Rating: 
Summary: Watershipdown-Richards Adams's- DVD
Review: The characters were outstaningly portrayed, the artwork that went into the animation, the voices of the actors, and the plot. One must also appreciate the time that went into the making of the movie. I'll admit that as a fancier and raiser of rabbits, I was attracted to the story, and the video. As a 50 year old adult, I see the story as symbolically showing the trials, happiness, and sadness that one goes through in life just to make a life, or a buck. (no pun intended). I wish that more sequals would be made for WSD and that it will be a progreessive lifelong adventure for generations to come. Makes you feel as if one is right among the rabbits, sharing their trials and tribulations, and victory. So.....hurray and cheers to this movie and to all who participated in its creation as well as to Mr. Adams, who started the whole thing in the first place. "Good Show wot." Harold E. Kammermeyer-Fayetteville, NC, US Extreme WSD Fan
Rating: 
Summary: Bright Eyes
Review: My four stars are not for the film itself, which is a five-star adaptation, but for the DVD production with its 'extras.' The extras include a feature called 'Cast & Crew,' which should lead to miniature biographies and photographs of the talent involved, but only leads to a credits list, exactly as you find if you forward to the end credits of the film! Also misguided is a glossary called 'Bunny Talk,' which purports to translate the Lapine words the rabbits use in the film (a great idea: if you want to 'look up' an unfamiliar word, you can simply activate this feature just as though you were looking in the glossary at the end of Adams's novel). However, some of the Lapine used in the film does not appear in this abbreviated glossary, and some words that do _not_ appear in the screenplay are included in the glossary! Surely it cannot have been too difficult simply to review the script, highlight the Lapine words, and compile the glossary out of these? Also for those using subtitles: for some reason 'Chervil,' the name of an officer in the Owslafa, is transliterated 'Sherbil.' I have no idea what a sherbil is, or why the captionist transcribed it so. From the ear? How hard would it have been for this captionist to _read_ the novel, to make sure he got things right? My review expresses my frustration that this film couldn't have been better served in its DVD format. _Watership Down_ really is a classy production as a film and deserves better. My notes are simply for sticklers who love the novel and the film and think, 'What the heck is a sherbil?'
Rating:
Summary: Some cartoons aren't meant for children
Review: In response to one poorly thought out review, I'd like to say one thing...cartoons are simply a medium, not a defined style. From comics to animated television programming, each cartoon emits its own message and style. Some, like Watership Down, are adaptations of wonderful literature, embodied with social meaning and value. The response cannot and should not be the same as the response when watching the latest Disney Kids flick. The use of animation made this movie possible. I loved it as a teen and still love it as an adult. A remake with the advances in technology couldn't improve on the wonderful story and social message of this movie.
Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: This would have been five stars if they would have included my favorite character from the book, El-ahrairah. It's a pretty violent movie and sometimes hard to know what the characters are saying, but other than that it's good.
Rating: 
Summary: When cartoons are ruined by too much of one element....
Review: "Watership down" could've been a great cartoon..sadly,it was completely ruined by an overkill of drama.I was VERY disappointed in "Watership Down"...the constant drama ruined the fun for me,and I finally stopped watching it,unable to stay focused and completely bored by it.No action,no comedy,no suspense,no adventure,no romance...just drama.That's it.Also,this is NOT for children. Advice:If you want a GOOD drama,tape soap operas off your TV.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-See
Review: We need more animated films like this today. I remember seeing this on TV during my pre-teen years, I think, and was quite impressed with its realism, symbolism and message. I remember being amazed that a "cartoon" could convey so much social relevence. Keep in mind that I was raised in the Roadrunner/Woody Woodpecker era, which offered nothing but mindless comic violence and guffaws, which are good, but ... I would recommend parents, especially parents these days, to watch this show with their children and talk about it afterward. It's very good.
Rating:
Summary: The song WATERSHIP DOWN by AMERICA
Review: Just a little note: GERRY BECKLEY & the group AMERICA wrote a song for this movie, titled Watership Down. It was never used in the movie. AMERICA released the song on an LP titled HIDEAWAY. It is truly the best & does an outstanding job in conveying the emotions of the movie. It is worth a listen & you will not understand why it was not used in the movie. GERRY BECKLEY wrote it, George Martin produced it, AMERICA & GERRY BECKLEY performed it. The best !!!
Rating: 
Summary: What's all the fuss?
