The Plague Dogs

Don't even think about showing this one to the kiddies. It's about two abused lab animals that escape only to find that the experiments that have been conducted on them leave them unfit to survive in the wild. Their desperate flight for survival leads them through a series of cruelties, heaped upon their lives already made wretched by torturous and seemingly unnecessary experimentation, that culminate in one of the most moving moments in the history of animation.

I've always thought that animation could be more than an after-market money-machine vehicle for creating cloyingly sweet garbage for which actors can earn voice-over money without having to be too closely associated with the work. And yes, that's what I think most animated features are.

But not this one.

Animation is a way of depicting what cannot be shown in live action films. In this case, we explore the tragedy of animal abuse in a way that will never let you forget what a crime it really is. Plague Dogs is insightful, brutally honest, and unflinchingly direct in exposing the gruesome truth about animal research. This is one of the greatest animated films ever made. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

A perfect film. Strong characters, wonderful animation; a rarity. It manages to be real; it actually CAPTURES the totality of its components without catering to any audience.

It's a difficult film to watch. You suffer alongside, vicariously. The hardships portrayed here are viciously painful. You'll hug your pets tight and be glad they wound up as your pets.

This movie is very special - considering the content, it could have easily been pandering and preachy. It manages to go so far beyond anything you've ever experienced. It's quite an achievement on every level.

It won't leave you happy, but it will affect you permanently. It is emotional, but never manipulative. It's a tragic and unrecognized masterpiece.

The Plague Dogs is not your kids film, as a matter of fact, I couldn't see a kid wanting to see this at all. But this isn't a bad thing, this movie isn't even trying to be a kids film to start with, the film holds you and does not let go. This tale of two dogs's adventues to try and stay alive and stay out of the testing center they were in at the beginning and while many wouldn't agree with me, this film ends the only way it could (though you have to read the book to understand it).

Much like Watership Down, the things they had to cut out are minor, but there are times you'll scratch your head wondering why they said that, but I can tell you, if you want to know, READ THE BOOK!!!

This is one of the finest flicks ever made, simple as that

P.S. one of the soldiers is voiced by Patrick Stewart, not brought up on the earlier screens

A beautifully melancholy and poignant story about companionship, loyalty, and hope. An incredibly strong cast (including the classically trained John Hurt and Patrick Stewart) give this excellently scripted tale a fully believable life of its own, more vivid and heartfelt than the majority of blockbuster Hollywood movies you're likely to see this year (or any other for that matter). If the fact that this is an animation puts you off, do yourself a favour and don't let it. Once the narrative is under way I defy anyone to find the animation detrimental to the experience.

Certainly in regards to the genre of animated films this is superior to anything Disney have ever done, both in respect of visual and intellectual content, and stands alone as a benchmark of what can be achieved in the genre.

From the creators of 'Watership Down', this film shares the same author and production company, but despite its PG certificate you should be warned that some scenes may be upsetting, not specifically for younger viewers but for everyone - this is a genuine tear-jerker of a film.

Highly recommended. If you don't watch it you are doing yourself a disservice.

This is easily one of my favorite animated films of all time. The characters are so much more real than those in the majority of the live action films produced recently. The animation is very well done with great English scenery and a style that doesn't allow for any cutesy cartoonish effects. The music is appropriate (unlike ahem.. Watership Down). Finally, the message of the movie is clear without being oppressive or melodramatic. The character of the Tod in particular seems to be the penultimate representation of a fox.

This is in no sense a children's film, but a mature child of ten or eleven could certainly appreciate it. I don't want to sound corny, but the film can be viewed as a metaphor for a human life. The movie is a kind of cycle from water to water, the dogs try to make sense of a world they can never totally understand, they're constantly searching for some kind of mythical human affection, I could ramble on...

This film, unlike Watership Down, actually improves on the book by refining and/or removing many of the more tedious sections which dealt with people and politics. The final scene of the movie is as powerful an image as I have seen in any film. Any movie that gives the audience something to think about is fine by me. The Plague Dogs does this and tells a good story to boot.