A man who was arrested on poaching charges will be forced to watch Bambi on repeat for the duration of his prison sentence. Bambi was Walt Disney Pictures fifth feature-length film that was released 76 years ago in 1942. The simple story about a young deer growing up has seemingly stood the test of time, and is now regarded as one of Disney's classic movies.
While Bambi is remembered for its lovable characters and pop culture significance through the years, the film is also remembered for a tragic scene in which Bambi's mother is killed by a hunter. The scene has gone down as one of the saddest and darkest moments of a Disney film, alongside Mufasa's death in The Lion King and Ellie and Carl's backstory in the Disney/Pixar film Up. And, despite the happiness and magic that overpowers these tragedies in Disney films, one poacher is being shown a single Disney film as a form of punishment.
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According to Springfield News-Leader, David Berry Jr. is being forced to watch Bambi on repeat while he serves out his sentence for poaching. While poaching isn't necessarily an uncommon practice unfortunately, this specific case was significant since the illegal activity took place for years, resulting in hundreds of deer being killed as trophies. It's being considered one of Missouri's largest poaching cases, resulting in a years-long investigation into the crimes. Berry will be in jail for a year on his poaching charges, along with an extra 120 days for felony firearms probation violation, and he will be forced to watch Bambi once every month starting on or before December 23 until his sentence is over. Two other men were also charged in this case, but will not be joining Berry for the Bambi punishment.
While Disney has plans to turn several of their cartoon classics into live-action films, Bambi is not one of them. Fans have already been treated to films like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Jungle Book, but Disney has several more planned for the coming years including The Little Mermaid, Mulan, and The Sword in the Stone. 2019 will also be a big year for Disney as they have release dates secured for live-action adaptations of Dumbo, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
While the illegal deaths of so many deer is no laughing matter, it is humorous that a Disney movie such as Bambi is being used as a form of punishment. Most people would likely be delighted to get to watch a Disney movie during their prison sentence, but watching the same film every month will likely get old real quick for this poacher. The method of punishment with a sentence in prison may seem unorthodox, but watching Bambi's mom die over and over again seems like a punishment to fit the crime.
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Source: Springfield News-Leader
