The Plague Dogs

Don't even think about showing this one to the kiddies. It's about two abused lab animals that escape only to find that the experiments that have been conducted on them leave them unfit to survive in the wild. Their desperate flight for survival leads them through a series of cruelties, heaped upon their lives already made wretched by torturous and seemingly unnecessary experimentation, that culminate in one of the most moving moments in the history of animation.

I've always thought that animation could be more than an after-market money-machine vehicle for creating cloyingly sweet garbage for which actors can earn voice-over money without having to be too closely associated with the work. And yes, that's what I think most animated features are.

But not this one.

Animation is a way of depicting what cannot be shown in live action films. In this case, we explore the tragedy of animal abuse in a way that will never let you forget what a crime it really is. Plague Dogs is insightful, brutally honest, and unflinchingly direct in exposing the gruesome truth about animal research. This is one of the greatest animated films ever made. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

A perfect film. Strong characters, wonderful animation; a rarity. It manages to be real; it actually CAPTURES the totality of its components without catering to any audience.

It's a difficult film to watch. You suffer alongside, vicariously. The hardships portrayed here are viciously painful. You'll hug your pets tight and be glad they wound up as your pets.

This movie is very special - considering the content, it could have easily been pandering and preachy. It manages to go so far beyond anything you've ever experienced. It's quite an achievement on every level.

It won't leave you happy, but it will affect you permanently. It is emotional, but never manipulative. It's a tragic and unrecognized masterpiece.

Martin Rosen's second animated film is a powerful piece, which is based on Richard Adams novel of the same name. The Plague Dogs is a very rare example of a film in the animation genre which strives for realism in the grittiest of senses. As far away from fluffy Disney films as one could imagine, this is a disturbing account of the hardships of two dogs who escape from an animal testing lab. The perceived haven of the real world soon turns out to be anything like Rowf and Snitter had hoped. However the friendship that is built through out the film between the two dogs and a rogue fox whom they meet, is touching and at times heartbreaking. To delve much further into the story would be to spoil certain aspects of the film, so that shall be left down to the viewer to discover.

Suffice to say, the main strength of Plague Dogs is paradoxically the reason the film has found itself in obscurity. To this date the original, 'uncut', version has not been released on any small screen formats (not to my knowledge at least). This strength is the bravery with which Rosen tackles the story. Resulting from this is a down beat film that isn't suitable for, nor is it likely to interest most, children. This is more than likely the reason it never found the success of Rosen's previous feature, Watership Down.

In short, this film deserves to be released in its full splendor and embraced by a whole new generation of film lovers. Anyone with a heart that isn't made of stone will get the appeal of this wonderful film.

This is easily one of my favorite animated films of all time. The characters are so much more real than those in the majority of the live action films produced recently. The animation is very well done with great English scenery and a style that doesn't allow for any cutesy cartoonish effects. The music is appropriate (unlike ahem.. Watership Down). Finally, the message of the movie is clear without being oppressive or melodramatic. The character of the Tod in particular seems to be the penultimate representation of a fox.

This is in no sense a children's film, but a mature child of ten or eleven could certainly appreciate it. I don't want to sound corny, but the film can be viewed as a metaphor for a human life. The movie is a kind of cycle from water to water, the dogs try to make sense of a world they can never totally understand, they're constantly searching for some kind of mythical human affection, I could ramble on...

This film, unlike Watership Down, actually improves on the book by refining and/or removing many of the more tedious sections which dealt with people and politics. The final scene of the movie is as powerful an image as I have seen in any film. Any movie that gives the audience something to think about is fine by me. The Plague Dogs does this and tells a good story to boot.

A beautifully melancholy and poignant story about companionship, loyalty, and hope. An incredibly strong cast (including the classically trained John Hurt and Patrick Stewart) give this excellently scripted tale a fully believable life of its own, more vivid and heartfelt than the majority of blockbuster Hollywood movies you're likely to see this year (or any other for that matter). If the fact that this is an animation puts you off, do yourself a favour and don't let it. Once the narrative is under way I defy anyone to find the animation detrimental to the experience.

Certainly in regards to the genre of animated films this is superior to anything Disney have ever done, both in respect of visual and intellectual content, and stands alone as a benchmark of what can be achieved in the genre.

From the creators of 'Watership Down', this film shares the same author and production company, but despite its PG certificate you should be warned that some scenes may be upsetting, not specifically for younger viewers but for everyone - this is a genuine tear-jerker of a film.

Highly recommended. If you don't watch it you are doing yourself a disservice.