In 1969, Marv Newland, a film student in Los Angeles, created Bambi Meets Godzilla. A 90 second short that shows Disney’s Bambi grazing a field to the accompaniment of Rossini’s William Tell, then, without warning, Godzilla’s foot enters the frame, set to the final chord of the Beatles’ A Day in the Life, squishing Bambi.
According to animation lore, Newland was working on a different, more complex film, but ran out of time and money. With his deadline approaching, he created Bambi Meets Godzilla. This launched Newland’s career in animation. He went on to found International Rocketship Limited, one of Vancouver’s most influential animation studios, which produced commercials, shorts, and various TV shows.
Despite Marv Newland’s resume in media production, nothing matches the cultural impact of Bambi Meets Godzilla. The short has been screened as an opener for feature films like The King of Hearts, on VHS releases of Godzilla 1985, as educational material in film school, as lessons in comedic timing, and has been referenced many times in pop culture, most notably in Animaniacs.
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