Watership Down, I feel traumatised, won't someone think of the children?

[XmasPostmanBos]

If you ever wondered what would have happened if Walt Disney decided to make a dark, noir, thiller based on a terrifying journey through a hostile land with a kind of concentration camp in it.
The weird CGI rabbits make it even creepier.

I've got three rabbits. Two boys, who I've had neutered and a unneutered girl (she's due to get done). Because of that she's become the dominant rabbit.

She hops about all sweet, then the ears go back and she becomes evil incarnate. I'd be less scared of a dog. She's took chunks out of me.

She bullies the boys, ruthlessly.

Anyone who describes them as timid prey animals hasn't met a lot of rabbits.

billybagpuss
Campion - good
Yeah but he started off bad, didn’t he? I honestly can’t remember the finer details, I was obsessed nearly 30 odd years ago, but haven’t read or watched since. I just remember my mixed feelings at the time, my deep hatred of woundwort, and love and sympathy for Bigwig, Hazel and Fiver. Oh, and Blackberry too. I remember being determined that I would have loved and protected Fiver without question. If I was a rabbit, that is.....

Campion capable of realising he was wrong and doing his best to make up for his actions. He was one if my favourite rabbits in the book.

The original film and it's free flowing blood was terrifying, Dsis cried buckets. This one was obviously made for an Americanised market... It was a Netflicks and BBC make, I think. So a bit sanitised, anthropomorphised, far too nice nice.

I mean what was with all the Fiver we love you as you are crap?? The nigh on emasculation of Hazel? And, regardless of the actor, a Scottish seagull??? He was supposed to be exotic, unknowable, from and returning to far flung places. Not on his Holi bloody Bob's from Scotland!!!!!

Pshaw!!??!!

Wasn't Keehar Russian ? 'Pees off bunny', missed him swearing at the rabbits. Also 'big vater ', 'plenty good' etc ..

I live within cycling distance of Watership Down. I've often cycled along it and walked all along the ridge many many times. Never seen a single fucking rabbit.

I was traumatised by the original. It is the scariest film I e ever watched! I did watch the bbc version but didn’t watch with dc. It’s not as dark as the first.

Campion was a good leader, he didn't do what woundwort ordered him to maliciously, he took no pleasure in it and when it came to it Efrafa thrived under his leadership. I think he was a loyal soul, he was angry that he lost officers due to the train and the fox which he blamed the rabbits.

Is it sad aged 48 I have it on my kindle and read it again when Adams died a couple of years ago?

Mind you @waronpeace I think I would have argued differently 30 years ago

What better than a watershed down discussion on Christmas morning?

I am someone who was traumatised by "Bambi" when my mother took me to see it at the cinema - I cried all the way home on the bus. I have read "Watership Down" but decided not to watch either film.

Haha @campervan, now Bambi did make me cry, I was 3, I wept buckets when he slipped on the ice as I thought he'd hurt himself. His Mum getting shot though, not so much as a whimper, I think I must have been an odd child.

I watched the original when I was about 5 at school for our Christmas treat. I was traumatised. I grew to love it though as I got older and read the book.

One of our next door neighbours was one of the animators and showed me how they made it.

I've not seen the new one. Not sure it would be the same without Bright Eyes.

Dug my old copy out, going to reread it.

billybagpuss oh I would have been thrilled to have had someone to go over the finer points with as a child. I often read/watched things that I tried my best with, but were beyond my reach in some ways due to being so young and lacking wisdom and true critical thinking.

Samphire yes, you’re right about Campion. I think my 6-7 year old self couldn’t wrap my head around the subtleties and nuances of the differences between forced behaviour, having choice and free will, the chance of redemption. It was why I needed a bit of adult input I think.
My own children haven’t read it, but as foracious readers and regular countryside trippers, they have come across some strong themes surrounding life and death, the harsh reality of the spread of man, and have now gained some real understanding of ethics and nature. There’s a photographer on Instagram who takes countryside photographs of dead animals, roadkill mostly, but in a serene and beautiful setting, like they’re asleep. I’ll try and find the photographer’s name.

If anyone’s still out there, the artist that puts dead wildlife into beautiful scenes is Max Kimber. Look up the pictures, they’re very poignant.

Saw the original film at the cinema. I sat there not moving, ice cream running down my hands in sheer terror. Not at the blood and violence but that fucking black rabbit of death. Scared the bejeezus out of me with the bloody trippy animation floating around with its soulless eyes. Ugh. I was deathly quiet on the way home and traumatised for years. Then bloody Bright Eyes got to no1. Everytime I hear that song the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Book was brilliant though. I enjoyed the BBC one as the black rabbit was just that. A black rabbit. Not some psychodelic nightmare.

Haven't seen the remake but the original was hideous!! Still can't see how it's a kids film! And not quite as bad but equally as bleak is the TV cartoon series animals of farthing wood. So many deaths!! I remember being upset by the pheasants and my friend inconsolable about the hedgehogs

Animals of Farthing Wood. I cried buckets.

Am I weird that I was frightened by the black rabbit. The violence and rabbits being gassed was hideous but it was that bloody black rabbit.

Oh my goodness I can’t watch anything like this, I’m 41 never seen watership down or bambi I get too upset no way was I watching the new version!

offhand, Bambi, The Lion King, and others have some traumatic moments. Spiderwick Chronicles is scarier than Harry Potter, I would have thought.

Try "Bridge To Terabithia" if they are older. Unexpected developments in that.