To think I shouldn't buy this bargain?

[Toadinthehole]

It's a DVD of Watership Down. Will I traumatise my kids by letting them watch it?

If they like small furry animals, don't show them a film of said animals bleeding from the eyes, bloodied, mutilated and annihilated.

Brilliant film, brilliant book. Saw the film when I was about 8 or 9 and yes, it's sad and a bit scary, but that's no bad thing. I taped it off the telly and watched it umpteen times, and the book is still one of my favourites. The way Fiver deals with Hazel's death also really helped me as a kid when I was heartbroken over the sudden death of my adored dog.

I loved wildlife and we had pet rabbits. I knew about real rabbit behaviours and how they live in the wild. It was not a shock to me that rabbits fight and that they are under threat from predators.

Personally I think it depends on the kid whether it's 'suitable' but the level of dramatic people make over this film is insane. It's fine for a film to make you cry a bit sometimes or hide behind a cushion and that is normal and healthy for a kid. I'm not saying I'd show it to a toddler but I'm a bit stunned that people are saying their 12-year-olds couldn't cope with it.

Buy them The Plauge Dogs first (same people that done watership down), makes Watership Down look like Peppa Pig by comparison.

I saw that film when I was 9. I'm still traumatised now and I'm 48 in a fortnight!!!

Yeah, get it and let them watch it. Might make them empathetic towards rabbits which is much needed in a world that is pretty bloody awful towards them

Sorry this made me giggle ! Rabbits have it OK

Not as good as dogs and cats

But better than pigs and cows in an industrial farming scenario . Life of hell and painful death

I would not
Mind being a rabbit 🐰

No! I suffer from vicarious trauma from my childhood when DDad brought home my 2 sobbings dbs.
Sort of joking but not really- it's evidently extremely upsetting.

Is it the only DVD on offer?

The film is on my top films list, I was probably about 5 when I first saw it.
I felt the book was much more disturbing and terrifying actually when I read it at 13.

Id buy it, make them watch it and then make them watch When the wind blows.

It's character building!!!!

Throw in Tarka the Otter for good measure...

I tried the book when I was young and just couldn't deal with it!

Too dark and upsetting no way would I ever be watching the film!

It did make me realise from an early age that I don't want to read sad books/watch sad films as I don't want to invest time in a book/film and feel fucking miserable when it's finished!

I read the book, and also The Plague Dogs, before Watership Down was made . They're certainly not fluffy-wuffy-bunny stories, but I was far more traumatised by Little Women.

It was my favourite book as a child. The film is sad, but surely not scarring for life material?
My friend's dad had a video showing, so our group of friends used to stay at her house and watch horror movies ( the Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre,Scanners, Breeders, Halloween etc some of it on pirate video as they were banned in UK at the time) at about 14, so maybe we were just a bit more robust in those days?

I was far more traumatised by Little Women.

Are you Joey from Friends?

I can't watch it without crying. In fact, even when "Bright Eyes" plays on the radio it makes me well up.

As PP mentioned The Plague Dogs is far more horrific.
The Last of the Curlews was the one that made me cry as a child!

They made a film of Plague Dogs? I couldn't even finish the book, it was so disturbing. Watership Down is not fit for children, it's the only film that ever gave me nightmares and DH says the same thing. Richard Adams is a sick fucker.

I like horror generally but it's the harming animals I can't cope with, kill all the people you like but leave the fluffy bunnies alone!

Show them Grave of the Fireflies too, that's another nice uplifting cartoon terrible tale of starvation in postwar Japan

Yes, I remember crying buckets while watching Grave of the Fireflies, and I was an adult at the time.

It's sad and horrible and I cried my eyes out when I saw it on the cinema as a child (late 70s). I was really hysterical for hours. Please don't get it for young children.

SpikeGilesSandwich yes I have it on DVD. It was one of my favourites as a child in the 80's (I was an odd child). My mum used to let us pick out a video from the rental shop every Friday and I almost always picked The plauge dogs. I think a lot of it went over my head as a child to be honest but I did understand the ending.

My DC were going on about grave if the fireflies too ! We live studio G and they read a review / and were a bit scared by the sound of it

Horrific film - not for kids

Haha I watched it but I don't really remember it... It can't be that bad 🤔
Was it???? actually I'm sure they are bringing out a new one this year!