Watership Down

Name: Watership Down
Director: Martin Rosen
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Thriller, Children's
Released: 1978
Duration: 1 h 27 min
Cast: John Hurt, Richard Briers, Michael Graham-Cox, John Bennett, Ralph Richardson

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Animation
Adventure

1978
Martin Rosen
87 mins
PG

Summary

Animated screen version of Richard Adams's bestselling novel, featuring the voices of John Hurt and Richard Briers. When Fiver, a young buck rabbit, has a frightening vision of destruction, a group of rabbits led by the resourceful Hazel steals away on an epic and dangerous quest to find a safer home.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Tom Folley

This animated version of Richard Adams's bestselling novel about a group of rabbits searching for a new home was a box-office success, despite the difficulty of being pigeonholed as a "kids' movie" but released with a PG certificate (for several genuinely scary scenes). In fact, its faithful retelling of the story gives the movie a dark sophistication that will attract older children and their parents. Martin Rosen inherited the project after John Hubley, who helped animate many Disney classics of the 1940s, had departed owing to "creative differences". The visual style is ambitious, with a naturalistic style and watercolour backgrounds that some may find clunky and others will adore. The voice cast is truly impressive, with telling contributions from John Hurt, Ralph Richardson, Denholm Elliott, Richard Briers and a bonkers Zero Mostel as the seagull Kehaar. Hurt and Rosen would reunite for the animated dramatisation of Adams's darker follow-up, The Plague Dogs. And the tale is crowned (or saddled, according to taste) with Art Garfunkel's rendition of the chart-topping Bright Eyes. Fans of the book and Japanese manga should appreciate its unique look, others may find themselves drifting off.

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7.5/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameHazelJohn HurtFiverRichard BriersBigwigMichael Graham-CoxCaptain HollyJohn BennettChief RabbitRalph RichardsonBlackberrySimon CadellSilverTerence RigbyPipkinRoy KinnearHyzenthlayHannah GordonKehaarZero MostelFrithMichael Hordern