Watership Down (1978)

11/18/06

Watership Down: I watched this because it's in the directors cut of Donnie Darko, and because I'm a fan of Richard Briers, mostley from his work in the 70's britcom Good Neighbors. Based on Richard Adams book, Watership Down is the tale of a group of rabbits who set out from their old home under the leadership of the prophetic Fiver (Briers) and his brother Hazel (John Hurt), to start a new coloney where they will be safe from man and beast. Unlike most cartoon films the mood of this feature is rather somber and the problems faced by the characters real ones, like finding a mate and not getting killed. This is very Joseph Campbell stuff, lots of archtypes and illusions to both the Bible and 20th century political conditions. This is a thinking mans cartoon. Zero Mostel provides the littel comedy relife in the film as a helpfull, possibly Russian bird named Kehaar.