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Bambi: The Reckoning

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Bambi: The Reckoning
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDan Allen
Screenplay byRhys Warrington
Based on
Bambi, a Life in the Woods
by Felix Salten
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyVince Knight
Edited byDan Allen
Music byGreg Birkumshaw
Production
companies
  • Jagged Edge Productions
  • ITN Distribution
Distributed byAltitude Film Distribution[1]
Release dates
  • 25 July 2025 (2025-07-25) (United States)
  • 22 August 2025 (2025-08-22) (United Kingdom)
Running time
81 minutes[2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£250,000–£325,000[3]
Box office$558,092[4][5]

Bambi: The Reckoning is a 2025 British independent natural horror film edited and directed by Dan Allen, and written by Rhys Warrington. It is the fourth installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and is a horror retelling of the 1923 novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods. The film stars Roxanne McKee, Tom Mulheron, Nicola Wright, Samira Mighty, Adrian Relph, Alex Cooke, Russell Geoffrey Banks, and Joseph Greenwood. It follows a mother and her son who become hunted by Bambi after his own mother's death.

First announced in November 2022 as a Bambi-based horror film, the film was subsequently revealed to be set in the TCU shared continuity. Scott Chambers intended on directing, though Dan Allen was eventually hired to direct while Chambers chose to direct Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare instead, as he felt the latter fit his style better. It started production in London on 6 January 2024 and wrapped twenty days later.

Bambi: The Reckoning was released in theatres in the United States on 25 July 2025,[6] and in the United Kingdom on 22 August. The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $558,092 worldwide.

Plot

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In the past, a young fawn named Bambi lives happily with his mother until a hunter kills her. Bambi grows up alone; he meets a doe named Faline, who becomes his mate and gives birth to a fawn. They teach their offspring about the world including the dangers. Unfortunately, Faline is fatally run over by a truck carrying toxic waste from a local pharmaceutical company, Wilbexr Pharmaceuticals, and Bambi's offspring disappears in a panic. Bambi gets knocked unconscious by a Wilbexr technician with a spade, before waking up to find Faline completely lifeless. Devastated, Bambi drinks contaminated water from a river, which mutates him into a ravenous creature, determined to get his revenge.

In the present, mother Xana and her son Benji take a taxi to visit Xana's husband Simon and his family—his dementia-stricken mother Mary, his brothers Andrew and Joshua, Andrew's wife Harriet, and their teenage son Harrison—although Simon cannot arrive due to work schedules. On the way, Bambi attacks the taxi and kills the driver while Xana and Benji manage to reach Mary's house.

Meanwhile, Michael, Tyler, and Eddie, three hunters hired by Wilbexr, prepare to hunt Bambi. Joshua leaves the house only to be accidentally shot dead by Tyler. Harrison bullies Benji and Mary, the latter of which starts acting strange, knows Bambi's name, and has made several drawings of a deer around the house. Bambi attacks the house and kills Harriet, forcing the family to flee to a caravan. They drive into the forest and temporarily lose him, only to find a log blocking the way. Andrew and Harrison try to remove it, but Benji panics upon seeing Bambi and drives off with only Xana and Mary inside; Andrew is accidentally dragged behind them to his death on the road. Harrison flees from Bambi and gets lost in the forest, where he is caught in a trap and mauled to death by a group of mutated rabbits.

Xana, Benji, and Mary abandon the caravan after it runs out of petrol, run from Bambi again, and find Michael, who takes them to a den where they meet Simon and his co-worker Jo. Simon reveals himself as the one who killed Faline and dumped toxins into the river, causing the local fauna to mutate, including Bambi. During the conversation, Benji finds a garage where Tyler and Eddie have caged and mistreat a young fawn. Xana also learns that Simon not only hired the hunters to capture and eliminate the mutated animals to cover up Wilbexr's crimes, but also plans to trap Bambi and kill him, not caring how many lives may be lost along the way. Tyler goes to urinate and ends up being decapitated by Bambi. When Eddie goes to investigate, Bambi rips off his legs and his head.

