When my cousins were around 7 years old, their pet rabbit died. To cheer them up, my aunt and uncle thought a nice U rated cartoon about rabbits would be perfect. Can you say traumatised?
Hazel: Lord Frith, you've done so much for me already, and I know it's wrong to ask for even more now, but my people are in terrible danger. I propose a bargain: my life for theirs. Frith: There is not a day that goes by when a doe does not offer her life for her kittens, or an honest officer of an Owsla his life for his chief's, but there can be no bargain. What is...is what must be. That moment in Watership Down moved me.
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince With A Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you... they will kill you. But first, they must catch you. Digger, listener, runner, Prince With The Swift Warning. Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed."
Watership Down is more directly relevant to how rabbits actually live, though. Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution. The rabbits are rabbits, but the Animals of the Farm are soviet stand-ins. If you read the book, there's a lot about rabbits in it; the author did his homework. One thing I remember being mentioned is how rabbits are actually better than humans at regulating their numbers. When a female rabbit is too stressed from crowding, any embryos she's carrying will be reabsorbed ...
To do research for Watership Down, Richard Adams read Later on, when I was in College, I found a copy of Private Life in my College's library. I read it out of curiosity. It was a republication of the book, so Richard Adams wrote the forward. I read WD when I was in fifth grade (just a few years after the movie came out). However, I read the book first and then saw the movie on VHS a few years later.
The story isn't about how cruel humans are. The story is about survival and overcoming hardship. Yes the story starts with Sandleford warren being destroyed by humans but after that they play no other part in the story.
I feel like when I was a kid, when this movie was out, a lot to kid’s movies were darker and had a certain level of mature subject matter. I actually think it made me a better adult. I think it promotes more empathy and perhaps even critical thought.
Another interesting fact: Blackavar, the character who has arguably the most bloody and violent onscreen death (see 0:30), DOESN'T DIE IN THE BOOK which means the scriptwriters added it into the story for the animators to animate for literally no reason!
The book is my favorite of all time, and Blackavar’s death in the film was really overdone and pointless. It would’ve been more fitting if they’d killed Bigwig off due to his injuries from the climax! I was afraid of him dying in the book, anyway
Makes sense naratively to kill off blackavar to show how brutal the general is. The book spends a lot of time building the general up with descriptions of how violent he is which the book smartly achieves by the blackavar death.
@@ednicholas6214 Absolutely agree with you; it really made the generals presence that more disturbing, and the fight between him and bigwig more of a climax. It set the bar.
I saw this when I was 9 and it was an eye opener, how harsh life is in the wild. It didn’t frighten me, it just opened my eyes, and made me respect nature and especially rabbits.
My late wife was a bibliophile and recommended this book to me in the 1970s. I loved the book and was delighted when the film came out. The movie is true to the book although the book's superfluous material was trimmed. People often comment that movies are not as good as the books on which they are based. Watership Down, the film, is one of the rare exceptions. Both the movie and the book are on a par.
I love quoting that line and asking people where it's from. "Oh, Prince of Persia." "Is it Assassin's Creed?" "Wasn't it that one Jason Bourne film?" "Knowing you it just has to be LOTR." Nope, it's the cute little cartoon about the rabbits.
When I was 14, I saw Watership Down with the release of The Dark Crystal, followed by A Clockwork Orange and Koyaanisquatsi later that year. My brother being 7 yrs older would take me to all the movies my parents thought unsuitable. I still think Watership Down was not for the tender of heart. A Clockwork Orange was a walk in the park after that.
It always disturbed me seeing the rabbits stuck in the hole, trying to get out. I was worried for a serious video... until I saw the bunny ears 😆 This is such a memorable film.
I saw this when I was 5 and read the book at age 10. Richard Adams based its characters on soldiers he knew in the war... It's his war stories that he made *child friendlier* to entertain his kids on long car rides. Plus, it coincides with environment animal activism that sprung up in the 70's. Well, I've always had a close bond with nature and animals... and art... So, the film definitely was an inspiring influence.
I watched the movie in my late 20s and I'm still traumatized. It's a damn good movie! I love that it's dark and shows how brutal life can be. It doesn't talk down to its audience either
I remember seeing this on HBO when I was a kid and I can't say it traumatized me. It is in fact my favorite movie. If you happened to be a kid who watched the films his parents watched which were more adult oriented you could have gotten the gist this wasn't a kids movie. In fact there were scenes in it that were thought provoking and even beautiful. Incidentally, I heard the character Big-Wig, who was the fighter of the group was based on Adam's sergeant when he served in the paratroopers during the war.
100% agree. The final scene is incredible and unbelievably moving. To me though the ending is bittersweet, because whilst it was soooo sad when Hazel died, he did so peacefully after living to a ripe old age and he had achieved so much as a chief and a leader. It's a particularly poignant scene because Hazel had almost certainly outlived everyone who he came to Watership Down with - Fiver, Bigwig, Holly, Blackberry - all of them, and he was now the only original member of the warren left. The Black Rabbit asking Hazel to join his Owsla was a high honor reserved for the very best chief's. It was a statement of Hazel and his people's triumphs over life and all of its adversities (the elil, man, rival warrens). Pretty much everything depicted in the film. The narrator reciting Firth's Promise during the scene re-inforces this. Beautiful and brilliant scene!
I have often wondered how on Earth this film got a "U" rating. Did the censors just think "cute rabbit movie" and stick the rating on it? The seagull even curses at one point, saying "p**s off"
That line was Edited in the Channel 5 airings none of the violence was though.Though there's anime version of Call of The wild that has a few scenes of dogs getting hit on the head yet has a Uc rating the rating made for pre schooler shows. BBFC rating are weird alot of movies that got 18 ratings in the 80s now are 15 yet thats still the rating the Original Karate Kid has.
Funny to keep hearing the connections between this film and Lord of the Rings, In 1979 my brother and I went to a double feature of the two movies. I was also amused later on by another connection that showed how LOTR changed culture. In an old card catalog at the library (remember those?) for the book The Hobbit, it described hobbits as rabbit-like creatures...and in a card for Watership Down, it described the characters as 'a group of hobbit-like rabbits.'
