Running Time: 73 Minutes / Rating: G
1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
DTS 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French, Spanish)
Subtitles: English; Closed Captioned
DVD Release Date: August 29, 2006
Single-sided, dual-layered disc (DVD-9)
Suggested Retail Price: $29.99
Black Keepcase with Embossed, Holographic Cardboard Slipcover

Having exhausted nearly every sequel possibility from the feature animation canon, the Walt Disney Company has arrived at a place where there are limited opportunities to maintain the steady stream of direct-to-video follow-ups that has now been flowing for over a decade. Sure, the studio could venture into the world of "Part 3"s, but representatives have already publicly stated this is not a plan.
(Nevertheless, Cinderella III is due about a year from now and The Little Mermaid III is in the works for 2008.) This leaves a decreasing supply of "2"s and "II"s to be made, especially now that even unlikely outings already been taken, such as continuations to a movie which didn't qualify as a hit until home video (The Emperor's New Groove) and one which can't be considered successful by any conventional standard (Atlantis: The Lost Empire).

Earlier this year, DisneyToon Studios, the TV Animation-turned-DTV division which creates these polarizing pieces, cashed in on something sacred, releasing Bambi II less than twelve months after its predecessor's robustly-selling DVD debut. A gimmick (70-day availability) and some questionable buzz paid off; 2.5 million copies of Bambi II were sold in its first week, easily outpacing the much-praised Best Animated Feature Oscar Winner (DreamWorks' Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) issued simultaneously and putting the sequel among 2006's best sellers.