LordLucansGhost

For years, one of my absolute favorite animations. Unlike most viewers, I first saw Watership Down in my late teens instead of as a young child.

It's one of those films which was caught between two different audiences, and never really catered to either; it's an animation, and it's violent. So why did they make it, and why was it so successful?

That, I am unable to tell you, but I can tell you it certainly has a quality that is undeniable.

The story, if you didn't know already, is about a herd of rabbits who flee their warren to escape imminent danger. Fiver, a timid member of the herd who is well regarded for his accurate premonitions, warns the rest of them they have little time to lose before that danger is realised.

Filled with adventure, companionship and morals, children and adults alike can learn much from this beautifully illustrated masterpiece. It has what made some of the best Disney cartoons so memorable and enjoyable; it has a story we relate to. Of course none of us are rabbits, but we understand we have friends and foes in life. We learn the dangers of life the further we explore it. We learn that things aren't always what they appear to be. This is what Watership Down is all about. It also explores the mystery that is death. What does it mean and where do we go when we get there? 'Is it a kind of dream'?

The author Richard Adams was a staunch animal welfare veteran, and in this novel he tells the world about the plight of innocent, and not so innocent bunnies, and it is told with such aplomb, it makes everything utterly comprehensible. He wanted us to know the affects we humans have on wildlife as we innocently go about our business.

That moral is perhaps a little deep for younger viewers to grasp, and the violence is likely to deter many a 21st century parent from allowing their child to watch it, but they really are depriving their child of a treat if they do.

A film like this would never be made today. It's too violent and too upsetting for the more sensitive viewers, but two generations ago things were different. The late 1970s and early 1980s was an age of dark and eerie cartoons; see Lord Of The Rings, The Last Unicorn, The Plague Dogs. These cartoons contain images so startling that if they WERE to have been produced today, the production team would be deemed sadistic lunatics! I personally believe the world has just gone soft, and morals have almost disappeared.

I really, really do recommend Watership Down, whether you watch it alone or with your kids, it's a winner. Just try not to shed too many tears.

Pretty good series with exciting fugitive stories, let down by poor execution.

Well narrated, but the acting is lowsy! I mean really bad acting! Ok, I know it's only a documentary but once you notice, it's distracting.

To cement the low budget feel to the programme, every single brand name, car badge etc has been removed. In one episode I laughed out loud when a close up of somebodys (clearly) Nike trainer, where the famous motif had been carelessly covered with black parcel tape which was peeling at one end!

The series is also very repetitive. I don't mean the same stories over and over again, I mean within the episode, where we get updated with where we are in the story. This sort of thing never used to irritate me, but I guess I haven't got the patience anymore for updating me on something I watched less than one minute ago.

With the short-comings aside, it is still a fun series to watch and it covers plenty of details with each case, but do not expect National Geographic standard.