with directing the first full-length animated feature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

As animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston recalled in their book Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, Dave “was cavalier in transforming Walt’s dreams into animation.” Dave knew enough to recognize quality, and if Walt said, “Let’s get that into the picture,” Dave would make sure that it got in and just that way. If Walt said, “We can save money here; let’s keep the cost down,” Dave would use every shortcut in the book. He never confused… read more

In 1930, David Hand joined The Walt Disney Studios as its 21st and most ambitious young animator. It didn’t take long for Walt Disney to notice his knack for getting things done, and so he moved Dave (as he was called by his friends) into directing animated shorts such as, “Pluto’s Judgement Day” “Alpine Climbers” and “Little Hiawatha.” Later, in 1933, Walt promoted him to Production Supervisor of the Studio, and around that same time, entrusted Dave with directing the first full-length animated feature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

As animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston recalled in their book Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, Dave “was cavalier in transforming Walt’s dreams into animation.” Dave knew enough to recognize quality, and if Walt said, “Let’s get that into the picture,” Dave would make sure that it got in and just that way. If Walt said, “We can save money here; let’s keep the cost down,” Dave would use every shortcut in the book. He never confused his own views or ambitions with Walt’s."

Born in 1900, in Plainfield, New Jersey, Dave attended the Chicago Art Institute. After school, he landed a job at the J.R. Bray Studio in New York, where he met Max Fleischer, for whom he later animated the “Out of the Inkwell” series. In 1928, Dave took interest in The Walt Disney Studios, which had produced “Steamboat Willie,” the first animated cartoon to have synchronized sound. Purely on spec, he decided to visit California and apply for a job at the Studio.

During his 14 years with the company, Dave worked on about 70 shorts and three features. He served as animator on the first color cartoon, “Flowers and Trees,” which won an Oscar® for Best Cartoon in 1933. He later directed “Who Killed Cock Robin?,” which was nominated for an Academy Award® and “Three Orphan Kittens,” which won an Oscar® in 1936. He also served as supervising director on the feature “Bambi,” and animation supervisor on “Victory Through Air Power,” which was his last Disney project.

In 1944, Dave was invited to England by J. Arthur Rank to set up an animation studio. There, he won a five-year contract, creating the “Animaland” and “Musical Paintbox” series, and became known as the American who influenced a generation of British animators. In 1951, he returned to the United States to pursue a career in industrial filmmaking.

Dave Hand died October 11, 1986, in San Luis Obispo, California. —Disney Legends

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James Algar

Director, writer, producer and narrator James “Jim” Algar loved the action and adventure associated with creating Disney’s nature and animal pictures. While directing the True-Life Adventure “The African Lion” in 1955, he lived among the lions of Kenya and while producing the feature “Ten Who Dared” in 1960, he challenged the raging white water rapids of the Colorado River.

Among the many hats he wore, however, the most important was that of storyteller. Jim penned five Academy Award-winning motion pictures for Disney, including “Nature’s Half Acre,” “The Living Desert” and “The Vanishing Prairie.”

As vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company Roy E. Disney once recalled, “Jim was a great storyteller, who made invaluable contributions to our animated classics, theme parks and especially, our nature films. He added tremendously to the Studio’s reputation for superior storytelling.”

Born June 11, 1912, in Modesto, California, Jim attended Stanford University, where… read more

Director, writer, producer and narrator James “Jim” Algar loved the action and adventure associated with creating Disney’s nature and animal pictures. While directing the True-Life Adventure “The African Lion” in 1955, he lived among the lions of Kenya and while producing the feature “Ten Who Dared” in 1960, he challenged the raging white water rapids of the Colorado River.

Among the many hats he wore, however, the most important was that of storyteller. Jim penned five Academy Award-winning motion pictures for Disney, including “Nature’s Half Acre,” “The Living Desert” and “The Vanishing Prairie.”

As vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company Roy E. Disney once recalled, “Jim was a great storyteller, who made invaluable contributions to our animated classics, theme parks and especially, our nature films. He added tremendously to the Studio’s reputation for superior storytelling.”

Born June 11, 1912, in Modesto, California, Jim attended Stanford University, where he served as editor of the campus humor magazine, “The Chaparral.” He frequently drew cartoons for the magazine and soon developed an interest in animation and in 1934, after receiving his master’s degree in journalism, joined The Walt Disney Studios as an animator on “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Walt Disney noted Jim’s talents and tapped the artist to direct the Mickey Mouse short, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” which became the foundation of the 1940 animated classic “Fantasia.” Jim then went on to direct sequences in “Bambi,” as well as several wartime films produced by the Studio for the U.S. Armed Forces, including “Victory Through Air Power.” In 1949, he directed “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.”

After the war, when Walt decided to produce live-action films about animals and nature, he asked Jim to direct the first True-Life Adventure, “Seal Island,” which won an Academy Award for 1948. Other Oscar-winning films he contributed to include “Beaver Valley,” “Bear Country,” “White Wilderness,” “The Alaskan Eskimo” and “Grand Canyon.”

Jim also worked on 26 one-hour episodes for “The Wonderful World of Disney” television series, producing 14 episodes and narrating several, including “Wild Geese Calling.” He also contributed to such memorable feature films as “The Legend of Lobo,” “The Incredible Journey” and “Rascal.”

Among his many theme park contributions, Jim wrote and produced “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” for the 1964 World’s Fair and later, Disneyland. He also wrote and produced several of the Circle Vision 360 productions, including “America the Beautiful,” as well as “The Hall of Presidents” attraction at Walt Disney World.

After 43 years with The Walt Disney Studios, Jim retired on October 31, 1977.

James Algar died February 26, 1998, in Carmel, California. —Disney Legends

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