Review: I must admit that I just don't see what is supposed to make this such an amazing story. I had someone that I highly respect recommend that I look into this story. Well, I did and... Summary:
A small group of rabbits from the Sandleford Warren follow the prophecies of a young rabbit, Fiver, that their burrow is going to be destroyed and leave the warren even though they are commanded not to by their chief rabbit. They embark on a long journey with many adventures and eventually end up at Watership Down, discovering their own honeycomb burrows. Fiver has seemingly seen this burrow in vision and knows that this is where they are supposed to go. But, the group has a problem. Once they find the perfect burrow (Watership Down) they realize that they didn't bring any does (females). So, in order to get the does they need they infiltrate a neighboring warren, Efera, that is run like a military camp and eventually sneak the does out. The captain of the warren sees them and gives chase. He eventually catches up to them back at their warren and a battle ensues. The Watership Down warren, with Hazel (Fiver's brother) and Bigwig (their muscle) at the lead, eventually defeat the Efera warren. The movie ends with Hazel-ra ('ra' is the title they give to their chief rabbit) passing away. My Comments:
Most reviews of the movie describe it as not being a kids' movie. I think that is accurate for children under ten, but children older than ten it should be fine. What I find more intriguing is that this book is, to many people, the best book ever written. Now, I'm just reviewing the movie here, but I don't see what is supposed to make this story (book or movie) the most amazing one ever written. I'm thinking people are seeing a lot of symbolism in the story. Or, perhaps, the book is just really well written and that doesn't come out all that well in the movie. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what the movie could symbolize. Of course, there is a lot of religion in the story and with any story that tries to incorporate symbolism you can probably interpret it many ways, but since the person that recommended the story to me is Mormon, let me see if I can find some stories that would mirror the story in the book. You could argue that Fiver could be Lehi and Hazel could be Nephi from The Book of Mormon. Or perhaps Fiver is Joseph Smith and Hazel is Brigham Young. I don't see a way to extrapolate this into representing Christ, so I'll have to avoid that one. Or maybe it has to do with nations and forms of government. Perhaps Fiver is Columbus and Hazel represents the colonizing of America. And the Efera group is some type of dictatorship. Who knows; I just don't think it plays out all that well. Overall, maybe I'm missing something. I'd be happy to hear what it is I'm missing if someone would like to take the time to explain it to me. But, until then, I just found this to be a slightly boring, semi-violent cartoon about religion. Perhaps with further insights offered by someone else (other than 'This is the best book ever') I can offer more to people. If you want interesting animal books, try Animal Farm by George Orwell. The symbolism isn't buried so deep you can't understand it and the writing is superb.
Rating:
Summary: FREE THE RABBITS!!
Review: when media critics observe that television violence effects children, i don't think they are referring to "watership down." tv melodramas or hollywood screwball comedies will use guns, bombs, skateboards, or hockey pucks to inflict pain or destroy humans for pure fun or for far-fetched reasons (cite any harrison ford, mel gibson, steven seagal movie.) "watership down" is a band of refugee rabbits who want to escape from their oppressive society. they want to escape their oppression and they want freedom. "watership down" hands the this topic to children in a way they can relate to: we empathize for the dying rabbit because we've been taught it's the cute and quiet pet. however, human nature shows we are aggressive towards our own kind, so a film like "schindler's list" isn't the best way to illustrate that freedom is worth dying for. if a child cries for the dying bunny who risked his life for others' chance of free will and autonomy, then they subconsciously learn a very important lesson which is cherished very deeply throughout the world. freedom IS wealth. i believe that if society, especially its parents, can handle subjecting their children to human bloodshed, the kids can deal with a few rabbits sacrificing their lives for their freedom. i also grew up with this movie, starting at age four. i'm now a diligent 19-year-old in university. if you really are disturbed, try explaining it to the kids movies aren't just entertainment. in any case, i HIGHLY recommend this AND the book. it's a wonderful example of magical realism.
Rating:
Summary: Always a favorite
Review: I saw this movie when it came out (1978). At the time, I was 7 years old. It made a definite impression on me - which is the reason I am looking to buy it now. No, most people would not consider it a movie for children, but I would rather my 9 year old son watch this than many of those silly Japanese cartoons that are so popular now. This is a remarkably well done adaptation of an incredible story, and considering the technology available at the time, very well done. While the animation itself is not the best, it really doesn't have to be to involve you in the story and pull you into the lives of its characters. Highly recommended - and afterward, you MUST read the book, if you haven't already.
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