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The Plague Dogs

Play trailer Poster for The Plague Dogs PG-13 Released Oct 21, 1982 1h 43m Adventure Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In this animation, Snitter (John Hurt) and Rowf (Christopher Benjamin) are two dogs trapped in a lab where they are repeatedly abused for testing purposes. One day, they accidentally find a way to unlock their cages and escape. In the wild, they must struggle to survive with the help of their guide, the Tod (James Bolam), a fox. Despite their hopes for a better life, they are discouraged by the increasing lack of food and vicious rumors the government is spreading that they carry the plague.
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The Plague Dogs

Critics Reviews

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Frances Dickinson Time Out Adams' succinct complaint about animal exploitation is reduced to a mute whine. Mar 1, 2018 Full Review Janet Maslin New York Times The Plague Dogs makes such skillful use of computer animation that its principal characters develop an amazing doggy authenticity. Mar 1, 2018 Full Review Rachel Wagner rachelsreviews.net It is definitely a bold and shocking film worth seeing Oct 3, 2024 Full Review Seth Troyer PopMatters While The Plague Dogs is certainly not for the faint of heart, it is beautifully animated and truly moving, emotional journey. Oct 3, 2023 Full Review Alistair Lawrence Common Sense Media A less-famous relation to Watership Down, this animated tale from 1982 takes a similarly unflinching look at the natural world and humans' relationship to animals. Rated: 4/5 May 5, 2021 Full Review Phil Edwards Starburst Long winded and generally unpleasant. Apr 14, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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andrey j The Plague Dogs ou Os Cães da Peste, é uma animação corajosa que explora temas como ética e moralidade, libertação e busca por liberdade, impacto psicológico da opressão e relação entre humanos e animais. Esses temas são abordados de maneira desconfortante ao longo do filme, contribuindo para a profundidade emocional e reflexiva sobre os assuntos mencionados e sobre a própria animação. Ao sair do padrão das animações contemporâneas, o filme aborda um tema tenso e negligenciado, explorando experiências traumáticas e crueldade de forma impactante. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/11/24 Full Review Audience Member To be honest, this movie is a slap in the face to the actual novel. While it keeps its themes of being against animal testing and dislike of bureaucracy at a surface level, literally everything that made the novel great has been hacked out. While the animation looks great, the pacing is choppy, moving from scene to scene at a rapid pace, sometimes less than 10 seconds. There is no character development and only the most minute aspects of a backstory. There are plot points that don't make any sense and elements that are entirely changed without reason. So much of it ends up being scenes of the dogs wandering the fell as there are voiceovers of men acting largely as exposition narrators. The ending is absolutely butchered. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review william k Similar to his previous Watership Down, Martin Rosen's animated adaptation of another Richard Adams novel is really not suitable for young audience as it depicts the harrowing fates of two escaped laboratory dogs and their nearly hopeless fight against the gruesomeness that humans afflict to them. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Matthew D A harrowing adaptation of Richard Adams brilliant novel. It doesn't have much of the humor from the book, but it retains the intensity and carries the same important message. Add fantasic animation, great vocie acting and a perfect score and you have a worthy adaptation. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/15/21 Full Review Audience Member a brutal masterpiece, its not a good film because its enjoyable but because it effects and will always stick with you. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Joder, 20/10 GOD y obra maestra Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Plague Dogs

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this animation, Snitter (John Hurt) and Rowf (Christopher Benjamin) are two dogs trapped in a lab where they are repeatedly abused for testing purposes. One day, they accidentally find a way to unlock their cages and escape. In the wild, they must struggle to survive with the help of their guide, the Tod (James Bolam), a fox. Despite their hopes for a better life, they are discouraged by the increasing lack of food and vicious rumors the government is spreading that they carry the plague.
Director
Martin Rosen
Screenwriter
Richard Adams, Martin Rosen
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Violent Images)
Genre
Adventure, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 21, 1982, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 1983
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 29, 2019
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Surround
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