[Warning: Contains Spoilers.] 

Plot Summary

Watership Down (1978) follows the story of a group of rabbits as they flee their home, which has been targeted for destruction by a human housing construction project. The rabbits, lead by a sooth-saying rabbit named Fiver who foresaw the attack, and his friend, a rabbit military officer named Bigwig, are eventually accompanied by a seagull as they struggle to establish a new home and defend it from human and animal intervention.

In order to populate their new warren, they seek out female rabbits, and after a brush with death trying to liberate barnyard rabbits, the military officer rabbit Bigwig infiltrates a warren of rabbits under the rule of an oppressive rabbit regime run by General Woundwort. After a brutal struggle and a daring rescue operation for the oppressed rabbits ruled by the General, Big-wig and his compatriots unleash a barnyard dog on General Woundwort’s rabbit thugs, resulting in the slaughter of the new warren’s rabbit pursuers and a happy ending for the refugee rabbits.

Habitat Loss & the Survival of Species

The main environmental issue that is addressed by Watership Down is that of habitat loss for animals as a result of human construction. As the rabbits migrate towards a new home, they are confronted with a great many man-made dangers, including automobiles, trains, domesticated farm animals (particularly a vicious dog and cat, who attack and kill several rabbits), hunter’s snares and armed humans protecting their farmland.

As they make their journey, they encounter small animals who have fallen victim to these devices. The biggest environmental statement comes from the construction itself, which is depicted in a manner making it seem akin to a Holocaust for the rabbits who did not evacuate the warren, with the rabbits being buried alive and suffocated by the human’s digging.

More Adult than Many in the Genre

While this film isn’t alone in its efforts to depict an environmental issue using animation and talking animals, it’s certainly one of the most mature and adult ones ever made. The struggles depicted between the rabbits and the outside world are bloody and horrific, and doesn’t spare the viewer from seeing blood and gore as the bodies of the rabbits are torn apart by one another and their environment.

In one scene, a rabbit is strangled by a hunter’s snare to the point of blood gushing out of its nose and mouth before the rabbits succeed in freeing him. While this is a cartoon, it most certainly isn’t the sort of thing that is considered suitable for viewing by young children.

“Bunny Fascism” as a Plot Device

One of the most interesting elements of Watership Down was the struggle between the refugee rabbits and the rabbits lead by General Woundwort. The General’s warren is depicted as being a fascistic society where the rabbits living there are constantly policed, allowed out of the warren to graze at predetermined times, and face corporal and capital punishment should they try to escape the warren.

It also demonstrates a militarist and patriarchal position, being that the soldiers are allowed their free choosing of female breeding partners, and it is implied that consent isn’t a consideration.

This aspect of Watership Down is quite interesting, because rather than have only the antagonism of man versus nature, with nature being pure and incorruptible when not interfered with by human beings, this film highlights antagonisms existing among its animal characters. This allows for the characters and situations to have a more dynamic feel to them, as well as works to make the environmental message that the film works to communicate on some level feel less “preachy.”

Melodrama & Tedium Followed by an Epic Climax

The biggest criticism of the film is that it sandwiches drawn-out and melodramatic sequences between a decent introduction and, the strongest part, the climax. Finishing the film can be an arduous task during these more long-winded sequences. Some scenes are bizarre and disturbing, such as the acid-trip inspired sequence where Fiver is searching for his wounded companion by following some manner of “spirit rabbit.” The sleepy jazz music and some segments of dialogue recorded with late 70‘s recording technology can also take some getting used to. All of that said, it inevitably paid off for the plot arch involving the General’s warren.

Conclusion: One of the better animated environmental films

Animated films focused on making environmental statements are typically primitivist in nature, treating all industry as evil and condemning human beings for wanting to develop land and live indoors. Watership Down focuses more of its energies on making a social statement about power and repression than an environmental message.

Of all the animated films we’ve seen, Watership Down seems to be one of the better ones. It didn’t insult the viewer’s intelligence like FernGully: The Last Rainforest (which is a film that is so inane and idiotic that it makes the viewer actively want to pollute the environment to dispatch Robin Williams’ rapping bat character) and it didn’t wiggle its finger at the viewer for being human like some of the films in this genre do. Instead, it focused on telling a story that could be applied to the human experience, and for the most part delivered in a way that leaves the viewer with a lasting impression.

Categories: Environment, Media & Culture, Movies, U.S. News