Watership Down, The Secret of NIMH, The Dark Crystal, Watcher In The Woods and Something Wicked This Way Comes are just a few of the films I’m glad I got a chance to see as a kid. I’ve always appreciated how grown up they made me feel when I saw them for the first time. And on the big screen, too! Well... all except for Watcher In The Woods. That I saw on The Disney Channel, of all places!
Another fun fact: several of the rabbits’ personalities were based on officers that Richard Adams served with in the British military. Hazel and Bigwig in particular.
I got a shirt with Elahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inle circling each other almost like a yin/yang symbol, with the words "But first they must catch you". I didn't grow up with this movie, but when I discovered it when I was older, I came to embrace the rabbit's ideal of overcoming troubles in life with wit and hope and cleverness.
Saw this as a kid in the theater and have owned it on every format ever since. The 70's and 80's had a lot of experimental formats. Not sure why millenials think the animation needs to be like it is today. Watership Down was inspiring and heartfelt. Think of it as an epic World War drama but with Rabbits instead of people. Who doesn't tear up at the end..
Remember seeing this at school when i was bout 10 and cried my eyes out at the end also felt it was quite violent for a cartoon lol but great clasic film
I saw this movie in the cinema as a birthday treat as a 7yrs old. It was years before i could listen to bright eyes 😧😦. The whole catoon movie bunnies, it safe for kids?!
not forgetting the snare scene having the rabbit suffer as its strangling itself with the wire while bloods coming from its nose, in fact the movies full of horrifying scenes through out certainly not for kids as back then movies weren't certified to the age category properly they just stuck a "U" on it cos it was animated
First time I saw this film I was shocked to the core. It really "subverted my expectations". But now I appreciate it much more & consider it a bold & timeless classic. 👍
I must've been around four or five when I first saw it, and proceeded to watch it daily through my entire childhood. The violence didn't bother me. Whereas movies that were kinda campy like Twilight Zone: The Movie and the Creepshow movie really upset me.
One of my favorite films as a kid. In fact, the opening has been a life lesson I took fro. It as a child. All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
When I bought the DVD a few years ago I was so excited. Didn't see on cable or tv in 30 years! Was blown away how EPIC this movie was. Truly a Classic!
@@highonfire885 are you serious? That movie was shit unfortunately. I'd still watch his review on it anyway. Matter of fact, I'd probably prefer to watch reviews of it rather than watch the movie itself.
I watch "Heavy Metal" at least once per year since 2010. I always enjoy the music (Journey, Blue Oyster Cult, Night Ranger, Dan Felder, Sammy Hagar and etc).
Thanks for cranking 'em out, Minty! You're a reliable mood booster. I say, YES, it's a kids movie. Kids don't need to be sheltered. I loved this movie as a kid, and I still do.
I would say the biggest issue I had with the Netflix 4-part Watership Down was that you couldn't really tell the rabbits apart from one another, save of course for Bigwig, due to his tuft of hair. I loved the original animated Watership Down as a child..but then, I was incredibly advanced reader at a young age, and had already read the book.
I was always a weird kid. I was never traumatized by this film. I saw it when I was 8 years old, and was just fascinated by how animation could be used for mature subject matter. My parents kept asking me if I was okay, and i was just saying, "That was so cool!"
I remember last year went to see friend up in Northampton in April 2019 and the local ARGOS was playing it. Also UK channel 5 got blasted by playing it last year on Easter Sunday in the middle of the day lol.
I actually remember seeing this on TV way back when I was about 3 or 4. This would have been 1979 or 1980. For decades I had this half-remembered memory of a bird plucking out buckshot, and rabbits scratching another. As a cartoon buff, it drove me nuts. When I saw it on DVD I was like, *gaaaaaasssp!* I was so happy, despite the dark subject. 😄 I agree it was a gutsy film to make.
Remember seeing this back in the 90s during Easter.... Damn awesome! Pity the generation who live nowadays doesn't share this different take on animation. Can't always be Disney
I hope the todays generation NEVER finds out about the existence of the animated masterpiece "Heavy Metal". :D Or ALL of the Ralph Bakshi animations like "Coonskin" or "Fritz the Cat" or "Fire & Ice". They would freaking lose their minds over it. lol
@@Metalisalearning77 Well for the nostalgia sake a DVD or Laserdisc is really sweet. But i'm a purist and want that amazing pieces of art in the highest quality i can get. Heck if these films had a UHD, i'd buy them in a heartbeat. Those beautifully rotoscoped animations are on the same level of amazing as every classical painting in Museums out there.
For me, this is the greatest animated movie of all time. I watched this film when I was a young child, say 5 or 6, and the film has stood with me to this day. Even now, thinking of the ending where an old Hayzel hears Frith speak to him to say "come with me". Hayzel looks back at his family friends being happy, but clearly wonders if they'll be safe and frith is like "they will be fine". He lays down, takes a few breaths then stops and his young spirit rises. Gets me everytime. Even now, I choke up thinking about it. Kids should absolutely be exposed to this film. A film of friendship, loyalty and bravery amongst the harsh world.
@@NemeanLion- I was only one child, however it did anything but. Not all kids can take it. Some are more sensitive than others, like with many films in many age ranges. But to dismiss from all kids is a disservice.
100% agree. The final scene is incredible and unbelievably moving. To me though the ending is bittersweet, because whilst it was soooo sad when Hazel died, he did so peacefully after living to a ripe old age and he had achieved so much as a chief and a leader. It's a particularly poignant scene because Hazel had almost certainly outlived everyone who he came to Watership Down with - Fiver, Bigwig, Holly, Blackberry - all of them, and he was now the only original member of the warren left. The Black Rabbit asking Hazel to join his Owsla was a high honor reserved for the very best chief's. It was a statement of Hazel and his people's triumphs over life and all of its adversities (the elil, man, rival warrens). Pretty much everything depicted in the film. The narrator reciting Frith's Promise during the scene re-inforces this. Beautiful and brilliant scene!
