Review of Watership Down (1978) by Rich S — 21 Mar 2009

Counted amongst the canon of truly great animated shows, I was compelled to pick up Watership Down, despite having my misgivings about watching a British-produced feature starring anthropomorphic rabbits. Perhaps the film is notable due to the fact that it's a cel-animated film for adults. However, that simply isn't enough. After having seen the film I feel a very strong need to read the book - not because the movie is good, but because I feel the creators really missed something in this. The film itself plays to the quintessentially British stereotype: staid, even, and unflappable. This prevents the storyline (and its characters) from ever really becoming truly upset. The overall feeling I got from the characters was that they were inconvenienced, rather than threatened, by the difficult circumstances they found themselves in. As a result, the central conflict of the film - the search for a peaceful home - never feels truly life-or-death situation.

Although it attempts to be a serious film (and my praises go to it for that), Watership Down is hampered by poor performances and a storyline which never really puts the screws to its characters, much to the detriment of suspense, tension, and even audience enjoyment.