It’s time to look at another animated film, but this is really the opposite of Naruto. It’s one of those movies that will make you want to leave pretty early on and there’s no way that this deserves a PG. I had a feeling that a film about talking rabbits could be tricky considering the animal violence issue, but I didn’t think that it would be this serious. Needless to say, this was no Battleship!

A high above being created everything and life was peaceful for a while. Unfortunately, the Rabbits believed themselves to be superior to their “god” and all of the other animals as well. This angered the being and he made the other animal races as well as humans. Now, the goal of every creature is to destroy the Rabbits. Back in the present, the Rabbits’ home is about to be destroyed…according to the main character anyway. So, they set out and try to survive in the brutal environments that they pass. It shall be difficult for them!

First off, let’s make sure it’s clear why this film was doomed to fail. The animal violence is off the charts! They suffer many casualties and the heroes definitely don’t come out of this unscathed. I usually get sad when we have just one scene of animal violence so you can imagine what having an entire film of it will do to the overall rating. It was the film’s greatest weakness since it makes the title not fun to watch. You simply can’t get past such a negative and again, this film easily deserved a PG 13 at the very least. They should officially re rate the film or at least release a big article stating why it is now PG 13 worthy. Until then, kids may watch this and it’ll be a sad experience.

The animation isn’t bad. I can’t say that it’s very impressive, but this was back in the 70’s so I have to cut it some slack. It’s still easy to see who all of the characters are after all. Nothing about it will stand out, but it shouldn’t really hurt the experience for you. There isn’t much of a soundtrack though so you can forget about listening to good tunes during this experience.

The film drags on a little at some parts and I did feel a little sleepy, but I’d attribute some of that to the animal violence. It can definitely take you out of a film a little. I’m glad that the dog didn’t really get injured though so he was spared from this. All right, it’s time to quickly mention some of the characters.

Bigwig is easily the best member of the rabbits as he knows how to fight and he doesn’t back down from the enemies. He’s always ready with a plan and even if he is sometimes willing to leave the weaker members behind, he is the gruff commander who makes it all possible. Without him, the heroes would likely have been doomed several times. Most of the other heroes are pretty uneventful though. The main character can see the future, but he isn’t all that brave. Again, he just feels a little on the generic side.

Woundwort is the big villain by the end, but he’s certainly not a likable villain. He’s pretty tough considering that he should be out of shape by now. He very well could be the strongest rabbit alive. He ends up facing another creature who is a little stronger than a Rabbit though. One character that I was a big fan of was the bird who helped the rabbits out when they were in a pinch. The way that he spoke was pretty intense and he wasn’t subtle about how he was feeling. He didn’t mind admitting to the rabbits that he was simply stronger than them and that he wouldn’t back down. He eventually leaves since this wasn’t his fight and that was good since I didn’t want to see him get injured either.

If the film had strayed away from the animal violence, it certainly could have had some potential. It would have been a fun adventure as they met many other creatures and eventually overthrew some kind of dictator who learned to work with them. Then I certainly could have seen how it would become a big classic and be liked by many. The writing isn’t bad and the scene where the heroes enter into another rabbit’s lair is pretty spooky. They certainly could have held out well on their own.

Still, this film definitely doesn’t deserve the legendary status that it has reached. I consider Battleship to be more of a masterpiece and that’s saying something. As scary as this comparison could be for many, I think that this film could have learned a lot from things like My Little Pony and Clifford. Even Legend of the Guardians or Pokemon. They are all tales with creatures who get caught up in adventures and meet many dangers, but they are typically careful about the animal violence problem. It’s something that must be handled very carefully or you risk overdoing it.

Overall, Watership Down is certainly one of the more unlikable films that I’ve watched as of late. The score for it ends up being almost as low as you can possibly go. It’s just a sign of how important it is to avoid having animals in your film at all since it can critically injure a film. Even an all star like DBZ or Avengers risks a big chunk of likability points being dropped if they manage to make this kind of mistake. If you’re planning on watching this classic, then I would recommend the first Pokemon film instead. The action scenes are better and the journey is more intense without needing to resort to animal violence. It should also be noted that we won’t get any Submarines or literal Waterships here, but I’m sure that we weren’t expecting one anyway. That would have been pretty odd (but neat) to have seen. I think the TV show of this has some slight potential, but I don’t plan on seeing it anytime soon.

Overall 1/10