--- description: The Disney classic about a fawn and his woodland friends premiered in New York City on Aug. 13, 1942. title: Celebrate the Anniversary of 'Bambi' With These Beautiful Photos of Deer image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d7fb10fe577e590/69885dafa988ca46296b3bb1/150803-deer-06.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Celebrate the Anniversary of _Bambi_ With These Peaceful Deer  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Aug 13, 2015 12:00 PM CUT  Jone Pedersen and Bucky the deer run on the beach, 1948. Jone Pedersen and Bucky the deer run on the beach, 1948.Jon Brenneis—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Aug 13, 2015 12:00 PM CUT If there were a competition for saddest Disney movie, _Bambi_ would be tough to beat. The 1942 animated film about a fawn whose mother is shot down by a deer hunter is, for unassuming tots, a brutal introduction to the hard knocks of life, its edges softened only by the cuteness of its woodland creatures and plucky orchestral soundtrack. Bambi, like many of Disney’s disadvantaged heroes and heroines, ultimately perseveres to make a family of his own. In the spirit of persevering deer everywhere, here is a collection of LIFE Magazine’s most peaceful fawns, does, stags and bucks. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk "undefined")_._  November 8, 1954 cover of LIFE magazine Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tourists feeding deer in the Redwood Forest, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Mother and baby deer stand beside tree, 1946. Dmitri Kessel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Actor Claude Jarman Jr. holds a baby deer for a scene in the movie "The Yearling," 1947. Walter SandersThe LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A tule elk and key deer photographed circa 1940s. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jone Pedersen and Bucky the deer run on the beach, 1948. Jon Brenneis—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  A 15-month-old pet deer named Bucky lies next to a small kitten, 1948. Jon Brenneis—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Two men feed deer on the 1,000 acre park at Knole, the ancestral estate of Lord & Lady Sackville, 1949. Mark Kauffman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A deer stands in a wooded stream with its reflection in the water, 1952. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Italian actress Pier Angeli poses with a deer, 1954. Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Pier Angeli poses with a deer, 1954. Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A deer cools his heels along the Oregon seashore, 1960. Dmitri Kessel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Rainbow trout rest in a tributary of the Madison River with a fawn drinking at the water's edge. The photo was taken by a camera placed inside a partially submerged glass enclosure, 1961. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A father and son feed a wild deer in Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A young boy plays with deer at a petting zoo, 1962. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Animal rescuer John Walsh holds onto a deer which he rescued out of the flood waters in Suriname, 1964. Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A deer with large antlers stands silhouetted against the sky, 1966. Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Park ranger holding deer rescued from flooded section of the Everglades, 1966. Lynn Pelham—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Deer stand in tall grass on Gardiners Island, 1966. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A lone white-tailed deer drinks water from the banks of the Cheat River, 1967. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3982999/life-best-deer-photos/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3982999/life-best-deer-photos/"},"headline":"Celebrate the Anniversary of Bambi With These Peaceful Deer","datePublished":"2015-08-13T12:00:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:47:09.979Z","description":"The Disney classic premiered in New York City on Aug. 13, 1942","url":"https://time.com/3982999/life-best-deer-photos/","keywords":["animals","Newsfeed","Deer","photography","LIFE Magazine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d7fb10fe577e590/69885dafa988ca46296b3bb1/150803-deer-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d7fb10fe577e590/69885dafa988ca46296b3bb1/150803-deer-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Jone Pedersen","caption":"Jone Pedersen","creditText":"Jon Brenneis—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3982999/life-best-deer-photos/","name":"Celebrate the Anniversary of Bambi With These Peaceful Deer"}}]}] ```