The Big Picture

Lindsey Anderson Beer will make her directorial debut with Pet Sematary: Bloodlines and is also attached to direct a retelling of Sleepy Hollow and produce the reboot of Lord of the Flies. She had to step away from Star Trek 4 and the live-action Bambi due to her other projects, but believes there’s a need for a new Bambi that younger generations can relate to. Anderson Beer thinks that one reason younger audiences haven’t seen Bambi is because it deals with the death of a parent, but believes an updated version can restore the tale’s former glory.

Lindsey Anderson Beer has a lot of projects up her sleeve. Expanding on her already hefty writing portfolio, she’ll soon celebrate the arrival of her directorial debut, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines which will arrive on Paramount+ next week. Beyond that, she’s attached to direct a retelling of the classic Washington Irving novel-turned-movie(s) Sleepy Hollow and will also join the production team for Luca Guadagnino’s (Call My By Your Name, Bones and All) reboot of Lord of the Flies. With so much work coming her way, Anderson Beer has sadly needed to step away from two highly-anticipated projects — Star Trek 4 and the live-action version of Disney’s Bambi. In an interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Anderson Beer teased why she believes there’s a need for a new Bambi and how it will differ from the original.

“What’s interesting about Bambi to me is it absolutely is a classic and it’s a beautiful love poem, such artistry to it,” Anderson Beer says, “I do think there’s an entire generation of children who have never seen the original and that’s very different from, say Little Mermaid or Aladdin or the ‘90s heyday films that they’ve definitely already seen. I can’t tell you how many kids I’ve seen who’ve never seen Bambi, which is such a shame.”

While those of a certain generation (we’re looking at you, millennials) have likely seen all the Disney classics including Bambi, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland, the next generation may have missed out on those animated favorites, something that Anderson Beer is bummed about. “The thing is, [Bambi] is such a gorgeous film. It’s a little bit different tempo than I think modern audiences are used to.”

Making ‘Bambi’ For a New Audience
Image via The Walt Disney Company

Part of the reason Anderson Beer believes that Bambi hasn’t been seen by a wider audience of youth is because of its dealings with the death of a parent. “Not to spoil the plot, but there’s a treatment of the mom dying that I think some kids, some parents these days are more sensitive about than they were in the past. And I think that’s one of the reasons that they haven’t shown it to their children.” Still, the filmmaker and writer is certain that fresh takes can be thrown into the ring that will restore the tale to its former glory. “I do think there is a way to update Bambi and our take on it was… did give a little bit more of a scope to it. And I just think that to be able to bring it to life for kids these days in a way that maybe they relate to a little bit more would be of service to the original.”

Catching Anderson Beer’s use of the word “was,” Nemiroff asked if the Bambi remake had come to a halt. While the film is still underway, Anderson Beer revealed that her work on Pet Sematary: Bloodlines forced her to walk away from the project.

Check out Nemiroff’s full conversation with the filmmaker below.