John Bennett, John Hurt, Michael Graham Cox

The home of a colony of rabbits is threatened with destruction by human developers. Hoping to escape and to save their community, the rabbits, led by Hazel and Fiver, seek out a safe place to set up a...( read more  read more... ) new warren.

Flixster Users

82% liked it

29,008 ratings

Critics

81% liked it

27 critics

PG, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Martin Rosen

Release Date: November 1, 1978

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DVD Release Date: March 26, 2002

Stats: 1,770 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,770)


  • September 22, 2009
    A beautiful and brutal animation, Watership down is a classic tale for older kids. I just have to think about the song bright eyes and I?m soon welling up!
  • December 21, 2008
    bunnies, blood and swearing from a nazi seagull. what more could you want from a childrens animation? at least the rabbits werent at it
  • May 27, 2008
    Richard Adams' legendary novel is beautifully realised in this classic animation from 1978. Enthralling, thought provoking, violent and sometimes depressing in it's reality. While the animation is dated, the story is as applicable today as it was when I saw it as a lttle boy, esp...( read more)ecially when such socio-political comparisons can be made. Haunting and probably too disturbing for children, but well worth a watch and the Art Garfunkle soundtrack doesn't hurt either. Track it down!
  • January 11, 2008
    Classic Animation coupled with a great story and cute bunnies...not to mention much throat ripping. It was sad to see my favorite parts of the book either skipped or gone through so fast that something that took 100 pages in the book last for 5 minutes at best. Still, you got t...( read more)o fit it all into a movie. I just wish they had done more with El-harairharah and the Black Rabbit of Inle. Instead they had some dumb psychedelic floating bunny song by Art garfunkle.
  • December 31, 2007
    Dark and powerful animation that both scared and captivated me as a child. One of the best adventure animations ever, following the travels of a bunch of rabbits seeking out a utopia in the English countryside. A Christmas favourite with the classic Art Garfunkel theme "Bright Ey...( read more)es".
  • November 23, 2009
    beautiful and dark animation.. great story which follows very true to the book to point of being letter on. highly recommended!
  • October 30, 2009
    Unashamedly dark and brooding peppered with bits of clarity and kindness. It's almost impossible to balance the two but Watership Down does it effortlessly. This is a tale of the hero and his role in his society, as classic as The Illiad. There's a lot of themes present he...( read more)re, open to an analytical approach to storytelling. It's just damn brilliant. I love how pure and removed the story is from, well, everything. The animation is beautiful. Each backround was watercolored to give it a soft looking tone or, where appropriate, a moody overcast. Quite simply, this talking bunnies venture is an example of some of the best animation ever put together. Definately not for the toddlers, though. People really need to look into these sorts of things before watching it. Jeez.
  • October 26, 2009
    After reading the book and seeing this as a young girl, I know it changed my views on anti vivisection and I made everyone get rid of anything made of fur. A great movie where you really want the rabbits to win against the humans and there so called progress.
  • September 20, 2009
    what it lacks in sound overdubbing it makes up in pure bizarre storytelling. oh, great book too.
  • September 15, 2009
    I love this one. It's about a group of wild rabbits who leave their old warren when the smallest, Fiver, senses danger coming. Fiver is my favourite of all the rabbits.

Critic Reviews


Comments


  • kater16123
    April 5, 2009
    This is one of my favorite films, and it is incredibly written.
  • gyvette
    April 9, 2008
    I used to watch this when I was younger and I loved it. but I have not seen it in years!
  • jeffidiyah
    July 27, 2007
    This movie was amazing. A true work of art. I don't understand why it's in the Kids and Family category. It's profoundly disturbing. I encourage those who have not yet seen this film to read the book first. This way, you'll appreciate the story more and the images won't just be a jumble of colors for you. I think there should be a new film made in the same style as Babe for this movie. Of course, it won't be light-hearted like Babe but the live-action will bring a larger audience. It should encompass the whole book, of course, since it was a short novel to begin with and a perfect one at that.

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Watership Down Trivia


  • "Bright eyes burning like fire..."  Answer »
  • Film Soundtracks Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel Name that animated film  Answer »
  • which movie's hero is named Hazel?  Answer »
  • What is the name of the main character in Watership Down?  Answer »

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