'Bambi: The Reckoning' gives dark twist to beloved children's character

A new horror film, "Bambi: The Reckoning," hit theaters across China on Sept. 6 — the day of the traditional Ghost Festival — shattering Chinese audiences' notions of the gentle deer.

A fan of "Bambi: The Reckoning" poses for a photo wearing a deer mask at the movie's premiere in Beijing, Sept. 5, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Film Group]

For most Chinese people, Bambi is the lovable cartoon deer from Disney's 1942 classic animated movie. But in 2025, a new version by Dan Allen, based on the original 1923 Austrian coming-of-age novel "Bambi, a Life in the Woods" by Felix Salten, serves as a horror retelling.

The film follows a mother and son who, after a car wreck, are hunted by Bambi, a mutated, grief-stricken deer on a deadly rampage seeking revenge for his mother's death. Transformed by human destruction, the monstrous deer is determined to make humanity pay for its greed.

It is the fourth installment in "The Twisted Childhood Universe," a series that reimagines characters from children's media — such as Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan — as murderous villains. In China, the films are jokingly called the "ruin-our-childhood" series.

"Bambi: The Reckoning" radically reshapes the classic tale, turning Bambi from a gentle, lovable deer into a ruthless "killing machine" bent on avenging nature. Beneath its thriller surface, the film explores humanity's greed and its destructive relationship with nature, from pollution and toxic waste to resource exploitation and habitat loss.

Horror movies are rare in the Chinese market, but some films have found success in recent years. Notable examples include "Alien: Romulus" in 2024, which grossed 786 million yuan. Meanwhile, the most recent was last month's "Final Destination: Bloodlines," which has so far achieved more than 150 million yuanin box office revenue. The import of "Bambi: The Reckoning" is also an effort to diversify and expand the range of genres in China.