Watership Down (1978)
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81% of critics liked it
(27 reviews) -
82% of users liked it
(32,804 ratings)
Unique in the annals of animated films, Watership Down is a serious, even grim tale that many will find relentless and depressing and others will find poetic and moving. It doesn't pull any punches. Death -- violent, disturbing death -- is ever present, portrayed in a manner that is… More Unique in the annals of animated films, Watership Down is a serious, even grim tale that many will find relentless and depressing and others will find poetic and moving. It doesn't pull any punches. Death -- violent, disturbing death -- is ever present, portrayed in a manner that is astonishingly honest for a cartoon. As a result, it is that rare animated film that really aims for a mature audience, despite its superficial funny animal trappings. It has a brilliant opening, most likely created by UPA veteran John Hubley, which in a primitive and simplistic style relates a creation myth as told by rabbits. The style changes thereafter, with beautiful watercolor backgrounds and a more natural approach to character animation. Unfortunately, the animation suffers somewhat from this point, becoming a bit sloppy, although it continues to portray the characters' movements as realistically as possible. The character designs themselves are rather too similar, with the result that it is sometimes difficult to tell the various rabbits apart. The story is also sometimes told in too-broad strokes, leaving those unfamiliar with the novel confused as to exactly what has happened and, more importantly, why. However, these flaws are redeemed by some unforgettable sequences, including a chilling segment detailing the destruction of the rabbits' warren and a devastatingly sad end sequence in which the Black Rabbit of Death gently takes one of the heroes away with it. Voiced by a fine cast, with stellar work from John Hurt and Richard Briers, Watership Down is an imperfect film with some of the most powerful moments ever created for the genre. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- Directed By
- Martin Rosen
- Genres
- Drama, Animation, Kids & Family
PG,
- In Theaters
- Nov 1, 1978 Wide
- On DVD
- Mar 26, 2002
- Studio
- WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES
Critic Reviews
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Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
A rare movie that keeps kids on the edge of their chairs without inducing in their parents an overwhelming desire to escape theirs for a smoke in the lobby.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
A brief spark of imagination survives in a prologue sequence, designed by the great John Hubley before he was fired from the film. The rest is blandness.
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, Time Out
The 'camera' takes a conventionally objective viewpoint, perpetually rolling over rolling countryside, which effectively robs the plot of all its terror and tension.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...lovely to look at and fun to listen to, but dull and lethargic in spots, too, and sometimes brutally savage.
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Richard Luck, Film4
A beautifully realised animation, Watership Down ultimately works because it doesn't dilute the violence and drama of Adams' book with a rose-tinted lens.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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John Hurt
as Hazel
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Richard Briers
as Fiver
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Michael Graham Cox
as Bigwig
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John Bennett
as Capt. Holly
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Simon Cadell
as Blackberry
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Roy Kinnear
as Pipkin
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Richard O'Callaghan
as Dandelion
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Terence Rigby
as Silver
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Ralph Richardson
as Chief Rabbit
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Denholm Elliott
as Cowslip
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Zero Mostel
as Kehaar
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Mary Maddox
as Clover
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Hannah Gordon
as Hyzenthlay
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Lyn Farleigh
as Cat
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Harry Andrews
as Gen. Woundwort
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Nigel Hawthorne
as Campion
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Joss Ackland
as Black Rabbit
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Michael Hordern
as Frith
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Clifton James
as Blackavar
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Derek Griffiths
as Vervain
