Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best Movies Ever
Review: First, the movie is far better than the novel it is based on. The only thing that stands out in my memory from the novel that isn't clear in the movie is that in Efrafa the biggest rabbit is chief, so when Bigwig mentions his chief, the Efrafan leader assumes Bigwig's chief is even bigger and more powerful than Bigwig. (There, now you can skip the book.)
Next, I would honestly put this movie on a list of the best along with Casablanca, Forrest Gump and other greats.
Finally, having had one house rabbit before and another one now, I may be biased. However, I think the story works even better in this case with the rabbit point of view than a similar story would from a human pov.
Rating: 
Summary: "...but first they have to catch you"
Review: I saw this film for the first time after a friend who had seen it in the theater in 1978 recommended it. I was prepared to watch a children's movie and was struck by the seriousness of the subject and the realistic scenes.The film begins with the mythology of the rabbit which is rather odd but in a cute way. This introduction foreshadows the hardships and enemies the rabbit species will face. From there the story seems to touch on at least two issues: fascism/Marxism and environmentalism. The latter is only briefly touched on. The small rabbit Fiver, who has unexplained powers to foresee the future, urges a group of fellow rabbits in his "warren" to leave before their land is destroyed by some destructive force. Actually, it is man who tears up their fields, but it is only described briefly by a survivor. In their journey to the safe mountain top (utopia?), they encounter several enemies and a funny bird friend (my favorite of the characters). Once they reach their destination, they realize that they have no females in their group (the only "doe" having been killed) and must return to dangerous territory to acquire mates. Their worst enemy, ironically, is a member of their own species; a fascist rabbit who threatens to have any dissenter from his warren killed. Also, ironically, inventions of man (i.e. a boat) are used by the rabbits in their struggle to survive. A musical segment with music sung by Art Garfunkel interrupts the fairly fast-moving story. The violence in this film is surprisingly realistic and graphic. Some rabbits do not make it, so very young children may need to be prepared before watching. I also looked at a VHS copy of this film, and DVD is far superior in terms of graphics and color. The extras on this DVD were a little disappointing considering that this film is a classic (i.e. a glossary of rabbit words that is not even complete). Still, this animated film is one that adults may appreciate more than the kids.
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