It's Wabbit Season here at The Unenthusiastic Critic, as we sit down for Nakea's first viewing of the 1978 classic Watership Down. 

First, we're starting out with an animated discussion of the art of animation, and discussing some of our favorite films in the medium.

Then, Michael is introducing Nakea to a film that traumatized his entire generation, Martin Rosen's beautiful and brutal adaptation of Richard Adams' classic novel about leporine refugees in search of a new home.

Nakea says that, when it comes to animated movies, she likes the handmade ones, the sad ones, and the ones with good villains. Place your bets now as to whether Watership Down could possibly meet her standards.

Program

0:00: Prologue: from Warner Bros' "Fresh Hare" (1942)
0:51: Intro and Preliminary Discussion: Animation
18:58: Interlude: Scene from Watership Down
19:30: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion of Watership Down
24:34: Interlude: Original Trailer for Watership Down
25:59: The Verdict: Post-Viewing Discussion of Watership Down
1:06:24: Outro and Next Week's Movie
1:08:15: Outtake

Notes and Links

—Movie Reviewed: Watership Down (dir. Martin Rosen, Avco, 1978).
—At one point Michael shows Nakea pictures, which always makes for good audio. The two pictures he shows her are the original Watership Down one-sheet, and this DVD cover.
—Prologue audio is from Friz Freling's Warner Bros. cartoon "Fresh Hare" (1942),  which is an okay Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd short until it gets extremely and randomly racist at the end.
—Articles Mentioned and Resources: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud; "Watership Down: Parents 'horrified' as Channel 5 airs 'traumatising' film on Easter Sunday," Jess Denham, The Independent; "BBC remake Watership Down with Less Violence to Avoid Scarring Children," Hannah Furness, The Telegraph; "Passion Project: Martin Rosen on Watership Down," Criterion Interview, filmstruck.com; Guillermo del Toro on Watership Down," Criterion interview, filmstruck.com.
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