Watership Down (1978)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:27
Fresh:22
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: Aimed at adults perhaps more than children, this is a respectful, beautifully animated adaptation of Richard Adams' beloved book.
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: An animated adaptation of Richard Adams' best-selling book about a group of rabbits desperately searching for a new home after the demolition of their warren. The bunnies endure a danger-filled... [More]
Starring: Ralph Richardson, John Hurt, Zero Mostel, Michael Graham-Cox
Director: Martin Rosen
Reviews for Watership Down
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 4/5 |
A beautifully realised animation, Watership Down ultimately works because it doesn't dilute the violence and drama of Adams' book with a rose-tinted lens. Full Review |
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The 'camera' takes a conventionally objective viewpoint, perpetually rolling over rolling countryside, which effectively robs the plot of all its terror and tension. Full Review |
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6/10 |
...lovely to look at and fun to listen to, but dull and lethargic in spots, too, and sometimes brutally savage. Full Review |
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A rare movie that keeps kids on the edge of their chairs without inducing in their parents an overwhelming desire to escape theirs for a smoke in the lobby. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Expertly and realistically animated, this version of the popular novel didn't seem to have an audience. Full Review |
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A brief spark of imagination survives in a prologue sequence, designed by the great John Hubley before he was fired from the film. The rest is blandness. Full Review |
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B+ |
The rabbits' interactions mirror those of human behavior, and so too does the film possess a startlingly tangible sense of death. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Artful, pretty forgotten (and it should not be) animation of best seller.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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4/5 |
Classic non-children's animated film.
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4/4 |
Cuts so deep on so many ethereal levels that you can flip to nearly any page in the history book and see a parallel. Full Review |
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2/5 |
No review available.
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A+ |
Don't listen to anybody who writes it off as a 'cartoon about bunnies.' Stunning beauty, smart scripting, a splendid score ... this is a serious film for serious moviegoers. Full Review |
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Click to read the article. Full Review |
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3/5 |
No review available.
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A- |
Richard Adams's unforgettable, much-loved tale is honorably brought to life in a low-key, realistic animated style well suited to the naturalism and mature tone of the book. Full Review |
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A respectful screen version of Richard Adams' bestselling novel. Full Review |
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4/5 |
No review available.
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3/5 |
For a kid, it's great. Kids can't normally smell extremely episodic, fractured narratives.
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4/5 |
Multiplying isn't all the rabbits are good at...
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