Watership Down (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Watership Down
U.S. theatrical release poster
Directed by	Martin Rosen John Hubley (uncredited)
Produced by	Martin Rosen
Screenplay by	Martin Rosen
Narrated by	Michael Hordern
Starring	John Hurt Richard Briers Michael Graham Cox Simon Cadell Harry Andrews Zero Mostel
Music by	Angela Morley Malcolm Williamson
Editing by	Terry Rawlings
Studio	Nepenthe Productions
Distributed by	Nepenthe Productions (United Kingdom)
Release date(s)	19 October 1978 (1978-10-19) (United Kingdom)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$2.4 million

Watership Down is a 1978 British animated adventure film. It was written, produced, and directed by Martin Rosen. The movie is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Richard Adams.

The film was released on October 19, 1978, in the United Kingdom. It quickly became very popular. In fact, it was the sixth most popular film in the UK in 1979. The movie features the voices of famous actors like John Hurt, Richard Briers, and Harry Andrews. It was also the last film for Zero Mostel, who voiced the character Kehaar the gull. The music was created by Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson. The popular song "Bright Eyes" by Art Garfunkel was written for the film by Mike Batt.

Story of Watership Down

The World of Rabbits

In the world of the rabbits, there is a special story about how everything began. A god named Frith created the world. At first, all animals ate grass and lived together peacefully. But the rabbits grew in number very quickly. This led to a shortage of food for everyone.

Frith asked the rabbit prince, El-Ahrairah, to control his people. However, El-Ahrairah did not listen. So, Frith decided to give special gifts to other animals. He made some animals into predators, meaning they would hunt rabbits. After this, Frith saw that El-Ahrairah had learned his lesson. He then gave rabbits the gifts of speed and cleverness to help them survive.

The Journey Begins

In the present time, a rabbit named Fiver lives in a rabbit home called a warren. This warren is near a place called Sandleford. Fiver has a special gift: he can see the future. He has a scary vision that their warren will be destroyed. He tells his older brother, Hazel, about it.

Hazel and Fiver try to convince their chief to move everyone. But the chief does not believe them. He even orders Captain Holly, the leader of the warren's police, to stop anyone from leaving. Despite this, Fiver, Hazel, and a few other rabbits manage to escape. These rabbits include Bigwig, Blackberry, Pipkin, Dandelion, Silver, and Violet. As they leave, they see a sign that means humans are building houses nearby. The rabbits do not understand the sign, but it confirms Fiver's vision.

Dangers on the Way

The group travels through the woods, facing many dangers. Sadly, Violet, the only female rabbit in their group, is killed by a hawk. Later, they meet another rabbit named Cowslip. He invites them to his warren, where a farmer leaves lots of vegetables for the rabbits. The group is happy to find so much food.

However, Fiver feels something strange and unsettling about Cowslip's warren. He decides to leave. Bigwig follows him, upset that Fiver is causing trouble. Suddenly, Bigwig gets caught in a snare, which is a trap for animals. His friends quickly work together to free him. Fiver then realizes the farmer feeds Cowslip's warren so he can easily catch rabbits for his meals. The group decides to continue their journey.

Finding a New Home

The rabbits soon find Nuthanger Farm. There, they see a hutch, which is a cage, filled with female rabbits. They try to free them, but the farm's cat and dog chase them away. Later, they are found by Captain Holly, who escaped the destruction of their old warren. He tells them that humans destroyed Sandleford, just as Fiver had predicted. He also warns them about dangerous rabbits called the "Efrafans."

Finally, Fiver finds the hill he saw in his vision: Watership Down. The group settles there, and Hazel becomes their new chief.

New Friends and New Dangers

The rabbits soon become friends with an injured seagull named Kehaar. Kehaar flies around looking for other female rabbits. One night, the rabbits try again to free the female rabbits from Nuthanger Farm. But their plan fails, and Hazel gets shot. Fiver follows a vision of a mythical rabbit called the Black Rabbit, which leads him to his injured brother.

Kehaar returns and helps Hazel by picking out the shotgun pellets from his leg. He also tells them about a large warren called Efrafa, which has many female rabbits. Captain Holly warns them that Efrafa is a dangerous place, like a strict kingdom. But Hazel believes they must go there to find mates for their warren.

Bigwig bravely goes into the Efrafa warren. He becomes an officer for their cruel chief, General Woundwort. Bigwig secretly recruits several rabbits who want to escape, including Blackavar and Hyzenthlay. With Kehaar's help, the escapees find a boat and float down the river to freedom. That night, Kehaar leaves for his home, and the Watership Down rabbits thank him.

The Final Battle

Efrafan trackers eventually find Watership Down. General Woundwort refuses Hazel's offer of peace. He demands that the Watership Down rabbits hand over all the escapees, or he will destroy their warren. While the Watership rabbits build defenses, Fiver has another vision. He sees a dog loose in the woods.