Your comments about the final scene are spot on. I cant watch that or apparently even think about it without starting to chock up. Absolutely bloody brilliant film, full of so much more depth than most animated films. But I expect most people wouldn't even pick it up to read the blurb, let alone watch it
Thank you for this. I remember watching this when I was just little tyke. I remember the dark, desolate feeling I had when I watched it. It was the first time I really felt a deep depression. To this day, I find it very hard to want to watch it. Even when the Netflix version came out, I wanted to share this experience with my daughter. However, I felt that old feeling before I even pressed play. So I avoided it. I do feel the original is a masterpiece. I’m going to sit in a corner now, hugging a pillow with great anxiety. Maybe I too, will hop to bunny heaven.
I think "Watership Down" is the best animated film of all time! I first saw it when I was ten, and it made me realize that not all animation was strictly for young children. I used to watch Saturday morning cartoons here in the U.S. and Bugs Bunny was one of my favorites. But here was a cartoon about rabbits that was completely different. I didn't get too upset about the violence in "Watership Down", and in fact as a teenager I asked for the book for Christmas and eventually bought the VHS release. I still have the VHS and both DVDs released by Warner Bros. (Each Warner DVD has different special features, although they don't have much.) In the U.S. the film is rated PG, which means "parental guidance suggested". I didn't know about the recent computer animated series nor the Criterion DVD. I knew John Hurt did one of the voices, although most of the cast was unfamiliar to me. I haven't seen "Cannibal Holocaust", and don't want to, so I don't know if I'd say "Watership Down" was a mix of Disney and this horror film. I'd just say it was an animated film for older kids and adults who aren't expecting something akin to a Disney film. It's a mature piece of work for fans of intelligent animation. Keep the little ones and sensitive people away from this film, but show it to someone who has the courage to see the mature films, animated or otherwise.
This film scared me as a kid but it is good the late John Hurt was amassing in it also request if you can 10 things we didn't know about mortal kombat? Take care yourself 👍👍👍👍👍
Remember watching this at Middle school, for a Christmas treat, It was for the whole school, we watched it on a large screen, by the end of the film most of the kids left crying their eyes out, So the following year they showed us another movie,The Belstone Fox,yep a film that had foxes being struck with spades, and dogs being ran over by a train.
I was introduced to this in high school for 20th century lit, and we watched the movie as well. I love this story so much. And thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for telling us about the Netflix series. I had no idea it existed. I just watched the first episode and it is excellent! YOU ROCK MINTY!!!
Wow, you bring up the best obscure movies! I watched this several times when I was a child. My favorite part to this day is the opening mythos sequence.
Thank you for reviewing this timeless classic. From the first time I saw this movie as a very young kid to the last time I saw it about a year ago (as a man in his 40's) I've never not cried and find this movie to be just as gut wrenching today as it was when I was just a kid. This is by far one of if not the hardest move to get all the way through!
Holy crap....I vaguely remember in the late 70's or early 80s' seeing this when I was very young (2-4yearsold or something) and didn't know what was going on. I just liked the bunnies. Then when I was old enough to understand it I was badly traumatised. I had recurring nightmares and could never watch it again. To this day whenever I hear 'Bright Eyes' on the radio I get a shiver down my spine . I had to pluck the courage just to watch this clip
Oh my LORD this movie traumatized me so desperately just seeing this pop up on CZcams resulted in a full body shiver. I am watching this w a very small amount of side eye. Truly dented my childhood mental health. 😳 great rundown! I’m glad I’m not the only one who suffered bc Of this film! 😂
Thank-you, I think. At the age of 50 I've not been able to re-watch Watership Down, it's traumatising and I burst into tears with the first three bars of Bright Eyes; it should be mandatory that all children should watch this alongside listening to Mozart! Still amazing though.
I watched this years ago when I was a kid and it never traumatized me. Actually made me a big fan and maybe gave me a different outlook on life. The Netflix version was good too!
This is one of my favorite childhood movies. As a kid my best friends family had a cow farm, they where also hunters, practically a gun in every corner during hunting season. Death was understood, from the slaughtering of Thanksgiving turkeys to veal calf's. This movie wasn't traumatic at all, it capitulates the cycles of life. Nature is harsh and unforgiving. Have you ever noticed the accumulation of road kill on the side of highways.
Watching this movie along with Wizards (also a dark animated movie from the 70's) and return to oz are part of why us older millennials are not so snowflakey as the younger ones.
@@thomasherzog86 Not satire. I know it doesn't make sense but I lean pretty far left but hate what they left has become. I am a liberal not a leftist. There is a difference. I know coming from someone on the "left" this may sound odd but pragerU has a good video on the difference between liberal and leftist. czcams.com/video/tlIjMJBSnRE/video.html I am pro/medicare for all but don't want to get rid of private insurance. I don't want crazy people to get guns but am pro-second amendment and anti-gun bans. It is about the people not the weapons. The list goes on.
@@Duke00x someone considering himself left, recommending a prager video. even better satire. no offence, im not political - its just amusing to me how flexible some people are.
@@thomasherzog86 I mostly lean left I am not full on far left or such and Do at times agree with the right more. I am more technically center left. It really depends on the issues and the exact details. And just because I agree with the left (or thee right) doesn't mean I agree with their solution on how to get something done. Or what the actual cause of an issue may be.
I'm so glad you did this movie Minty. This was an absolute favorite of mine growing up. Its truly great to see you do films that mean so much to me... thanks.. and watch out for the black rabbit
Spoiler: John Hurt's character dies, Again. But not until he's lived a long life (for a rabbit) Thanks Minty, I try to read this book once every two years or so. And I really want this on blu-ray now!
Richard Robbin2 funny you should mention it... it’s on Blu-ray by Criterion in the US, and on Blu-ray in Germany and Spain (which has a neat slip cover for it too)! Go to amazon.com. amazon.de or amazon.se (I think?)
It's important that children are exposed to the darkness in life. Movies are a good way to do it. You watch the movie, then get to walk away. Movies like Watership Down, Plague Dogs and Bridge to Terrabithia may be deeply upsetting, and they still bring me to tears to this day, they make an important point and we owe it to our children to give them a rounded, full education.
The movie version of Bridge to Terabithia absolutely ruined the narrative of the book. The book didn't focus in their imaginary world itself, but rather is about class differences in Appalachia.
