Watership Down (1978)
Watership Down has become something of a legend of sorts for adult animation. Advertising bunnies in what seems to be just another children's animated film, Watership Down has caught countless audiences off guard with its adult story and brutal violence. With so many claiming traumatization from the film, it felt appropriate to include it but sadly the actual film itself failed to deliver even close to the impact it was hyped up to have.
Focusing on the positives first, the voice acting is really solid throughout which should come as no shock considering the talent involved. John Hurt is of course is going to deliver a methodical and smart performance but way beyond just him, people like Richard Briers and Michael Graham Cox give genuinely great performances filled with thought and substance. The animation is also highly enjoyable. Not only does the general animation style stand out as memorable bringing this world to life, but the film isn't afraid to experiment with different animation styles which make certain sequences stand out as quite memorable.
The world that is built throughout the film is also quite interesting. Instead of just going for realism, Watership Down builds mythology into the world which helps bring it to life and make it stand out. Seeing various characters explore their relationship with the mythos of their society also adds depth to the character and is a vehicle for clever character development. The biggest thing in the conversation surrounding Watership Down as mentioned before is the violence. There is death and suffering around nearly every corner of the film which successfully adds an edge to the film. It always feels like any character could die at any moment and it allows the action sequences to feel brutal and physical in a way that you just can't get without such a bloody approach.
The world that is built throughout the film is also quite interesting. Instead of just going for realism, Watership Down builds mythology into the world which helps bring it to life and make it stand out. Seeing various characters explore their relationship with the mythos of their society also adds depth to the character and is a vehicle for clever character development. The biggest thing in the conversation surrounding Watership Down as mentioned before is the violence. There is death and suffering around nearly every corner of the film which successfully adds an edge to the film. It always feels like any character could die at any moment and it allows the action sequences to feel brutal and physical in a way that you just can't get without such a bloody approach.
Sadly where these elements open the door for the film to become something special, the story itself holds it back from capitalizing on these elements. At first it seems like the story is clearly building a conflict but it ends up never doing anything with that. Over the course of the film, it wanders through the world feeling lost and devoid of substance or purpose. Honestly, the film becomes boring quickly with it being a chore to get through especially in the middle portion of the film before it finds its ending conflict. It is a world rooted in interesting concepts and power dynamics throughout various groups of rabbits but the plot doesn't do anything with these for extended periods of time. The third act at least creates a conflict that gives the film a direction but it still feels like a forced conflict that was not built to well at all.
It might be easy to see why some of the visuals and brutality within Watership Down left an impact on audience members especially if seen at an early age, trying to forge a relationship with the film later in life ended up feeling like an overall empty experience. This is one of those films that had seemingly everything needed to be something special but fails to put those pieces together. Despite the individual elements being so strong, Watership Down can't even be really recommended for them as the experience is so so underwhelming and tedious at times.