La Folle Escapade

Some people who have read the book hate both this TV series and the 1978 film. I've read the book, and do not hate them. Maybe because I saw the TV and film adaptations before.

This series is children's version of the classic novel - so unlike the 1978 film - there is considerably less violence and darkness. Most children will love it because of the endearing characters and fluent animation (quite good for a TV cartoon.) This was one of my favourite shows when I was little, and I liked it because of the way rabbits were presented - intelligent dignified and handsome creatures, not cutesy little balls of fluff.

I must confess, I saw the film before I saw this, and I like both. However, if it were not for this TV show, I would probably never have been eager to read, and love, the book. Many people do not like the 'kiddified' feel, but they do not realise the fact that this was created to introduce children of all ages to the amazing world of Watership Down.

Ah memories. Coming home from boredom and stress of school. On goes the TV and ahh, nice, watership down. Maybe it was the music that got me watching this. Who knows what it was but I know what made me keep watching it.

If anyone asks me which is better: films or TV series's, I'd have to say TV series's. Why? Mainly because if you make a film you're stuck having to make it all fit into say one or two hours (three sometimes) and even when you're making a film of a book a lot can be missed out. Non readers of that book can be lost with events and sayings which were only explained in the book. With a TV series you have time to spread things out. To explore and develop characters. To explain backgrounds in detail. To really make the audience understand things. If you've seen the film then read the book you'll know what I'm talking about.

That's why I prefer this to the film. There's more of it. You can't help but be drawn into the story line. It's exciting, it's fun. It also has a darker side that gets explored. Scratch away the surface of kiddiness of this show and you'll see.

Why be restrained with only having what's in the book? Apart from spoiling the book it'll never look really good. They've made the story more politically correct by changing one character from male to female and having a main character female mouse so the cast isn't entirely male. But you get by that if you don't think much of that idea.

The underlying plot is really gripping as the rabbits find that new life on watership down isn't as safe as it seems. I won't explain in fear of spoiling the show but it's there.

As I said in the summary, there's a lack of good quality adventure stories that aren't just very very childish and bad. Maybe that's why Harry Potter is doing so well. This is childish as well, I know. After all it was made for children. It's good but some viewers may be thrown by its at first glance childishness.

I miss this kind of show.

I generously give this series a 7. Although it was well done, season 3 and the ending was a let down. I would have rated it an 8 if season 3 reflected season 1 and 2.

It is a unique story and animation following the trials and tribulations of a rabbit warren. It is much like a regular drama except it is animated with rabbits as main characters instead of humans. I think the content is too mature for kids. Perhaps it would be okay for teens.

It was a disappointment that they veered off in season 3 and were much too focused on war and creating a warren at a man made facility (which was not in the book) was just too far fetched. Rabbits are peaceful and gentle creatures and they belong in the natural world and are not adaptable as other animals such as rats or mice.

This aside, my main criticism of the series was that they should have had one more episode to wrap things up and let us witness outcomes. Instead it felt as though it ended short if they ran out of budget.

The book is an incredibly powerful one and the 1978 is one of my all-time favourite movies. So actually considering that the intense nature of the book and film would be simplified for a more family-oriented series I was not expecting much. But I found myself incredibly impressed. In correlation to the book and film it is not as good, but deserves to stand on its own. What was actually impressive about the Watership Down series was that while the ferocity and power was more dominant in the book and film, the series at the same doesn't fall into the trap of making it into a stereotypical cute little bunnies show. There is definitely a darkness and sense of conflict there, but it doesn't feel like too much. The morals are done in a realistic way and the story lines are intelligently done. The writing is strong, not childish or too sophisticated, the music is lovingly haunting and the animation looks beautiful. I actually found the character design of General Woundwort more threatening than he is in the film. The characters are basic in the types of characters they are, but at the same time there is nothing dull or annoying about them. The voice acting is terrific, Richard Briers is suitably earnest and John Hurt takes on the villainous role of Woundwort and is subtly malevolent. Overall, I found it to be a very good show. 9/10 Bethany Cox

It is still better than nothing, but it may leave fans of the book unsatisfied. It would have been a great idea to turn the movie's adaptation of the novel into a show, and it could have worked, but they have messed around with it too much. Blackberry should not have been turned into a doe. Some say it was to be politically correct. However, this is not politically correct or factually correct. It was an important part of the story that no does had come on the journey, and therefore they needed to go and find some. They could have written the story to have more does. But the bigger problems are with the characterizations. They are more disney like and made to appeal to more to the younger generations, which is the opposite of what the movie did. A significant aspect of the characters is that they are not disney like. and although I am usually opposed to senseless violence, it ruined the story to lighten the violence on this show too. The dialogue is also dumbed down. However, it does give a much more broader look on the story it is based on, and additional stories they made up from the novel. This makes it worth watching. Other than that, let your children read the novel if you want them to experience Watership Down.