Thank you for this one, Minty! I wanted to show some of what a friend was missing in never having seen this without re-traumatizing myself! The story was based on some of his experiences during the Second World War and he drew inspiration from both Joseph Campbell's 'Hero With A Thousand Faces' and Tolkien's works. This movie also has a sequel, Christmas special that was straight to VHS! The Netflix series was released in 2018, not 2016. As much as the original traumatized me, I appreciated the artwork and the insistance on staying as true as possible to the spirit and dialogue of the book. The Netflix series added in superflous love stories, toned down the gorgeous and central relationship of Hazel and Fiver, misused the inclusion of Keehar, and added unnecessary subplots. I would actually say in this instance that a movie I can't watch, the original, is better than the remake. Be well, Minty, and stay safe!
Ah, Plague Dogs and Watership Down. Two extremely, clearly, obviously, happily, nice, pretty, movies for children. So excites to show my future kids these.
Brilliant this thank you. Loved this movie since I was kid. The gore was to my knowledge never even mentioned in our household lol. I'm considering getting it on bluray so my daughter can enjoy it also.
I got the alert on my phone about this "bunny cartoon" and have never heard of it. So I watched on CZcams and really was surprised that it was a lot better than I thought. I only watched this because I wanted to see Minty talk about it since I figured he knew how good this movie was to feature it. Thanks Minty for broadening my horizons to new animated features I didn't know about. I can't waIt for Fritz the Cat.
This was my favorite movie as a kid, and yes, I knew it was based on a book. I loved how it was nearly word for word throughout much of the dialogue and only two chapters were not included.
Great video and commentary! In the first part, you might also mention that author Richard Adams was also a champion for animal rights, a passion which inspired another of his novels "The "Plague Dogs". He served for one year as the president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
When my cousins were around 7 years old, their pet rabbit died. To cheer them up, my aunt and uncle thought a nice U rated cartoon about rabbits would be perfect. Can you say traumatised?
Nooooo!!! That must have been horrible lol
Man that's like putting childhood trauma on top of extra Childhood trauma. Satan would be proud of you, Andy :D
Oh my word. 😮😲🤪 Adults have to be careful!
It’s a great film for kids. I watched this film in primary school and loved it.
lol
Hazel: Lord Frith, you've done so much for me already, and I know it's wrong to ask for even more now, but my people are in terrible danger. I propose a bargain: my life for theirs.
Frith: There is not a day that goes by when a doe does not offer her life for her kittens, or an honest officer of an Owsla his life for his chief's, but there can be no bargain. What is...is what must be.
That moment in Watership Down moved me.
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince With A Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you... they will kill you. But first, they must catch you. Digger, listener, runner, Prince With The Swift Warning. Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed."
@@IffyJottere Another great quote!
My chief told me to defend this run. Your...chief?
Yes this film is full of great dialogue
Was that said in the movie? I don't remember that line being used. In the book it was spoken by the Black Rabbit of Inle.
@@julieabraham3566 Yes, but some of Hazel's lines are slightly different. I just haven't edited them yet.
Watership Down has never been out of print and has won universal praise. It is a masterpiece of English Literature.
Watership Down always reminded me of "Animal Farm" about the cruelty of humanity but set in a fictional animal setting.
I grew up with Animal farm.
Watership Down is more directly relevant to how rabbits actually live, though. Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution. The rabbits are rabbits, but the Animals of the Farm are soviet stand-ins.
If you read the book, there's a lot about rabbits in it; the author did his homework. One thing I remember being mentioned is how rabbits are actually better than humans at regulating their numbers. When a female rabbit is too stressed from crowding, any embryos she's carrying will be reabsorbed ...
To do research for Watership Down, Richard Adams read Later on, when I was in College, I found a copy of Private Life in my College's library. I read it out of curiosity. It was a republication of the book, so Richard Adams wrote the forward.
I read WD when I was in fifth grade (just a few years after the movie came out). However, I read the book first and then saw the movie on VHS a few years later.
Animal Farm is honestly one of the best books I ever read, it's also the one book that made me cry, more than once.
The story isn't about how cruel humans are. The story is about survival and overcoming hardship. Yes the story starts with Sandleford warren being destroyed by humans but after that they play no other part in the story.
I feel like when I was a kid, when this movie was out, a lot to kid’s movies were darker and had a certain level of mature subject matter. I actually think it made me a better adult. I think it promotes more empathy and perhaps even critical thought.
If you can, watch "The Mouse and His Child", released in theaters in 1977 around the same time as Watership Down.
Another interesting fact: Blackavar, the character who has arguably the most bloody and violent onscreen death (see 0:30), DOESN'T DIE IN THE BOOK which means the scriptwriters added it into the story for the animators to animate for literally no reason!
He was a great character in the book, so idk why they killed him off in the film.... 0_o
The book is my favorite of all time, and Blackavar’s death in the film was really overdone and pointless. It would’ve been more fitting if they’d killed Bigwig off due to his injuries from the climax! I was afraid of him dying in the book, anyway
Makes sense naratively to kill off blackavar to show how brutal the general is. The book spends a lot of time building the general up with descriptions of how violent he is which the book smartly achieves by the blackavar death.
@@ednicholas6214 Absolutely agree with you; it really made the generals presence that more disturbing, and the fight between him and bigwig more of a climax. It set the bar.
Yeah it shocked me that he died!
It’s a film about loyalty, decent, friendships, honour, freedom and doing the right thing
*decency
I saw this when I was 9 and it was an eye opener, how harsh life is in the wild. It didn’t frighten me, it just opened my eyes, and made me respect nature and especially rabbits.
My late wife was a bibliophile and recommended this book to me in the 1970s. I loved the book and was delighted when the film came out. The movie is true to the book although the book's superfluous material was trimmed. People often comment that movies are not as good as the books on which they are based. Watership Down, the film, is one of the rare exceptions. Both the movie and the book are on a par.
"The world will be your enemy, Prince With A Thousand Enemies....."
when they catch you they will kill you but first they must catch you, listener, runner
Prince with a swift warning
Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
I love quoting that line and asking people where it's from.
"Oh, Prince of Persia."
"Is it Assassin's Creed?"
"Wasn't it that one Jason Bourne film?"
"Knowing you it just has to be LOTR."
Nope, it's the cute little cartoon about the rabbits.
