One of my favorite books from my childhood, I've read the book several times but I've only seen the movie once, unfortunately.

I watched this out of curiousity after hearing all the controversy about it being shown on channel five during the day. I forced myself to watch is all the way through even though it was boring, so boring I struggled to follow it and ended up having to read the exact plot online. The voice actors sound like boring old men. Everything about it feels so 70s, and not good 70s but the miserable 70s feeling of hopelessness, boredom, dated animation, a feeling that all TV being aimed at boring old men. The only positive thing about this is the bittersweet music video of bright eyes. But it'll make you cry.

This is a really intense film. One issue I often have with animated features that focus on animals is that the rest of the world is like window dressing. There is a bit of this here, but the anthropomorphism works relatively well in that they are doing rabbit-like things all along. In an almost Native-American beginning, we are introduced to the gods who punished the rabbits because their original creation literally turned his back on them. They were given only their escapability as a defense from predators. In this effort, we have a sort of savior rabbit who is able to lead the others out of their immediate danger to a place where they might be safe. Of course, in their quest, they are confronted by all kinds of dangers, including other rabbits that have created a kind of Gangs of New York world. They also are in the realm of humans where guns are part of their world. This is quite violent for an animated feature, but it really captures the pain and fear these little creatures must deal with.

WATERSHIP DOWN is a proper children's animation, made as it should be. Adapted from the classic Richard Adams novel, it tells the story of a group of likable rabbits who discover that their warren is about to be destroyed. They set off on an epic journey to find a new home, one that is fraught with danger along the way.There's no sugar-coasted Disney nonsense here, no sickly sweet sentimentality or the like. Instead, this is a frightening film for the kids to watch. There's swearing, the constant threat of danger, violence, bloodshed, and yes, death. But these are all the things that make it such a memorable production, equalled only by the likes of Studio Ghibli.This 1978 production has a charm all of its own. The simple animation harks back to the good old days and is charming in itself. The all-star cast of British voice actors is excellent and brings out the nuance of the characters. The inclusion of the song Bright Eyes is the icing on the cake. This is moving and atmospheric in equal measure. My only complaint is that a lot of the novel is rushed or skipped through for timing reasons, but I can fully understand why.