An Friend Owl

**Friend Owl**, whose proper name seems to be **Wise Old "W.O." Owl**, is an owl residing in the forest. He is something of a mentor to Bambi, Thumper, and Flower, advising them regarding romantic relationships once they become adults.

## Background

Friend Owl is a friend of Bambi. He was seen when both Bambi and his children, Geno and Gurri are born.

### Personality

Friend Owl is generally a stuffy old fellow who dislikes to be bothered. He is seen to be irritated when his sleeping is interrupted by birds singing *Let's Sing a Gay Little Spring Song*, Thumper yelling at him, or a stag rubbing his antlers against his chosen tree. In fairness to him, 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. Thus, his rest time coincides with the most energetic part of the day for most other creatures, leaving him prone to be awoken by his noisy neighbors. **Friend Owl also has a rather cynical view of the world, viewing romantic partnerships as a dangerous thing to be avoided. In fact, he uses the phrase "twitterpated" to mock the concept of falling in love and urges his protegés -- Bambi, Thumper, and Flower -- to abstain from twitterpation. His testiness seems to cause a deal of respect or fear of him in the forest, as he was once able to make many animals leave from Bambi's mother's den just by glaring at them. This fear might also be due to the carnivorous diet of many owls and, presumably, Friend Owl himself.** Despite his initial grumpiness, Friend Owl can still be warm, friendly, and helpful, happily assisting his friends, such as the Great Prince of the Forest, in whatever tasks necessary. **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 and the Great Prince of the Forest seem to be good friends. The Great Prince trusts Owl, while Owl is more than willing to assist the stag in any ways necessary. When the Great Prince's mate was killed, Friend Owl was the first one to meet with him and check on him. The Great Prince then recruited his fowl friend to find an eligible doe to raise his now-motherless son, Bambi. Owl recommended that the Great Prince simply take on the responsibility of raising the fawn, but the old buck refused. Friend Owl eventually managed to find a new mother for Bambi in the form of Mena, a childhood friend of Bambi's mother, but she proved unnecessary when the Great Prince, taking the initial advice of his feathery friend, changed his mind and decided to raise his son apparently on his own.

### **Bambi**

Friend Owl was present in the life of his friend, Bambi, since shortly after the latter's birth. He was among a group of forest animals who visited the newborn fawn and his mother at their den. Bambi was at first afraid of the big-eyed owl, but he soon warmed up to him.

Bambi and Friend Owl apparently spent some time apart as Bambi was growing up, as Owl did not immediately recognize an adult Bambi. After reuniting with his friend, he took it upon himself to serve as a mentor to him and his friends of roughly the same age, Thumper and Flower. Owl advised them regarding romantic matters, admonishing them to never become "twitterpatted," as he put it. The three failed to follow his advice, each finding for themselves a mate. Though he most certainly would have disapproved of Bambi's romantic forays, he was still gracious enough to visit Bambi's children, Geno and Gurri, shortly after their birth in the same manner that he had visited newborn Bambi, remarking that his furry friend must be proud of his children.

### **Thumper**

Friend Owl was aware of Thumper before their mutual friend Bambi was even born. Indeed, it was Thumper who woke Owl from his slumber to inform of the birth of the Young Prince, Bambi. The old bird was *not* happy about the interruption, responding grumpily to Thumper's intrusion with an irritated, "Oh, what now?" It seems that this may not have been the first time that the energetic little bunny woke Owl up, which fits with the fact that Thumper already knew his name.

When Thumper, Bambi, and their friend Flower became adults, Friend Owl lectured the three about being "twitterpated" -- the term he used for romantic flings. He admonished Thumper and his friends to stay away from such, warning them that they would "completely lose [their] head[s]." Ultimately, they rejected his advice, with Thumper becoming involved with a certain "Miss Bunny." This couple would go on to have several daughters who would join their father in once again awaking Friend Owl from his sleep, this time to tell him of the birth of Bambi's children, Geno and Gurri.

## Gallery

### *Bambi*

Bambi-disneyscreencaps.com-5082.jpgBambi-disneyscreencaps.com-5212.jpg
### *Bambi II*

Bambi2-disneyscreencaps.com-138.jpgFriend Owl in Bambi IIBambi2-disneyscreencaps.com-148.jpgBambi2-disneyscreencaps.com-208.jpgBambi2-disneyscreencaps.com-118.jpgBambi2-disneyscreencaps.com-122.jpgBambi2-disneyscreencaps.com-1651.jpgBambi2-disneyscreencaps.com-5702.jpgBambi2-disneyscreencaps.com-6052.jpg
## Behind the Scenes

Friend Owl was created for the 1942 film, *Bambi*. 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 whom the latter has known since his childhood. 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 whom he has known since birth and who gives him a speech about mating.