Bambi’s mother (Bambi)

Bambi’s mother (Bambi)

While Bambi’s mother is featured for a very short time in the film, I think the nameless doe deserves a spot on the heroines list for her heroic martyrdom, and the fact that despite the actual amount of screen time, Bambi’s mother is one of the most memorable characters. Hey, both Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Judi Dench won Oscars for roles with approximately less than twenty minutes of screen time (The Silence of the Lambs and Shakespeare in Love, respectively.) She may not be as publicized as Mickey Mouse, but arguably no animated scene is as effectively moving as Bambi’s mother being shot: Bambi, leaping through a field to outrun the hunters. The screen is dark for a split second. A single gunshot. The doe falls. Bambi calls pathetically for his mother, like Scarlett O’Hara. Even the most hardened viewer tears up here. While Faline has a bigger role, only Bambi’s mom has a more subconscious effect on us.