The soundtrack to the Walt Disney animated film Bambi II mixes contributions by recording artists with selections from the score. It might excite interest among completist country music collectors for the inclusion of songs by
Martina McBride ("Through Your Eyes") and
Alison Krauss ("There Is Life") that were done specifically for the soundtrack, though neither of those sentimental, uplifting tunes is very interesting. The less celebrated recording artists Michelle Lewis (with "First Sign of Spring") and
Anthony Callea ("The Healing of a Heart") are also heard on one track apiece. A few instrumental excerpts from
Bruce Broughton's score fill out the program, along with a vocal "bonus track," "Sing the Day," which according to the track listing notes was originally written for Bambi II's "Being Brave" sequence. Also on the CD are three tracks used in the original early-'40s Bambi, all of which naturally have a much more retro dated Hollywood musical feel, though the material from both versions of the story shares an upbeat cutesiness. ~ Richie Unterberger