Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Martin Rosen... and John Hubley
Starring: The voice talents of John Hurt, Richard Briers, Ralph Richardson, and such famous voices like Denholm Elliott & Roy Kinnear
From: A few different animation studios
A movie finally watched because… someone on a messageboard recently posted a link to a YouTube video mentioning films and TV shows that traumatized people like me who are now middle-aged-“kinder-trauma,” if you will? Yes, it’s true. For decades I’ve known of Watership Down as an animated movie arguably better for adults than children. The merits of that argument won’t be debated here; rather, I’ll note that this is quite mature in its plot & themes.
After an opening explaining lore concerning how a Creator made different animals & why rabbits are targeted by different animals, it isn’t long before a rabbit clairvoyant (a phrase I’ll never utter again) realizes that the warren he & his colony-to use the official term for a group of rabbits-live in will be demolished by man, necessitating a long trek to a new home.
I can say that this is a tale where rabbits are in peril on a number of occasions, blood is shed, adult themes are presented, there are “scary moments” and a key plot point is that this colony of rabbits is a “sausage factory” and they need females to propagate the species! Parents can decide for themselves what their children should experience at what age. What I know for certain: as an adult I can appreciate the lush animation, the charming score, the pleasant song sung by Art Garfunkel, those mature ideas, and the solid lore that’s an ever-present theme throughout.
Overall, I was happy to have finally witnessed this British animated picture w/ plenty of notoriety, featuring the voice talents of many famous UK actors of stage and/or screen, along with Zero Mostel voicing a comic relief gull who delivers exposition. I can think of at least one other similar animated character but the chuckles did help brighten a rather bleak film a bit.
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