Watership Down

[Durandal_1707]

Okay, show of hands. Who, upon seeing this title the first time they read the book or saw the movie, expected a boat or some other sort of aquatic vessel to play a prominent part in it?

Another show of hands. Who, upon seeing the DS9 episode "Starship Down" for the first time, expected there to be space bunnies?

[SeitoAkai]

Watership Down was a book that my mom read to me as a bedtime story, so I was well aware of the content of the story when I first saw the animated movie. And I recall really liking it for how close it was to the book and how it didn't sugarcoat the content. It was very un-Disney, which was refreshing.

The way that people reflexively treat it as something shocking or horrible always kind of annoyed me. Like it's fashionable to have that kind of reaction to the story, rather than the story really deserving that sort of reaction. Yes, it has a lot about it that is grim, but I grew up reading Greek myths and grim fairy tales. And I watched a lot of nature documentaries when I was a kid. My dad was a hunter, and every year I'd see him and his friends bring back deer and elk and I got to watch the butcher parties they'd hold. I'd seen squirrel hunts and I'd been to another one of Dad's friend's house where he raised rabbits for food, and I watched him kill and butcher rabbits. I understood that side of nature, that death was pervasive, especially for a prey species, so I empathized with the characters of the novel all the more.

And I love the point that the reviewer brought up that Richard Adams had difficulty getting the book published because it didn't fit a specific demographic to satisfy the publishers' marketing departments. Sometimes a great story is just a story that anyone can read and appreciate.

[Riedquat]

I very vaguely remember seeing the film when I was young - most of it didn't worry me too much but the dying-underground-in-the-warren flashback scene did bother me, and I still found it somewhat disturbing in the review. Never got bothered by things like nature documentaries, although maybe one important difference is that whilst they were trying to keep the rabbits rabbit-like instead of small furry humans they were still sapient creatures, unlike real rabbits.

Seeing it now (or at least from what I can glean from the review rather than dim memories) it looks like it should make it feel rather more real, and benefit from that.

[Trinary]

Okay, show of hands. Who, upon seeing this title the first time they read the book or saw the movie, expected a boat or some other sort of aquatic vessel to play a prominent part in it?

Another show of hands. Who, upon seeing the DS9 episode "Starship Down" for the first time, expected there to be space bunnies?

*Raises a hand*

[SabreMau]

Coming to Netflix this month.

youtu.be/w3gQ117IKkM

[Madner Kami]

Oh, another remake that didn't need to be made. I am so excited, I can barely contain my enthusiasm for this pointless exercise in futility and terribly cheap CGI.

[Ikiry0]

That is...not good CGI. What is this, Vídeo Brinquedo's Watership Down?

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Controversial (or uncontroversial?) opinion: only BAD things should get remakes

[Poipoi]

I found the netflix version a disappointment in many ways. I wanted to like it. I was excited when I heard it was being made. I watched all the parts and never wish to see it again. The first movie is still the best version.

[ChrisTheLovableJerk]

Controversial (or uncontroversial?) opinion: only BAD things should get remakes

You do realize that the netflix version isn't a remake, right? Just another adaptation.

The netflix version was fine. Looked good for the most part but I had issues with it like Keehar being too much of a jerk, and the voices being hard to tell apart at times.