@@harbl99 A cute cartoon about rabbits killing each other..........ever still. lol! :P
When I was 14, I saw Watership Down with the release of The Dark Crystal, followed by A Clockwork Orange and Koyaanisquatsi later that year. My brother being 7 yrs older would take me to all the movies my parents thought unsuitable. I still think Watership Down was not for the tender of heart. A Clockwork Orange was a walk in the park after that.
Thank God for older brothers
"Looney Tunes meets Cannibal Holocaust"
That's...a really excellent analogy.
Totally agree.
Brian O'Neil I see it more as Looney Toons meets Hannibal Lecter.
No. Looney Tunes is a bad choice, obviously, and Cannibal Holocaust... Wow, dramatic much.
@@bfkc111 I always found Watership Down to be a very Jewish story.
Yes lovely for bedtime kids lol
Can't listen to Bright Eyes to this day. 47 years old and by the first note I'm blubbering like a baby.
Me, too, and I'm 20 years older than you! lol Surprised that the brilliant Mike Batt, who composed the song, never got a mention!
It always disturbed me seeing the rabbits stuck in the hole, trying to get out. I was worried for a serious video... until I saw the bunny ears 😆 This is such a memorable film.
Memory scarring XD. I still remember this movie even to this day. Its like if you showed SAW to a kid these days.
I know right! It’s funny what you could get away with then..
I love watership down, I think it’s the perfect blend of real nature and anthropomorphism
"Less gore and more Mel Gibson"
Those two things don't usually go together.
Idk have u seen the passion of Christ
i don't feel too much for the rabbits in watership down. i hate rabbits and i'm highly allergic to them. goldfish, dogs and cats are way better pets.
I watched this years ago. It was not a child's movie, but it was a movie that caused me to reflect.
it got a U rating, so it's officially for kids
Now watch Plague Dogs.
@@darkwoods1954 I want to see/read Plague Dogs. I tried to get it from Netflix a few years ago but there was a waiting list.
I saw this when I was 5 and read the book at age 10. Richard Adams based its characters on soldiers he knew in the war... It's his war stories that he made *child friendlier* to entertain his kids on long car rides. Plus, it coincides with environment animal activism that sprung up in the 70's. Well, I've always had a close bond with nature and animals... and art... So, the film definitely was an inspiring influence.
I watched the movie in my late 20s and I'm still traumatized. It's a damn good movie! I love that it's dark and shows how brutal life can be. It doesn't talk down to its audience either
I remember seeing this on HBO when I was a kid and I can't say it traumatized me. It is in fact my favorite movie. If you happened to be a kid who watched the films his parents watched which were more adult oriented you could have gotten the gist this wasn't a kids movie. In fact there were scenes in it that were thought provoking and even beautiful. Incidentally, I heard the character Big-Wig, who was the fighter of the group was based on Adam's sergeant when he served in the paratroopers during the war.
Brilliant film. A firm favourite to this day, the end scene always brings a tear to my eye.
100% agree. The final scene is incredible and unbelievably moving.
To me though the ending is bittersweet, because whilst it was soooo sad when Hazel died, he did so peacefully after living to a ripe old age and he had achieved so much as a chief and a leader.
It's a particularly poignant scene because Hazel had almost certainly outlived everyone who he came to Watership Down with - Fiver, Bigwig, Holly, Blackberry - all of them, and he was now the only original member of the warren left.
The Black Rabbit asking Hazel to join his Owsla was a high honor reserved for the very best chief's.
It was a statement of Hazel and his people's triumphs over life and all of its adversities (the elil, man, rival warrens). Pretty much everything depicted in the film. The narrator reciting Firth's Promise during the scene re-inforces this.
Beautiful and brilliant scene!
@@garyroberts1560 Exactly that he died happy & was offered what was best in the afterlife.
I have often wondered how on Earth this film got a "U" rating.
Did the censors just think "cute rabbit movie" and stick the rating on it?
The seagull even curses at one point, saying "p**s off"
That line was Edited in the Channel 5 airings none of the violence was though.Though there's anime version of Call of The wild that has a few scenes of dogs getting hit on the head yet has a Uc rating the rating made for pre schooler shows. BBFC rating are weird alot of movies that got 18 ratings in the 80s now are 15 yet thats still the rating the Original Karate Kid has.
I remember my parent's took me to a showing at my school, I was about 5-6 yrs old back in 1981.
It certainly left a mark on me, Great film.
Funny to keep hearing the connections between this film and Lord of the Rings, In 1979 my brother and I went to a double feature of the two movies. I was also amused later on by another connection that showed how LOTR changed culture. In an old card catalog at the library (remember those?) for the book The Hobbit, it described hobbits as rabbit-like creatures...and in a card for Watership Down, it described the characters as 'a group of hobbit-like rabbits.'
Watership Down, The Secret of NIMH, The Dark Crystal, Watcher In The Woods and Something Wicked This Way Comes are just a few of the films I’m glad I got a chance to see as a kid. I’ve always appreciated how grown up they made me feel when I saw them for the first time. And on the big screen, too!
Well... all except for Watcher In The Woods. That I saw on The Disney Channel, of all places!
One of the movies that still brings tears to my eyes. Thank you, Minty,
Another fun fact: several of the rabbits’ personalities were based on officers that Richard Adams served with in the British military. Hazel and Bigwig in particular.
Have always loved this movie. I even have a t-shirt with Frith and the Black Rabbit of Death on it. I guess it helped that I grew up with the book.
I got a shirt with Elahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inle circling each other almost like a yin/yang symbol, with the words "But first they must catch you". I didn't grow up with this movie, but when I discovered it when I was older, I came to embrace the rabbit's ideal of overcoming troubles in life with wit and hope and cleverness.
IffyJottere I want that shirt.
never would've thought that you would do this one.
its Easter so it makes sense.... you know bunnies getting torn apart..... lol
And follow it up with Titanic. Can I get you some Vitamin B 12, Minty? We need you around to teach us about things we don't know about other movies!!
Saw this as a kid in the theater and have owned it on every format ever since. The 70's and 80's had a lot of experimental formats. Not sure why millenials think the animation needs to be like it is today. Watership Down was inspiring and heartfelt. Think of it as an epic World War drama but with Rabbits instead of people. Who doesn't tear up at the end..
