Faline

### Inspiration

Character of the same name from Felix Salten's Bambi: A Life in the Wood's novel

### Voiced/Portrayed by

Cammie King (Adriana Torres) (young, first film)
Ann Gillis (young adult, first film)
Andrea Bowen (2nd film)

### Personality

**As a fawn in the first film:** Sweet, sensible, caring, likable, loving, angelic, giggly, impatient, attractive, cute, romantic, bubbly, wild, hyperactive, energetic, playful
**As a fawn in the second film:** Sweet, sensible, caring, likable, loving, attractive, cute, romantic, sarcastic
**As a doe:** Sweet, beautiful, sensible, caring, resourceful, likable, loving, attractive, cute, romantic, calm, mature, stubborn, but big-hearted, dreamy, blissful, respectful, intelligent, inquisitive

### Loves/Likes

Her friends and family, along with playing with Bambi

### Hates/Dislikes

Ronno and his rudeness towards her and everyone else, Man and his hunting dogs, forest fires, and her friends and family in danger.

### Goal

To marry Bambi, have children, and stay together for life

### Allies

Friend Owl, Thumper, Flower, Friend Owl, Miss Bunny, and Petunia

### Fate

Marries Bambi's and gives birth to twin fawns, Geno and Gurri

### Relatives

Bambi (mate) (cousin: book only)
The Great Prince of the Forest (father-in-law) (uncle: book only)
Bambi's Mother (mother-in-law: deceased) (aunt: book only)
Ena (mother)
Geno and Gurri (children)
Gobo (twin brother: book only)

### Qoute

"Hello, Bambi. Don't you remember me? I'm Faline."

**Faline** is a female deer and one of the deuteragonists of *Bambi*. She is the daughter of Ena and an unknown deer. First shown as a fawn and later as a young adult doe, she is Bambi's childhood friend, eventual mate, and the mother of their twin fawns, Geno and Gurry.

## Background

### Development

Faline is based on the character of the same name from Felix Salten's *Bambi: A Life in the Woods*. Several details about Faline were changed or left out in the film. For example, in the novel, Faline is the twin sister of Gobo, a character left out of the film. Additionally, Faline's initial relationship to Bambi is omitted. In the novel, she is the niece of Bambi's mother, making Bambi her cousin. Walt Disney did not mention this in the movie because it would have been considered incest when Faline gave birth to her and Bambi's twins. In certain books, their familial relationship is mentioned, which can confuse the matter. In the second book, *Bambi's Children* by Felix Salten, when she's taking care of her family, she later becomes an adoptive mother to two orphaned deer Mambo and Nello. Her children also interact with cousins, Lana and Boso, twin fawns of their Aunt Rolla, in the second book.

#### Animation

Faline was voiced by Cammie King (Fawn) and Ann Gillis (Young Adult) and animated by Ward Kimball.

### Personality

Similarly, with the other characters, Faline is not very strongly characterized as part of the film's environmental message since she is like any other forest deer. As a fawn, she gives the impression of a cute, wild, giggly little girl, which scares Bambi when they first meet, until he finally manages to get a lock on her location after she steals one kiss too many from him. In the midquel, where she is still a fawn, she is considerably calmer, serving as a transition between her hyperactive early personality and her maturity as a young adult.

When she appears again shortly after she meets with Bambi, she is a very beautiful and young doe and has progressed to the point where she makes her moves with what comes across as a thoroughly deliberated strategy, with the possible implication that she had been watching Bambi for some time, waiting for the perfect moment to make her approach. Notably, she is the one who always makes the first move in their relationship, whether in mere play (as a fawn) or in romantic pursuits (as a young doe).

Although Faline appears dependent on Bambi, with him rescuing her from both Ronno and hunting dogs, she does have a degree of resourcefulness, as shown by her rock climbing to escape the dogs and the fact that she made her way to a safe place after the fire. The only time she is truly calm as a young doe in the film is when she is seen at the end of Bambi with her and Bambi's twin fawns. It has been postulated that this was because, as she was now a mother, Walt and the animators decided it was only suitable that she be shown in the traditional image (for that time period) of one. Also, the fact that she has just given birth to twins may also play a part.

### Physical appearance

As a fawn, Faline is nearly identical to Bambi who had a fur coat of safety orange and wheat spots and underbelly with a brown stripe that ran from his head down to his tail. Her entire fur coat was light orange. Her stripe on each side under the top row of her spots are white. She has blue eyes as a contrast to Bambi's red eyes and had black slippers with tiny eyelashes. She had a large head with fuzz on it, and large ears with black tips.

As a teenager, Faline retains her appearance as a fawn but her light orange fur coat has been faded.

As an adult, Faline is now similar to Bambi but as a female deer. She has light brown fur to contrast Bambi's dark brown fur and the wheat stripe on her neck and underbelly now stops under her head and continues above her chest.