Benji frees the fawn and runs away; Xana and Simon go after him while Mary encounters Bambi, who tries to kill her. Jo sacrifices herself and shoots a gas canister to kill Bambi, but he survives. Benji eventually reunites with Xana and Simon, only for Michael to arrive as well, threatening them at gunpoint and demands the fawn. Bambi drags Michael into the forest before approaching Benji. Simon abandons Xana and Benji and tries to flee, but gets killed by a mutant rabbit inside his car. Realizing the fawn is Bambi's offspring, Xana and Benji return it to him. However, a bloodied Michael arrives and fatally shoots Bambi, only to get shot dead by Mary, who has recovered from her dementia. Bambi bleeds out in front of Xana, Benji, and his fawn, which howls out in grief.

Cast

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Production

[edit]

Development

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In November 2022, a live-action horror film based on Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten was announced as being in development with the title Bambi: The Reckoning. Dan Allen was named as director, with Rhys Frake-Waterfield serving as a producer. Originally, Scott Chambers planned to direct, before deciding to direct Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare instead, as he felt it was more of his type.[9][10] The film was produced by Jagged Edge Productions.[11] Chambers described the film as "an incredibly dark retelling of the 1928 story we all know and love. Finding inspiration from the design used in Netflix's The Ritual, Bambi will be a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness."[12] The film is set in the same continuity as Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) and its sequel,[13] being teased in the latter film.

Allen stated that the team knew they wanted Bambi: The Reckoning to be an “emotional film”, as they felt it fitted the source text perfectly; the titular character loses his mother in the original novel.[14] The film reportedly explores the themes of “loss of innocence” and the “death of childhood”, with for example the character Benji becoming aware of his parents’s upcoming divorce, and eventually discovering his father’s true nature as an amoral pharmaceutical employee.[15][16] Allen envisioned the film as a “sequel” to the original book, with Bambi shown to have a mate and offspring around the time of the opening sequence before losing them both.[17] Inspiration came from Jurassic Park (of which Allen was a massive fan of) and The Ritual. One particular sequence where the character Harriet runs across the front garden with Bambi behind her in slow-motion was inspired by The Host.[18] Allen additionally wanted to expand on the original novel’s environmental message, having the hunters in the film embody “the mistreatment of nature” and the “disregard for it”.[15] Discussing the film’s tone, Allen and cinematographer Vince Knight described it as being “somewhere in the middle” between the Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey films (known for their campy and fun style) and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (known for its dark and serious tone), while leaning “a bit more, you know, towards Peter Pan side”.[18] Despite its dark and gritty nature, Allen stated that the film still retained some comedic moments, as “you can’t make Bambi killing people and ripping people’s heads off without having a bit of a strong, like, wink to the audience and be like, “We know what this is”, you know.”[14] The film’s screenplay was written by Rhys Warrington.[19]

Casting

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On 15 December 2023, Roxanne McKee, Nicola Wright, Tom Mulheron and Samira Mighty joined the cast.[7] Mighty originally auditioned for the role of Xana, but was deemed "too young".[20] On 18 December, Joseph Greenwood revealed that he was cast as Harrison.[21] Around the time of auditioning, Greenwood was unaware that Jagged Edge Productions was the same studio behind Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey until being informed by the public. Upon realising this, Greenwood knew that what he had signed on to was a "much bigger thing than [he] had initially realised."[22]

Filming

[edit]

Principal photography was originally slated to commence on 31 January 2023 in London, England, with Vince Knight serving as cinematographer, after working on Blood and Honey.[23][24][25] Filming was later rescheduled to begin on 6 January 2024 in England,[7] which Chambers confirmed via his social media.[26][27] Originally, it was planned for Bambi: The Reckoning to be shot in April, with Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare being shot in January instead.[28][10] However, script issues saw the filming dates for both projects switched around. Filming wrapped on 26 January 2024.[29]

