FILM: BAMBI / Little April Showers (June 2008)

Bambi: 
The Use of Underscore in the Storm Sequence

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A SOLO bassoon (or clarinet) at a comically slow tempo begins the sequence by "mickey mousing" the falling of a raindrop. The tempo quickens as the raindrops quicken.
    There is a mickey mouse effect played on a tinkling bell as a raindrop falls on a chick's head, a trick repeated later with a mouse. Then follows a brooding  wordless chorus for the beginning of the storm.
    The main strain of "Little April Showers" is used in counterpoint throughout (at the peak of the storm almost unrecognizable), mickey mousing raindrops while the storm music plays in counterpoint.
    The counterpoint suggests (as Disney does throughout Bambi) that Bambi's forest is a cosmos: an orderly relationship of time, place, and life. The exception is "Man" who destroys the harmony of Bambi's forest and the cycle of life.
    Otherwise, animals are shown in playful harmony with the "shower," frolicking in it or seeking cozy natural shelters such as mushrooms or fellow animals. Even when Bambi's mother looks up at the swaying trees, concerned, Bambi sleeps comfortably at her side; and when Bambi seems frightened, his mother appears serene in the midst of Nature.
    The trees themselves are visualized, like the Prince of the Forest, as sturdy enough to withstand the storm, which is never visualized as a real threat to this forest paradise. (The fire caused by "Man" is a real threat.) The only part of the forest swayed by the storm are the slenderest of trees (see slide show, right).
    For the storm, cymbals are used to mickey mouse the sound of lightning. Wind instruments are used to mickey mouse the sound of wind, followed by a solemn wordless chorus to signal the end of the storm.
    After the storm the rhythmic pattern of the opening recurs, now in brighter tone colors. These include a playful tinkling sound and a choral chirping of birds as the full chorus of "Little April Shower" returns.
    The solo bassoon is heard once more, now for musical closure ("the end answers the beginning"), stammering to a halt. A final bell chime is heard as a drop of rain falls into a small lake: the bright high instrument has the final word! All cycles in Nature end in peace.
    To see this sequence, go here. To hear the tune, go here.

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LITTLE APRIL SHOWER
Note, the lyric never mentions threat or danger, but instead, "I'll never be afraid of a good little gay little April serenade." In Bambi, only "Man" is a danger, not a mere storm (a "little April shower").  Bambi is about the "benign" cycles of Nature, apart from "Man." Oddly the charming "April Shower" madrigal was ignored by the Oscars while the more bland tune, "Love Is a Song," was nominated for Best Song (another Oscar nod went to Frank Churchill's score). The Song Oscar that year went to
Irving Berlin's "White Christmas."

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Drip, drip, drop Little April shower Beating a tune As you fall all around Drip, drip, drop Little April shower What can compare To your beautiful sound Drip, drip, drop When the sky is cloudy Your pretty music Can brighten the day Drip, drip, drop When the sun says howdy
You say goodbye right away Drip, drip drop Little April shower Beating a tune Ev'rywhere that you fall Drip, drip drop Little April shower I'm getting wet And I don't care at all Drip, drop, drip, drop I'll never be afraid Of a good little Gay little April serenade.

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