Faline

Faline is a female deer in the Walt Disney movies Bambi and Bambi II. Her mother is Eena. First shown as a fawn and later as an adult doe, Faline's role is as Bambi's love interest and friend.



Bambi, A Life in the Woods
In the original book on which the film was based, Faline had a sickly younger brother named Gobo who was captured, tamed, and released by kindly humans, ultimately leading him to walk right into the hands of the hunters. He was not included in the movie, presumably because his death would have served only to make the film more tragic while simultaneously detracting from the demise of Bambi's mother. As for Faline's role in the book, she showed considerably less personality despite an extended role. There was little to indicate romantic ideas in her behavior as a fawn, and when she and Bambi were grown up it was Bambi, not Faline, who was the pursuer and dominant figure in their romance. Also, in the book, they separated shortly after mating much as real deer do. She was last seen toward the end of the book, raising their twin fawns and left grey from the effort.

Faline and Gobo were also Bambi's cousins in the book, as it states that Aunt Eena (Ena as she is known in the book) is Bambi's mother's sister. Walt Disney did not include this in the original movie because it would have been incest when Faline gave birth to Bambi's twins.

Bambi
Faline is about Bambi's age, give or take a week or two, but in both movies her personality is considerably more mature than his (granted, her first appearance is the exception that makes the rule). It is she who always makes the first move, whether in mere play (as a fawn) or in pursuits romantic (as an adult). The way this is so, however, shifts as she grows older. When they first meet, she comes across as a wild, giggly little girl, an image which puts Bambi on the run until he finally manages to get a lock on her location after she steals one kiss too many from him. After that, she's the one running.



When we see her next, again in the first movie, she is a fully grown and very attractive doe and has progressed to the point where she makes her moves with what comes across as a thoroughly deliberated strategy, with the possible implaction that she had been watching Bambi for some time, waiting for the perfect moment to make her approach.



The lighter coloring she showed as a fawn is back and (predictably) she still has Bambi on the run. Luck and love are with her though, and this time she finally manages to catch him.

The only time we see her looking truly calm is when she is seen at the end of Bambi with her and Bambi's twin fawns.



Bambi II
Faline's overall image is somewhat different in Bambi II. For one thing, she has slightly darker coloring (she went back to lighter coloring when she grew up). The darker coloration would seem to go with the idea of her edge in maturity over Bambi, although this is contrasted by the fact that she is the only fawn who doesn't lose her spots in the course of the movie. She seems to have settled down a bit. She still giggles, but not so wildly as before, and she behaves in a manner that differs from that of a sister just enough to maintain the idea of romance. Furthermore, she is at a rather independent stage. She makes a face at Bambi's attempt at a growl (Bambi was trying to ward off Ronno). The attempt at a growl, according to most viewers, sounds like a bleating lamb, which is probably why it was not very successful for intimidation. That is not enough, however, to alter her preferences; she still clearly prefers Bambi's company to Ronno's. Unfortunately, Ronno pays little mind to what Faline thinks, and when he tries to force her to go with him Faline tries to stand up for herself, unlike a similar event in the first movie, when she immediately called to Bambi for help. It is hard to say who is most surprised in this movie when Bambi tells Ronno to leave Faline alone: Faline, Ronno, or Bambi himself.

Unlike in the first movie Faline makes no attempt to steal a kiss from Bambi. However, as her luck would have it, she doesn't need to this time. A grumpy porcupine with a grudge against Bambi takes his revenge by pricking Bambi in the hind legs, making Bambi leap forward and accidentally engaging Faline in a kiss. After a few moments of stunned silence, Bambi stumbles backwards, stuttering uncontrollably (leaving viewers to decide his exact opinion of the incident), whereas Faline unsuccessfully tries with limited success to suppress facial expressions of silent joy.

When Thumper complains that Bambi never has time for his friends anymore, now that he is busy spending time with his father, Faline's heartfelt opinion of the matter is, "Yeah. Isn't it wonderful?"