Crew members have considered Bambi: The Reckoning to be the hardest to film, mainly due to the nightly shoots in January.[18][30] Where the crew wanted to shoot, it was too muddy and sloshy to get the equipment there, and where they could, it was too frozen. Allen stated that they were lucky it didn’t rain during filming as “otherwise, continuity would’ve been all over the place”.[30] To help solve the problem, it was decided to have the actors wear coats for a majority of the film. However, upon shooting the first scene involving so, Allen and Chambers didn’t like the shot and ended up reducing the amount of scenes in which the actors wore “puffer faces”.[18] The crew was inspired by Jurassic Park for the film’s lighting.[17] For the scene in which Bambi flips the taxi over, a stunt team used both punitive pistons and an additional car mounted inside a massive tube that rolled on a motor, while a camera was attached to a roll rig. The actors reportedly disliked filming the scene.[18] Mulheron enjoyed the scene involving an explosion, even claiming to have felt it while shooting.

Visual effects

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Unlike in the Twisted Childhood Universe’s previous films, which were made using practical effects, the animals in Bambi: The Reckoning were made using entirely computer-generated imagery. Stephanie Bellgardt, head of Boiling Point Media, designed the model for Bambi.[31][32] The VFX team was inspired by various quadrupedal creatures, including Moder from The Ritual (something Chambers himself had intended) for Bambi’s spine. They intentionally avoided making him a “zombie deer” and wanted him to still feel like a living, breathing creature. This involved tearing apart the model a little; to make the deer seem as if it had been through “many battles and wars,” while also preventing it from looking undead.[14] The crew had wanted more practical effects for the deer, though due to budget reasons and the design for Bambi not being completed in time for filming, they ended up with merely a stand-in hoof and two stand-in heads. Other tricks were pulled off additionally.[14] For example, during a scene where the character Xana comes face-to-face with Bambi, a large reflector was wafted near the actress’s face to portrays the deer breathing.[33] Allen confessed he feared that the film would end up being “the next Birdemic” if the VFX wasn’t done right.[14]

Release

[edit]

Bambi: The Reckoning was released in theatres in the United States on 25 July 2025 by ITN Distribution with Seismic Releasing,[6] and in the United Kingdom on 22 August by Altitude Film Distribution.[34] The film was originally set to be released in late 2024.[7] The film was released on VOD platforms, including Amazon Prime, on 29 August.[35][36][37]

It received a streaming release on Peacock on 27 March 2026.[38]

Reception

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Box office

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Bambi: The Reckoning grossed $172,187 in the United States, $361,843 in various international territories, and $24,062 in the United Kingdom, for a worldwide total of $558,092.[5][4]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 59% of 17 critics' reviews are positive.[39]