Fiver's vision gives Hazel an idea. He decides to go to the farm and release the farm dog, leading it to the Efrafans. Hazel unties the dog, while Blackberry, Dandelion, and Hyzenthlay act as bait to make the dog follow them. Meanwhile, the Efrafans break through the warren's defenses. Woundwort enters alone. Blackavar bravely attacks him but is quickly killed. Bigwig fights Woundwort, and they are evenly matched.

When the dog arrives, it starts attacking the Efrafans. Woundwort leaves Bigwig and fearlessly attacks the dog. However, no one ever finds Woundwort again, so his fate remains a mystery.

Hazel's End

Many years later, an old Hazel is visited by the Black Rabbit. The Black Rabbit invites him to join his own special group, assuring Hazel that Watership Down will always be safe. Hazel accepts and dies peacefully. His spirit follows the Black Rabbit through the woods towards the sun. The sun changes into Frith, and Frith's old advice to El-Ahrairah is heard once more, as Hazel's spirit moves on to the afterlife.

Voice Cast

Making the Movie

Getting Started

The film rights for Watership Down were bought by producer Martin Rosen. He got help from a banker named Jake Eberts. Eberts enjoyed this experience so much that it started his career in the film industry. The cost to get the rights for the film was £50,000.

Martin Rosen estimated that the movie would cost about $2.4 million to make. Jake Eberts helped raise $1 million from a company called Pearson and other clients.

Animation Style

Production for the film began in 1975. A new animation studio was created in London by Martin Rosen. Originally, John Hubley was supposed to direct the film. However, he left after disagreeing with producer Martin Rosen. Some of Hubley's work can still be seen in the movie, especially in the "fable" scene at the beginning. Martin Rosen then took over as director, making this his first time directing a film.

After the opening story, which uses a simple cartoon style, the animation changes. It becomes very detailed and realistic. The animals are shown with human voices and thoughts. They also have some facial expressions and paw gestures to show emotion. The backgrounds in the animation are made with watercolors. Only one of the animal predators, the farm cat named Tab, speaks a few lines. All the other predators do not speak.

The backgrounds and places in the movie, like Efrafa and the nearby railway, are based on maps and diagrams from Richard Adams's original book. Most of the locations in the film are real places or are based on real spots in Hampshire and the areas around it.

Film Rating and Reception

The film follows the book's story quite closely. Some changes were made to make the story less complicated and to make it flow better. Also, the order of some events was changed. Unlike many animated movies, Watership Down kept the serious and sometimes intense themes of the book. Because of this, many people warned parents that younger children might find some parts of the movie upsetting.

When the film was first reviewed in the UK, it was given a 'U' certificate. This means it was considered suitable for all ages. The reviewers felt that while the film might make children feel emotional, it would not seriously bother them once the story was over. However, this decision has been debated over the years. In 2012, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) said they had received complaints about the 'U' rating almost every year. In the United States, the film was rated PG, which means parental guidance is suggested, because of its intense scenes.

Music in the Film

The music for the film was created by Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson. Angela Morley took over from Malcolm Williamson because he fell behind schedule. He had only created early ideas for the beginning music. A list of all the music used in the film can be found on Angela Morley's website.

The soundtrack includes the song "Bright Eyes" by Art Garfunkel. This song became a number one hit in Britain. It was written by the British singer and songwriter Mike Batt. He also wrote other songs for the film that were not used. Mike Batt recorded three songs with Art Garfunkel's voice, but only "Bright Eyes" was used in the movie.

Media Releases

Picture Book

A picture book version of the film was also made. It was called The Watership Down Film Picture Book. Two versions of this book were published: a hardcover and a reinforced cloth-bound edition. The book included pictures from the movie, along with parts of the story and script. It also had an introduction by Richard Adams and a foreword by Martin Rosen.

Home Video Releases

Watership Down was first released on VHS tapes in the UK by Thorn EMI Video. Later, it was released by Guild Home Video and then PolyGram Video. It was released on DVD in 2001 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and again in 2005 by Warner Home Video.

In the US, the film was first released on CED in 1981. It came out on VHS in 1983 by Warner Home Video. The movie was released many times on VHS in the US. It was also released on DVD in the US in 2002 and again in 2008.

A Blu-ray version for the film was planned for the UK in 2010. However, it was canceled due to disagreements over who owned the rights. Warner eventually released a Blu-ray in Germany. The UK Blu-ray was finally released in 2013 by Universal. In 2014, Euro-London Films gained the remaining US rights and allowed The Criterion Collection to release the film on DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming in 2015.

• Watership Down at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Watership Down at the British Board of Film Classification
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See also

In Spanish: Watership Down (película) para niños