I read this book in my teens. It is a beautifully written book.
I did too
Remember seeing this at school when i was bout 10 and cried my eyes out at the end also felt it was quite violent for a cartoon lol but great clasic film
Yeah it's not really kids stuff.
I saw this movie in the cinema as a birthday treat as a 7yrs old. It was years before i could listen to bright eyes 😧😦. The whole catoon movie bunnies, it safe for kids?!
Yeah, we were forced to watch this by the School as well. The other one I remember was a Documentary on Hitler. School Days eh.
@@dcsignal5241 also was made to watch when the wind blows that scared shit out of me lol
The scene with the dog at the end was brutal. And the General leaping at the dog. That's stuck in my mind for a long time.
"Come back you cowards! Dogs aren't dangerous!" -- Gen. Woundwort
not forgetting the snare scene having the rabbit suffer as its strangling itself with the wire while bloods coming from its nose, in fact the movies full of horrifying scenes through out certainly not for kids as back then movies weren't certified to the age category properly they just stuck a "U" on it cos it was animated
@@jasinere35 It was a snare and that made me so upset
If I remember correctly, didn’t the rabbit in the snare survive after they dug up the spike holding the it?
@@McPh1741 Yes he did Bigwig was a main character
Most people: "But it's animated so it has to be for kids!!"
This film: "lol nope!"
Most people (parents!!!) are pseudo-intelligent, self-important assholes that only care about how they themselves were raised.
The tunnel scenes scared hell out of me. Rewatched it last year and wow... still holds up.
First time I saw this film I was shocked to the core. It really "subverted my expectations". But now I appreciate it much more & consider it a bold & timeless classic. 👍
I must've been around four or five when I first saw it, and proceeded to watch it daily through my entire childhood. The violence didn't bother me. Whereas movies that were kinda campy like Twilight Zone: The Movie and the Creepshow movie really upset me.
One of my favorite films as a kid. In fact, the opening has been a life lesson I took fro. It as a child.
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
Is this the best children's book, read by adults ever written? Probably. Good choice Minty😆
When I bought the DVD a few years ago I was so excited. Didn't see on cable or tv in 30 years!
Was blown away how EPIC this movie was. Truly a Classic!
Are we ever gonna get a 10 Things You Didn't Know About "Heavy metal"
That would be cool.
Yes that and mortal kombat
@@highonfire885 are you serious? That movie was shit unfortunately. I'd still watch his review on it anyway. Matter of fact, I'd probably prefer to watch reviews of it rather than watch the movie itself.
@@andersonsimmons2398 ..What made it so shitty for you?
I watch "Heavy Metal" at least once per year since 2010. I always enjoy the music (Journey, Blue Oyster Cult, Night Ranger, Dan Felder, Sammy Hagar and etc).
Thanks for cranking 'em out, Minty! You're a reliable mood booster.
I say, YES, it's a kids movie. Kids don't need to be sheltered. I loved this movie as a kid, and I still do.
BRIGHT EYES was written by Mike Batt, not Art Garfunkle. He sang the song.
Mike Batt of "Remember You're a Womble" fame? Damn, that's a major mood switch.
He didn't say written by .. listen real close he clearly says recorded by... And singing it is recording it.
@@johnpublic1017 Thank you for your input. Constructive criticism such as this always helps us uninformed. Stay safe, and stay at home
@@EVITANDY sorry, didn't mean to sound like I'm criticizing anything. I don't text well. Only wanted to inform. Stay safe friend
This film is a classic, one of my all time favorites.
I would say the biggest issue I had with the Netflix 4-part Watership Down was that you couldn't really tell the rabbits apart from one another, save of course for Bigwig, due to his tuft of hair. I loved the original animated Watership Down as a child..but then, I was incredibly advanced reader at a young age, and had already read the book.
To honest I've always felt that this classic should be Rated-R
I was always a weird kid. I was never traumatized by this film. I saw it when I was 8 years old, and was just fascinated by how animation could be used for mature subject matter. My parents kept asking me if I was okay, and i was just saying, "That was so cool!"
I remember last year went to see friend up in Northampton in April 2019 and the local ARGOS was playing it. Also UK channel 5 got blasted by playing it last year on Easter Sunday in the middle of the day lol.
Skunk Mantra used to be on telly all the time. People are fuckwits these days
I thought it was awesome for ch5 to put it on Easter Sunday 😂 😂 😂 😂
@@oukie666 Im sure BBC used to this too though.
I actually remember seeing this on TV way back when I was about 3 or 4. This would have been 1979 or 1980. For decades I had this half-remembered memory of a bird plucking out buckshot, and rabbits scratching another. As a cartoon buff, it drove me nuts. When I saw it on DVD I was like, *gaaaaaasssp!* I was so happy, despite the dark subject. 😄 I agree it was a gutsy film to make.
Remember seeing this back in the 90s during Easter.... Damn awesome!
Pity the generation who live nowadays doesn't share this different take on animation.
Can't always be Disney
Metalisalearning77 I watch this movie every Easter Monday
I hope the todays generation NEVER finds out about the existence of the animated masterpiece "Heavy Metal". :D Or ALL of the Ralph Bakshi animations like "Coonskin" or "Fritz the Cat" or "Fire & Ice". They would freaking lose their minds over it. lol
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 Give it time.... Have "Heavy Metal" & "Fire & Ice" on DVD...
Yup! I'm traditional when it comes to home media
@@Metalisalearning77 Well for the nostalgia sake a DVD or Laserdisc is really sweet. But i'm a purist and want that amazing pieces of art in the highest quality i can get. Heck if these films had a UHD, i'd buy them in a heartbeat. Those beautifully rotoscoped animations are on the same level of amazing as every classical painting in Museums out there.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 dumb question, what's UHD?
For me, this is the greatest animated movie of all time. I watched this film when I was a young child, say 5 or 6, and the film has stood with me to this day.
Even now, thinking of the ending where an old Hayzel hears Frith speak to him to say "come with me". Hayzel looks back at his family friends being happy, but clearly wonders if they'll be safe and frith is like "they will be fine". He lays down, takes a few breaths then stops and his young spirit rises. Gets me everytime. Even now, I choke up thinking about it.