References

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  1. ^ "Bambi: The Reckoning (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Bambi: The Reckoning [MA 15+]". Australian Classification Board. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  3. ^ "to be put up against films with millions when we had 250k is a compliment i guess? 🦌". X. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Bambi: The Reckoning – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Bambi: The Reckoning". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  6. ^ a b Ntim, Zac (15 April 2025). "'Salvation': Thriller Starring Thomas Jane & Skeet Ulrich Lands U.S. Distribution Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Squires, John (15 December 2023). "Bambi: The Reckoning Exclusive Update: Cast and Director Announced for Bambi Horror Movie". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Squires, John (5 March 2025). "'Bambi: The Reckoning' Trailer – The Poohniverse Gets a Rabid New Monster This Summer". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  9. ^ Fuge, Jonathan (25 November 2022). "Bambi Horror Movie to Transform the Disney Character Into a Vicious Killing Machine". MovieWeb. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  10. ^ a b Lund, Anthony (4 November 2023). "Blood and Honey Producer Gives Update on "Incredibly Dark" Bambi, Peter Pan and Secret Projects". MovieWeb. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  11. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (26 November 2022). "Please, Was the Original Bambi Not Horrifying Enough?". Vulture. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  12. ^ Fuge, Jonathan (25 November 2022). "Bambi Horror Movie to Transform the Disney Character Into a Vicious Killing Machine". MovieWeb. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  13. ^ Ritman, Alex (8 February 2023). "'Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey' Director Plans to Create Low-Budget "Twisted" Childhood Horror Universe With Bambi, Peter Pan and More". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e 50shadesoftayyy (20 July 2025). Bambi: The Reckoning Director Dan Allen Interview. Retrieved 25 April 2026 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ a b LRM Online (22 July 2025). Daniel Allen Interview for Bambi The Reckoning. Retrieved 26 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Gearan, Hannah (24 April 2025). "Why The New Bambi Horror Movie Is "More Faithful" Than The Disney Version Addressed By Director". ScreenRant. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  17. ^ a b The Sci Fi Center (29 July 2025). Interview With Bambi The Reckoning Director Dan Allen. Retrieved 26 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ a b c d e 50shadesoftayyy (25 July 2025). Bambi: The Reckoning Q&A with Dan Allen and Vince Knight. Retrieved 26 April 2026 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Wilton, Mike (15 May 2025). "Bambi Joining the 'Twisted Childhood Universe' in July". All Hallows Geek. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  20. ^ Horror Hangout (18 August 2025). Horror Hangout Bonus : Interview with Bambi - The Reckoning Star Samira Mighty (FrightFest 2025). Retrieved 14 February 2026 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  22. ^ THN - The Hollywood News (1 September 2025). Alex Cooke and Joseph Greenwood interview for 'Bambi: The Reckoning' [FrightFest]. Retrieved 14 February 2026 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ "Bambi: The Reckoning". Film & Television Industry Alliance. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  24. ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (26 November 2022). "Bambi to Be Reimagined as a 'Vicious Killing Machine' in 'Dark Retelling' of Classic Disney Film". TheWrap. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  25. ^ Ritman, Alex (18 May 2023). "Cannes: Bambi Slasher Adaptation From Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey Creators Sells Wide (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  26. ^ Allen, Dan [@DanAllenFilms] (6 January 2024). "It begins...#BAMBItheReckoning" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 March 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  27. ^ @scottjeffreyproducer; (12 January 2024). "#BambiTheReckoning 1 week into shooting… 🦠🩸🦌☠️" – via Instagram.
  28. ^ Bolt, Neil (3 November 2023). "Bambi The Reckoning: Slasher Spin on Classic Tale Starts Filming in January". ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  29. ^ Greenwood, Joseph (26 January 2024). "Bambi: The Reckoning". Joseph Greenwood - Official X. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  30. ^ a b Macabre Daily (22 July 2025). Macabre Daily Interviews - Dan Allen (BAMBI: THE RECKONING) July 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2026 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ "Bambi: The Reckoning". Boiling Point Media. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  32. ^ Hermanns, Grant (28 July 2025). "Why The New Bambi Horror Movie Brings Back A Key Theme From The Book 102 Years Later Explained By Director". ScreenRant. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  33. ^ The Sci Fi Center (29 July 2025). Interview With Bambi The Reckoning Director Dan Allen. Retrieved 3 May 2026 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ "Bambi: The Reckoning (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  35. ^ Ritman, Alex (12 August 2025). "'Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3' Taps 'Color Out of Space' Writer Richard Stanley to Pen Script (EXCLUSIVE)". Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  36. ^ Klein, Brennan (29 August 2025). "Horror Reimagining Of Disney Classic Is Finally Available On VOD". Screen Rant. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  37. ^ "Bambi: The Reckoning". Amazon. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  38. ^ Konopka, Matt (19 February 2026). "'Bambi: The Reckoning' Arriving on Peacock this March". Dread Central. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  39. ^ "Bambi: The Reckoning". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 9 April 2026. Edit this at Wikidata
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