Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Watership Down Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 2, 2015

Martin Rosen's "Watership Down" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer for the film; exclusive new video interview with the film's creator; exclusive new video interview with director Guillermo del Toro; archival featurette; and on-screen storyboards. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring Gerard Jones' essay "Take Me with You, Stream, on Your Dark Journey". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The New World

The rabbits fear the supreme creator that has given them the world they live in. They have different colonies in which different rules determine how they reproduce and feed each other. They have leaders who have defined their individual freedoms and merciless watchers ready to punish them if needed. They live and die without questioning what they have been told to believe in.

When the humans come dangerously close to their warren while developing a beautiful piece of land, a group of rabbits decide to find a new home. They don’t know where to go, but they trust that Fiver, Hazel’s younger brother, will get them there because he has seen it in his dreams. Before they leave the rabbits attempt to warn their leader that the warren will soon be destroyed, but instead of organizing a mass relocation of the community he labels them traitors and orders his loyal watchers to hunt them down.

Along the way, the rabbits face numerous threats -- some they understand and avoid, but some confuse and terrify them. Eventually, a friendly and much more experienced bird, Kehaar, helps them reach their destination.

What makes Martin Rosen’s Watership Down a special film is its ability to tell a seemingly simple story in a way that forces the mind to think about a variety of different subjects. Kids will like it because it reveals a magical world in which the extraordinary very quickly becomes ordinary and good always finds a way to triumph over evil. There is also depth and sincerity in its characters -- the good and the bad ones -- that are incredibly attractive. There is even more for adults to like. Behind the colorful visuals there is a fascinating deconstruction of the world we live in and numerous strikingly accurate observations about our strengths and weaknesses and the ways they define us.

Watership Down is based on the best-selling novel by Richard Adams, which was published in 1972. At the time the world was divided by political ideologies that are virtually identical to the ones that form the key conflicts in the film. Indeed, the rabbits’ journey is essentially a litmus test that exposes a string of flawed concepts of patriotism, loyalty, and treason that years later would crumble the Soviet Bloc much like they collapse the closed system the rebel rabbits abandon. The film’s take on religion and death is equally fascinating. In it there is an obvious relationship between the two that imitates the conventional relationships our world’s major religions have promoted for years and eventually highlights some of its weaknesses.

The rabbits are voiced by a truly spectacular cast. John Hurt is Hazel, Richard Briers is Fiver, Simon Cadell is Blackberry, and Michael Graham Cox is the strong Bigwig. Additionally, Harry Andrews is the dangerous Gen. Woundwort, Zero Mostel is the friendly bird Kehaar, and Lynn Farleigh is Cat.

The animation is lush but not overdone. Many of the darker images are especially atmospheric. Oscar nominated composer Angela Morley‘s (The Little Prince) soundtrack opens up the film in all the right places but does not affect its pacing.

In 1999, director Rosen produced a TV series remake of his feature film. A co-production of Alltime Entertainment (United Kingdom) and Decode Entertainment (Canada), it aired for 39 episodes and three series from 1999 to 2001.

Watership Down Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Martin Rosen's Watership Down arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new high-definition digital transfer was created from the 35mm original camera negative at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging in Burbank, California. The original stereo soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX 4.

Colorist: Frank Roman/Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA."

There is a wide range of organic colors that effectively enhance the film's unusual atmosphere. At times there are drastic changes in the basic color tonalities -- blues, browns, and greens, for instance, appear in different variations and have a serious impact on how the story evolves -- but all of them have strong organic qualities. Depth and clarity can fluctuate, but these fluctuations are part of the film's visual design. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Overall image stability is very good, but there are a few uneven transitions. Finally, there are absolutely no large debris, damage marks, cuts, or warps to report in this review. All in all, this is a strong organic presentation of Watership Down which is guaranteed to please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Watership Down Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 (Stereo). For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

Music has a very important role in this film. Fortunately, Angela Morley's soundtrack easily breathes and opens up the film in all the right places. In fact, the most dramatic sequences in the film would have been far less effective had it not been for the lush background music. This isn't to imply that you should expect serious dynamic movement, but the basic technical characteristics of the Stereo track are indeed very good. The dialog is crisp, stable, clean, and easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions or report in this review.

Watership Down Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Watership Down. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• A Movie Miracle: Guillermo del Toro on Watership Down - in this brand new interview, director Guillermo del Toro (The Devil's Backbone) explains what makes Watership Down such a special film and the impact it had on him years ago. The Mexican director also discusses some of the key socio-political concerns in the film. The interview was conducted by Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• Passion Project: Martin Rosen on Watership Down - in this brand new interview, director, writer, and producer Martin Rosen discusses the numerous obstacles he was presented with after he decided to adapt Richard Adams' best-selling novel -- the financing of Watership Down was particularly difficult; Martin Rosen also had a problematic relationship with John Hubley, who was initially involved with the project -- the various real locations that are depicted in the film, and his interactions with the animators. The interview was conducted by Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Defining a Style - in this archival featurette, some of the key animators and background artists that were involved with Watership Down discuss their contributions to the film. The featurette was produced in 2005. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• Storyboards - this feature allows one to view on-screen the animation team's storyboards while watching the film. They were created under the supervision of senior layout artist Gordon Harrison. The original concept art for the opening sequence is based on designs by Luciana Arrighi (Sense and Sensibility, The Remains of the Day).

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring Gerard Jones' essay "Take Me with You, Stream, on Your Dark Journey". (Gerard Jones was once a writer of comics and animation. More recently, he has written Men of Tomorrow, a cultural history of American comics, and Killing Monsters, a defense of some of the scarier elements of popular culture, both from Basie Books.

Watership Down Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Martin Rosen's Watership Down has aged very well. I had not seen it in years and I was unsure how I would react to it, but I think that in certain areas now it looks and sounds even more impressive. Many of its socio-political observations, in particular, are strikingly accurate. The film has been recently restored and looks lovely in high-definition. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release also features two wonderful new video interviews with the film's creator and Guillermo del Toro. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.