Kids should absolutely be exposed to this film. A film of friendship, loyalty and bravery amongst the harsh world.
I don’t think a lot of young kids have the capacity to process the morals of this movie. They would just find it traumatizing.
@@NemeanLion- I was only one child, however it did anything but. Not all kids can take it. Some are more sensitive than others, like with many films in many age ranges. But to dismiss from all kids is a disservice.
100% agree. The final scene is incredible and unbelievably moving.
To me though the ending is bittersweet, because whilst it was soooo sad when Hazel died, he did so peacefully after living to a ripe old age and he had achieved so much as a chief and a leader.
It's a particularly poignant scene because Hazel had almost certainly outlived everyone who he came to Watership Down with - Fiver, Bigwig, Holly, Blackberry - all of them, and he was now the only original member of the warren left.
The Black Rabbit asking Hazel to join his Owsla was a high honor reserved for the very best chief's.
It was a statement of Hazel and his people's triumphs over life and all of its adversities (the elil, man, rival warrens). Pretty much everything depicted in the film. The narrator reciting Frith's Promise during the scene re-inforces this.
Beautiful and brilliant scene!
Your comments about the final scene are spot on. I cant watch that or apparently even think about it without starting to chock up.
Absolutely bloody brilliant film, full of so much more depth than most animated films. But I expect most people wouldn't even pick it up to read the blurb, let alone watch it
Thank you for this. I remember watching this when I was just little tyke. I remember the dark, desolate feeling I had when I watched it. It was the first time I really felt a deep depression. To this day, I find it very hard to want to watch it. Even when the Netflix version came out, I wanted to share this experience with my daughter. However, I felt that old feeling before I even pressed play. So I avoided it. I do feel the original is a masterpiece. I’m going to sit in a corner now, hugging a pillow with great anxiety. Maybe I too, will hop to bunny heaven.
I think "Watership Down" is the best animated film of all time! I first saw it when I was ten, and it made me realize that not all animation was strictly for young children. I used to watch Saturday morning cartoons here in the U.S. and Bugs Bunny was one of my favorites. But here was a cartoon about rabbits that was completely different. I didn't get too upset about the violence in "Watership Down", and in fact as a teenager I asked for the book for Christmas and eventually bought the VHS release. I still have the VHS and both DVDs released by Warner Bros. (Each Warner DVD has different special features, although they don't have much.) In the U.S. the film is rated PG, which means "parental guidance suggested". I didn't know about the recent computer animated series nor the Criterion DVD. I knew John Hurt did one of the voices, although most of the cast was unfamiliar to me. I haven't seen "Cannibal Holocaust", and don't want to, so I don't know if I'd say "Watership Down" was a mix of Disney and this horror film. I'd just say it was an animated film for older kids and adults who aren't expecting something akin to a Disney film. It's a mature piece of work for fans of intelligent animation. Keep the little ones and sensitive people away from this film, but show it to someone who has the courage to see the mature films, animated or otherwise.
This film scared me as a kid but it is good the late John Hurt was amassing in it also request if you can 10 things we didn't know about mortal kombat? Take care yourself 👍👍👍👍👍
Only watched it dubbed as a kid and never knew John Hurt was voice acting in this one.
This one of the darkest animated films I've ever seen. I saw this on TCM 3 years ago, and its a cult classic.
Remember watching this at Middle school, for a Christmas treat, It was for the whole school, we watched it on a large screen, by the end of the film most of the kids left crying their eyes out, So the following year they showed us another movie,The Belstone Fox,yep a film that had foxes being struck with spades, and dogs being ran over by a train.
I was introduced to this in high school for 20th century lit, and we watched the movie as well. I love this story so much. And thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for telling us about the Netflix series. I had no idea it existed. I just watched the first episode and it is excellent! YOU ROCK MINTY!!!
I was one of those terrified kids in the 80's. This movie played way too much on TV back then!
Yep! No kid ever forgets seeing this in the cinema
this movie made you a stronger person unlike millennials
My teacher showed us this in the 3rd grade. I was horrified and cried!
@@jimisi7424 I only watched this once, in the cinema. And I still remember the rabbit with barbed wire through its head...
Brian Barwick indeed. They don’t make stuff like that anymore
Oh man, I thought THE SECRET OF NIMH was traumatizing.
But this......
Wow, you bring up the best obscure movies! I watched this several times when I was a child. My favorite part to this day is the opening mythos sequence.
I was 5 when this came out and my parents took me to see it at the theater. Messed me up for life and I haven’t watched it since.
It’s not disturbing, It’s enchanting, the book and the film both do a marvelous job of showing another reality that’s not unlike being human.
Traumatized me as a kid! Lol... can't wait to show it to my daughter 🤣
Thank you for reviewing this timeless classic.
From the first time I saw this movie as a very young kid to the last time I saw it about a year ago (as a man in his 40's) I've never not cried and find this movie to be just as gut wrenching today as it was when I was just a kid. This is by far one of if not the hardest move to get all the way through!
i LOVE watership down, its not just a film, its a work of art, its beautiful
Holy crap....I vaguely remember in the late 70's or early 80s' seeing this when I was very young (2-4yearsold or something) and didn't know what was going on. I just liked the bunnies. Then when I was old enough to understand it I was badly traumatised. I had recurring nightmares and could never watch it again. To this day whenever I hear 'Bright Eyes' on the radio I get a shiver down my spine .
I had to pluck the courage just to watch this clip
This was one of my favorite movies when I was a child in England.
Literally the most terrifying cartoon I ever saw and have only been able to watch it on Blu-Ray in the last year...and I’m a very grown adult. 🐇💀
Oh my LORD this movie traumatized me so desperately just seeing this pop up on CZcams resulted in a full body shiver. I am watching this w a very small amount of side eye. Truly dented my childhood mental health. 😳 great rundown! I’m glad I’m not the only one who suffered bc Of this film! 😂
Yep. This movie messed me up as a kid. Love the soundtrack.
The Goodies did a send up of Watership Down.
RIP Tim Brooke-Taylor.
www.dailymotion.com/video/x6uf7f9
At 22:00 ?
