Watership Down

Running time: 101 mins

Watership Down

"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies,
and when they catch you, they will kill you...
but first they must catch you."

Watership Down, the extraordinary British animated movie from 1979, begins with rabbitdom's own myth about the creation of the world, and explains why rabbits are hunted by so many other creatures. In fact, the whole film looks at life from a rabbit's point of view - but this is no Disney-style tale of cute bunnies. In fact, this epic tale of survival isn't really like any other animated film at all!

Hazel and Fiver

The story starts off with Hazel, a gentle buck rabbit and his brother Fiver, a frail little rabbit with psychic powers. Fiver has had a disturbing vision of the future. He thinks that doom is coming to their warren. Unfortunately, Fiver isn't respected much, and very few of the other rabbits living there will listen to him. The Chief Rabbit considers both Fiver and Hazel to be 'a couple of lunatics' and completely closes his big, floppy ears to their warnings. But some of the other rabbits do start to believe him and join the brothers in leaving the doomed warren before it becomes "a death hole."

Seeking the safe high ground of Watership Down.

Those few rabbits set off into the wild on an adventure to find somewhere new to live, heading for "the high, lonely hills" of Watership Down where Fiver is sure they'll all be safe.

But every time the rabbits do find somewhere that seems safe, a new danger threatens them. Things seem to get worse the further they go, and death and violence are never too far away.

Will wacky seagull Keehar be much help?

Both kids and adults alike will get a lot from watching this movie, but it's a sad, violent and scary tale that may give little kids a few nightmares. It never shies away from showing how savage life and nature can be, and you may be surprised by how violent life is in the rabbit warrens. We see rabbits attacking each other and being attacked by other animals, and, unlike most animated animal characters, when they're gashed and bitten, they bleed, and sometimes die.

It's a disturbing movie at times, but also very rewarding, and its strong story and images will probably stay with you for ages after watching it.

...the sequence with the moving song Bright Eyes, sung by Art Garfunkel. This was released as a single and was a huge hit, staying at number one in the charts for six weeks in early 1979!

The original book by Richard Adams is nearly 500 pages long! Lots of it had to be cut to fit the movie length, so if you like the movie you may want to seek it out. It contains lots more of the rabbits' mythology.

A Conversation with the Film Makers is a 17 minute featurette where the people behind the movie (including producer, writer and director Martin Rosen, tell you how the book first came to be written and then how the movie got made - a more difficult process than you might think. It's full of interesting facts for Down fans. For example, did you know that the Down, the farm, and some of the other places in the movie really exist?

Defining a Style is a 12 minute featurette where the animators and background artists discuss their work on the movie. They were all excited to be involved back then because it was the animated feature to be made in London for quite some time. They remember those times and tell you how they all worked hard to make the story come alive.

There are also some storyboard comparisons featuring four scenes from the movie.

Nicole says:
I do agree with this film being a great one! I remember seeing this when I was 5, but I do not agree on the rating of "U" - maybe PG would be best.

Anna says:
I loved this film as a child, and I still love it to this day. The violence may be too much for some children, but it wasn't for me. This movie was like nothing I had seen before, and I was enthralled by such a wonderful, intelligent spectacle. It is a very faithful adaptation of the book, which I would definitely push fans of the film to read, if they haven't already.

Simon says:
I saw this film not long after my pet rabbit died when I was a child. It stayed with me forever. Since then, I have been through army service, 17 years as a paramedic and have seen everything there is to see and the theme tune is the only thing that can bring me to tears. It reminds me that I am human sometimes.

Zoey says:
When I was younger I watched it. The drawings are brill but the movie was so sad. I cried when I was 10.

Callum says:
An excellent movie about the struggles of living in rabbit world.

William says:
The film is reallly mint! The only bit that should've been changed in the film was the final fight where that darn dog comes in and hurls them up in the air!

Alex says:
A truly amazing film that everyone will enjoy. I give it a 5 star rating!

Bob says:
I love this movie. It is truly my favourite movie. I love it.

Emma says:
I thought the bit when the grey rabbit was telling the other rabbits about what happened to him was scary because all the rabbits had red eyes! 5/10!

Vicki Walton says:
It is a brilliant film because it's about rabbits and it is showing how they live. For those people that kill them I'd just like to ask - if you were a rabbit how would you like it, getting killed just because some hated you? And I suggest that if anyone hasn't watched it, do so because it is a lovely film to watch over and over again.

Leia-Summer Jones says:
I loved Watership Down but it was really upsetting! I bet everybody who has seen it whether they were a non-hearted wrestler or a little selfless girl - they must have cried. Anyway I just like rabbits. The worst part was when Bright Eyes died and they sang that song, "Bright Eyes".

Laura Jamieson says:
I love this film - although it still makes me cry. Not as sad as the book, though, and some gory details - but it's still a very moving picture. I love the the way they show the idea of rabbits having a god and their idea of how life began and how they show how they are so like people, yet so very different. I also love the songs - they make the film all the more moving.

Danielle Page says:
I absolutely love this film! When i was 3, my dad and mum divorced. I used to watch this film to make me happy, which is weird because it's a really sad film! I allways, allways cry at the end when he takes the spirit away. It's just great!

Katie says:
I have watched Watership Down since I was very young and still do now. It is a great but very sad movie and it always makes me cry when I sing "Bright Eyes".

Megan says:
I have Watership Down on video tape, I have done for many years now. It always used to make me cry, the most upsetting part was when one of the rabbits (no longer know his name) gets caught in a trap and nearly dies. That always got me tearful. Such a fantastic film - I wish I could find the DVD as I would buy it :)

Helena Haddock says:
It was was very good and the graphics were good. I love rabbits!

Kayleigh says:
When I was younger I had this film on tape. I watch it nearly all the time. It made me cry. I love it and I am glad that it is on DVD now.

Adele says:
This is a good family film, it being sad and enjoyable.

Sorry, Popcorners, but as much as we love reading and publishing your reviews, we're overloaded and can't take any more on at the moment. We hope to be able to let you review the films again soon!