Friend Owl is an owl residing in the forest. He's an advisor and a mentor to the Great Prince of the Forest, along with his son, Bambi.
Personality:[]
Friend Owl is generally a stuffy old fellow who dislikes being awakened while he's sleeping. He seems to be irritated when he hears the birds singing Let's Sing a Gay Little Spring Song, Thumper yelling to him, or an adult Bambi sharpening his antlers against his tree while he's sleeping. He seems to only sleep during day, as he was once seen coming to his home in the hollow of a tree and beginning to sleep just as most animals were waking up. His rest time coincides with the most energetic part of the day for most other creatures, leaving him prone to be awaken from all the noise.
Friend Owl also has a rather cynical view of the world, viewing romantic partnerships as a dangerous thing to be avoided. He uses the phrase "twitterpated" to mock the concept of falling in love and urges Bambi, Thumper, and Flower to abstain from it. His testiness seems to cause respect or fear, since he's able to make the other animals leave Bambi`s mother`s den just by glaring at them. This fear might also be due to the carnivorous diet of many owls, including Friend Owl himself.
Despite his initial grumpiness, Friend Owl can still be warm, friendly, and helpful, especially towards the Great Prince of the Forest. Friend Owl is also very intelligent, employing use of big words and even dreaming of becoming an academic leader in the forest.
Relationships:[]
The Great Prince Of The Forest:[]
Friend Owl is a trusted friend of the Great Prince of the Forest. After Bambi's mother was shot and killed by hunters, Friend Owl was the first to visit the Great Prince's den, and he asks if there's anything he can do to help. The Great Prince asks him to find a suitable doe to raise Bambi, because he was taught that raising fawns is the doe's job. Friend Owl reminded the Great Prince that food was scarce in the winter, and the does could barely feed themselves, and the Great Prince decides to let Bambi stay with him until Spring.
When Spring came, Friend Owl found a suitable doe named Mena to raise Bambi. She was a childhood friend of Bambi`s mother. After Bambi nearly died after falling off the cliff, the Great Prince shed a single tear, thinking he was dead. Bambi regained consciousness, and the Great Prince was overjoyed. Mena decided to leave, because she felt that she was no longer needed.
Later, Friend Owl notices a teenage Bambi's antlers are starting to come in, while Thumper is telling everyone a story about Bambi's bravery against Man's hunting dogs.
Bambi:[]
Friend Owl was present in the life of his friend, Bambi, since the day he was born. He was among a group of forest animals who visited the Bambi and his mother at her den. Bambi was at first afraid of Friend Owl because of his big eyes, but he soon warmed up to him. Bambi and Friend Owl apparently spent some time apart while Bambi was growing up, since he didn't immediately recognize Bambi as an adult. Friend Owl even took it upon himself to serve as a mentor to Bambi, Thumper and Flower. Friend Owl advised them regarding romantic matters, admonishing them to never become "twitterpated," which is a term for falling in love. The three of them failed to follow his advice, each finding their future mates. Friend Owl was still gracious enough to visit Bambi`s twins, Geno and Gurri shortly after their birth in the same manner that he had visited Bambi when he was born.
Thumper:[]
Friend Owl already knew Thumper before Bambi was born. Indeed, it was Thumper who woke Friend Owl from his slumber to tell him about the birth of the Young Prince, Bambi. When Thumper, Bambi, and Flower became adults, Friend Owl lectured the three about being "twitterpated" the term he used for falling in love. He admonished Thumper and his friends to stay away from such, warning them that they would "completely lose their heads." They ended up rejecting his advice, with Flower falling in love with Petunia and Thumper falling in love with Miss Bunny. Bambi fell in love with his childhood friend, Faline. Friend Owl would later meet Bambi`s twins, Geno and Gurri.
Miscellaneous Behind The Scenes:
Friend Owl was created for "Bambi," the 1942 film.
Technically, however, his first official appearance would not be in that film.
Instead, he appeared first in the film`s comic strip adaptation, also titled Bambi, on July 19, 1942.
His character may have been inspired the screech owl from Felix Salten`s novel, Bambi A Life In The Woods, the book that inspired Bambi.
Both characters are owl friends of Bambi`s, who the latter has known since his birth.
Despite their obvious similarities, it is unclear if the two are the same in-universe.
Friend Owl himself inspired the character of "Grampa" from the Bambi manga, who, like Friend Owl, is an older friend of Bambi`s, who he has known since birth and who gives him a speech about falling in love.
Gallery:
- ↑ Thumper's Great Race