LOL I remember that show
Thank-you, I think. At the age of 50 I've not been able to re-watch Watership Down, it's
traumatising and I burst into tears with the first three bars of Bright Eyes; it should be mandatory that all children should watch this alongside listening to Mozart! Still amazing though.
I watched this years ago when I was a kid and it never traumatized me. Actually made me a big fan and maybe gave me a different outlook on life. The Netflix version was good too!
some "Secret of Nimh"
Chakra Zoo
Especially when you grow older.
And learn that Nimh is a real government organization.
I caught Peggy Sue Got Married a couple of nights ago on tv. I forgot what a great movie it is. Maybe you could cover that gem next.
Just an idea.
Beezer1225 Shit, I used to work with a guy whose nickname is Beezer
This is one of my favorite childhood movies. As a kid my best friends family had a cow farm, they where also hunters, practically a gun in every corner during hunting season. Death was understood, from the slaughtering of Thanksgiving turkeys to veal calf's. This movie wasn't traumatic at all, it capitulates the cycles of life. Nature is harsh and unforgiving. Have you ever noticed the accumulation of road kill on the side of highways.
#3 Spin off Animated Series - In the original movie John Hurt played the hero Hazel, but for the series he became the lead villain Woundwort.
Watching this movie along with Wizards (also a dark animated movie from the 70's) and return to oz are part of why us older millennials are not so snowflakey as the younger ones.
wizards is a hidden gem
that profile pic combined with a comment about snowflakes... great satire.
@@thomasherzog86 Not satire. I know it doesn't make sense but I lean pretty far left but hate what they left has become. I am a liberal not a leftist. There is a difference.
I know coming from someone on the "left" this may sound odd but pragerU has a good video on the difference between liberal and leftist. czcams.com/video/tlIjMJBSnRE/video.html
I am pro/medicare for all but don't want to get rid of private insurance.
I don't want crazy people to get guns but am pro-second amendment and anti-gun bans. It is about the people not the weapons.
The list goes on.
@@Duke00x
someone considering himself left, recommending a prager video. even better satire.
no offence, im not political - its just amusing to me how flexible some people are.
@@thomasherzog86 I mostly lean left I am not full on far left or such and Do at times agree with the right more. I am more technically center left. It really depends on the issues and the exact details. And just because I agree with the left (or thee right) doesn't mean I agree with their solution on how to get something done. Or what the actual cause of an issue may be.
This movie f***ed me up so bad as a kid of eight years old I've never seen it or wanted to see it again.
Watched this movie, a few months back. I'm so happy it's held up so well, after all these years. :)
I'm so glad you did this movie Minty. This was an absolute favorite of mine growing up. Its truly great to see you do films that mean so much to me... thanks.. and watch out for the black rabbit
Spoiler: John Hurt's character dies, Again.
But not until he's lived a long life (for a rabbit)
Thanks Minty, I try to read this book once every two years or so.
And I really want this on blu-ray now!
Richard Robbin2 funny you should mention it... it’s on Blu-ray by Criterion in the US, and on Blu-ray in Germany and Spain (which has a neat slip cover for it too)! Go to amazon.com. amazon.de or amazon.se (I think?)
@@TheRealNormanBates
Ok, thanks for the info.
It's important that children are exposed to the darkness in life. Movies are a good way to do it. You watch the movie, then get to walk away. Movies like Watership Down, Plague Dogs and Bridge to Terrabithia may be deeply upsetting, and they still bring me to tears to this day, they make an important point and we owe it to our children to give them a rounded, full education.
The movie version of Bridge to Terabithia absolutely ruined the narrative of the book.
The book didn't focus in their imaginary world itself, but rather is about class differences in Appalachia.
"FOUR EARS GOOD!"
Thank you for your work, Minty.
MASSIVE props for the Curb-style ending, sir!
👏👏🤣👍
This was the rated R Bambi spin-off of Thumper, that no child asked for. 😲🐰😱
I'm glad I even know what this is now. I had no idea what this was.
The updated Netflix version of this is excellent as well, way better than I expected.
Thank you for this one, Minty! I wanted to show some of what a friend was missing in never having seen this without re-traumatizing myself! The story was based on some of his experiences during the Second World War and he drew inspiration from both Joseph Campbell's 'Hero With A Thousand Faces' and Tolkien's works. This movie also has a sequel, Christmas special that was straight to VHS! The Netflix series was released in 2018, not 2016. As much as the original traumatized me, I appreciated the artwork and the insistance on staying as true as possible to the spirit and dialogue of the book. The Netflix series added in superflous love stories, toned down the gorgeous and central relationship of Hazel and Fiver, misused the inclusion of Keehar, and added unnecessary subplots. I would actually say in this instance that a movie I can't watch, the original, is better than the remake. Be well, Minty, and stay safe!
Nice one, Minty.
10 things you didnt know about the secret of the nymph please
Ah, Plague Dogs and Watership Down.
Two extremely, clearly, obviously, happily, nice, pretty, movies for children.
So excites to show my future kids these.
Brilliant this thank you. Loved this movie since I was kid. The gore was to my knowledge never even mentioned in our household lol. I'm considering getting it on bluray so my daughter can enjoy it also.
1. I didn't even know this existed
Another 1970s Film called The Belstone Fox is just as Horrific. But good film.
I got the alert on my phone about this "bunny cartoon" and have never heard of it. So I watched on CZcams and really was surprised that it was a lot better than I thought. I only watched this because I wanted to see Minty talk about it since I figured he knew how good this movie was to feature it. Thanks Minty for broadening my horizons to new animated features I didn't know about. I can't waIt for Fritz the Cat.
This was my favorite movie as a kid, and yes, I knew it was based on a book. I loved how it was nearly word for word throughout much of the dialogue and only two chapters were not included.
"Looney Tunes meets Cannibal Holocaust" Uh...not really .
They used to show this on tv at christmas for years and years in the UK, and it was always horrifying.
Great video and commentary! In the first part, you might also mention that author Richard Adams was also a champion for animal rights, a passion which inspired another of his novels "The "Plague Dogs". He served for one year as the president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
My favorite childhood book and movie. I still remember sitting on my grandfathers lap as he read this to me. Thanks Minty.