Overview

• Michel Fessler's 'Bambi. Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde' premiered in spring 2025, offering a live-action retelling of Felix Salten’s 1923 novel.
• The film was shot over 16 weeks using real deer, foxes, ravens, and boars, avoiding animation and digital effects to create an immersive nature-documentary aesthetic.
• Senta Berger provides poetic, whispered narration, enhancing the film’s reflective tone and philosophical exploration of life and death in the forest.
• The adaptation closely follows Salten’s original novel, diverging from Disney’s 1942 romanticized version and addressing themes of human impact on nature.
• Animal welfare groups in France have raised concerns about the use of live animals, though the production team has emphasized the careful handling and ethical treatment of all wildlife involved.