Quick Movie Review: Watership Down

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw this movie for the first time. I knew it was an animated movie about rabbits but not much else. Upon viewing it became clear that this is a movie that has much more depth to it than that. Consequently, this is an animated movie that you may not want your children to watch.

The movie is quite dark and has several violent scenes and images including depictions of violence, blood and gore. That being said, I don’t think that these aspects are distasteful or unsuitable for children, but you will want to use your best judgement depending on the maturity level of your child (is your 7 year old already playing Grand Theft Auto?). I never saw this movie as a child, I am viewing it for the first time as an adult.

On the surface this may look like a simple story about a group of rabbits who decide to leave their warren in search of a new home and it can certainly be viewed and enjoyed at that level. If you want to delve deeper into the symbolism and themes of this film, however, just below the surface there are many sociological and political ideas to be found. When the credits start to roll you will feel like you have some food for thought thanks to the many memorable scenes and images from this film. For fans of animation there is much to like here as well; the animation is unique, colorful and fun to watch. It’s classic.

Ideally, this is a movie that parents will watch with their children in the interest of talking about some of the things that happen in the film. From an adult perspective, I enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it. If you enjoyed this, I also wholly recommend The Plague Dogs, another dark animated tale based on a book by the same author, Richard Adams.