Watership Down

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Watership Down

PG

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1h 32m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

When a young rabbit named Fiver (Richard Briers) has a prophetic vision that the end of his warren is near, he persuades seven other rabbits to leave with him in search of a new home. Several obstacles impede their progress, including predators, a rat-filled cemetery and a speeding river. Upon arriving at their final destination, a hill dubbed Watership Down, the rabbits find that their journey is still far from over. Realistically drawn, this British animated film carries an emotional weight.

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Critics Consensus

Aimed at adults perhaps more than children, this is a respectful, beautifully animated adaptation of Richard Adams' beloved book.

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

What follows is a landmark moment in British animation in a fearless adaptation of a Richard Adams novel directed by Martin Rosen, exploring the Homeric themes of conflict, slaughter, genocide and the clash of civilisations, but with rabbits.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 27, 2024

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

A band of rabbits must leave their warren to find safety in a film that, even in a digital age, still has the bloody force to scare young minds.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 23, 2024

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Tasha Robinson

The Dissolve

It's a work deeply enamored with its source material, and determined to do right by it, even if it means frightening kids, baffling parents, and embracing whatever style works.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 23, 2015

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…Watership Down has a violent edge that reflects nature, which some might find at odds with the cutie patootie animation, but surely that’s exactly the point…it’s got a tough, environmentally sound message that was hard-hitting in 1978, and still is now.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 25, 2024

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Carson Timar

ButteredPopcorn

Trying to forge a relationship with the film ends up feeling like an overall empty experience.

Rated: C

Aug 28, 2022

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

I love the book and I think... that this is a worthy adaptation.

Rated: 8/10

Feb 21, 2019

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David W

A seminal work which expanded the boundaries of what could be explored in animated form. A glorious soundtrack, wonderful voice acting, a tight script, expert direction and beautiful animation. Simply put it's one of those rare movies you need to see before you die. Once seen you will never forget it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

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Student: Jake M

I give this a 0 out of 10, because parents need to know this is a cartoon that involves creepy humor and blood in it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

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r96 s

It sure lives up to its reputation! The sole thing I knew about 'Watership Down' pre-watch was that it's relatively graphic and had an impact on children at the time of its release. Well, I can certainly see why! Heck, even by today's standards it's still pretty out there in terms of how it portrays the violence. The animation, for its time, is absolutely splendid - super effective! The music is also noteworthy. I will say that I don't think the characters are anything above solid, like post-watch I can't really remember any of them individually; visually at least, because the voice cast are very good.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/21/24

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To F

Es tan fuerte y desgarradora. Sus personajes y su historia son tan profundos. Es una película sería y maravillosa. Sin olvidar sus bellísimos paisajes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/24

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Euan P

Good movie, but there are three things missing from this that were key details in the book: (spoilers ahead) 1: El-ahrairah stories. 2: Too short, so it didn't have enough time for detail. 3: More Kehaar. Kehaar was not in the movie enough, despite having so much to do with the story in the book. I hope this helped for those who want to see this.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/12/24

Full Review

Christian K

Great, old-school painterly animation. I have read the book and didn't think this held up very well to it. And I am not even really a fan of the book. Not sure this is even for children, its pretty dark, grim, and violent.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/25/24

Full Review

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Martin Rosen

Director

John Hurt

Hazel

Richard Briers

Fiver

Michael Graham Cox

Bigwig

John Bennett

Capt. Holly

Roy Kinnear

Pipkin

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Synopsis

When a young rabbit named Fiver (Richard Briers) has a prophetic vision that the end of his warren is near, he persuades seven other rabbits to leave with him in search of a new home. Several obstacles impede their progress, including predators, a rat-filled cemetery and a speeding river. Upon arriving at their final destination, a hill dubbed Watership Down, the rabbits find that their journey is still far from over. Realistically drawn, this British animated film carries an emotional weight.

Director: Martin Rosen
Producer: Martin Rosen
Screenwriter: Martin Rosen
Production Co: Warner Bros. Animation
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Surround

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