Martin Rosen's adaptation of Richard Adams's classic novel Watership Down chronicles a group of rabbits that flee their warren from encroaching doom and search out a safer place to live. Though it is a cartoon, it is a bloody and violent one and not for young kids. While the plot has been done many times before (although not always with rabbits), the movie still manages to captivate the audience with its lovable characters and threatening atmosphere. After a shaky first half hour, the tension escalates at an unrelenting pace until its gripping finale. All this, despite the many many technical misgivings that underscore the movie.
The animation of the rabbits felt unsophisticated and dated; ugly drawings and unnatural movements are perhaps to blame. What was weirdest for me was that they spoke with British accents--I found it unacceptably disturbing coming from cute bunnies. The music obtrusively interrupted the mood instead of subtly generating or enhancing it. The editing could have been much tighter. But worst of all, I have trouble finding a point to the movie. It is very strictly about rabbits; little about their struggles and successes can be extrapolated to mankind's struggles and successes. Mankind itself seems hardly related to the movie at all, as the climactic moment is not against humans, but other rabbits. Still, it is a wonderfully-created piece that builds to a stunning climax that will keep you glued to the screen for the entire final hour.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0078480/