Watership Down (1978)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Martin Rosen

Writers:

Richard Adams (novel)
Martin Rosen (written by)

Release Date:

1 November 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

A group of rabbits flee their doomed warren and face many dangers to find and protect their new home.

Plot Keywords:

Rabbit | Home | Runt | Journey | Fight

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

John Hurt	...	Hazel (voice)
Richard Briers	...	Fiver (voice)
Michael Graham Cox	...	Bigwig (voice) (as Michael Graham-Cox)
John Bennett	...	Captain Holly (voice)
Ralph Richardson	...	Chief Rabbit (voice)
Simon Cadell	...	Blackberry (voice)
Terence Rigby	...	Silver (voice)
Roy Kinnear	...	Pipkin (voice)
Richard O'Callaghan	...	Dandelion (voice)
Denholm Elliott	...	Cowslip (voice)
Lynn Farleigh	...	Cat (voice) (as Lyn Farleigh)
Mary Maddox	...	Clover (voice)
Zero Mostel	...	Kehaar (voice)
Harry Andrews	...	General Woundwort (voice)
Hannah Gordon	...	Hyzenthlay (voice)

Also Known As:

Richard Adams's Watership Down (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

101 min | Brazil:92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | Finland:K-8 (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-10 | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Netherlands:AL

Company:

Nepenthe Productions

Trivia:

John Hurt and Richard Briers (who played Hazel and Fiver, respectively, in the film) would later return to voice General Woundwort and the new character, Captain Broom, respectively in "Watership Down" (1999), a TV series remake of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Bigwig is rescued from the snare, thanks to having the wooden peg dug out of the ground, there's a wider shot showing the snare and the wooden peg. There should be a hole near the peg to note that rabbits had just dug it out of the ground, but no hole appears. All you see is the peg lying on the ground.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Long ago, the great Frith made the world. He made all the stars and the world lived among the stars. Frith made all the animals and birds and, at first, made them all the same. Now, among the animals was El-Ahrairah, the Prince of Rabbits. He had many friends and they all ate grass together...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Cartoons (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Bright Eyes

Watership Down is Amazing

I am twelve years old and I personally loved it. It is one of the most touching films I have seen. All to do with these rabbits hardships. Some of it made me laugh whilst other bits made me cry, but thats just me. It is very good and also makes you think about what could be happening in real life. My dad used to take me shooting rabbits, but after Watership Down I never went again. The graphics may not be as high quality as some of the newest releases but don't let that put you off. It is a remarkable film and I loved it. Don't think that older films are no good because Watership Down is AMAZING! I think if you are under the age of eight then you might not like it due to some violence and gore, but eight plus with love it. Even adults will enjoy it.