This *beep* is horrifying. It should not be rated PG. I saw it when I was about 9 and was scared to death. What sick *beep* would create a story about rabbits with their own subculture and freaking language? Not to mention graphic scenes of ripping each other apart like steaks. That's crazy messed up. If you want to acquire a new fear of rabbits go ahead, but don't show this to your kids.
shareIt's not meant for kids. It's an adaptation of a wonderful classic novel and is definitely intended for adults.
shareIt's for everyone, including and especially kids. It started out as a story a man made up during a long car ride to entertain his young daughters, 6 and 8 at the time. They always wanted to hear more about the rabbits, so he kept the story going. They loved it and pestered him to write it all into a book.
I know the guy who directed the movie has said "it wasn't meant for kids," but he's just responding to decades of backlash, he's full of shit. He created a very faithful adaptation of a story that was originally created specifically for young children and grew into something for everyone. The movie released when I was 9 and I saw it in a theater full of children and we all survived somehow.
My 9-year old sister and 8-year old niece watched it, and they were fine. Maybe you were just a wimp.
Can't stop the signal.
I saw it when it came out. I was 16 and sat next to family with 3 kids--two were twins and 7 and one was 8. They sat through the picture and weren't even remotely upset about it.
shareThat's what's so disturbing.
It's like children are becoming numb and immune to violence. (But overly sensitive to criticism or "yelling" at them.)
I started watching this film (I'm 61) having never seen it before but after Violet "disappeared" I shut it off. I can't watch movies where the dog dies and I can already see this film going in that direction and I don't need that kind of sadness in my life. Life is sad enough without voluntarily having my emotions tossed around.
It's a CARTOON not real violence at all. Also kids have got to grow up sometime. They have to know that violence does exist and sometimes animals die. You can't sugarcoat everything for them.
shareGive it another try some time. It's not a sad story, although there are sad elements to it. The dangers facing the rabbits are portrayed realistically, but the point of the film is that even though all the world is their enemy, with cunning and bravery their people will survive.
shareWhy is it necessary to undermine children (and adults) who aren't immune and unblinking when violence is shown to them for the first time? That, sir, is actually a healthy reaction to your first introduction to anything that shatters your rose-colored glasses (then after that, you can adapt). Thinking it's cool or having no reaction at all as a rookie says a lot, not of which is good. I understand that being emotionally detached is the troubling norm, but some people are wired differently.
shareCould you please watch your language? Children read these message boards and I don't think that you are acting appropriately.
sharePG is an appropriate rating, the movie is not nearly as violent as it's made out to be. I saw it at age 10 when it was released in theaters because I had just read the novel and thought it was incredible. Children are coddled way to much today.
"Sorry I'm late guys. I was taking a crap."
Paul Newman
Isn't all profanity bleeped out on IMDb?
shareIf you think IMDB boards is the place where kids pick up swear, boy you don't know *beep*
PS everybody older than five can guess the word I used before the wordfilter butchered my text. It's not because of the internet. And it's alright.
Only a pig would respond to one of the most beautiful fables put on film with the comment WTF.
shareExactly. I saw this film when I was nine and adored it and it changed my life for the positive. For the first time in my life I thought about the plight of animals, the idea of god, etc -- ideas that I had never given serious thought to no matter what my parents or my church tried to teach me about such matters. This film, and especially the book, are brilliant. My best friend from childhood became a vet because of this film. How many of the idiot, mindless kids films of today inspire such profound reactions as inspiring a child to become a vet? The great classics like Watership Down inspire children in profound ways. I am so tired of the absurd bellyaching about this film being "so violent" (while the kids of today play video games, watch scores of films, etc that are far, far more violent than this film, which shows moments of *animated* violence)
"Hearts and kidneys are tinker toys! I am talking about the central nervous system!"
Well put well put.
shareI understand your view on the film it can be disturbing,but I think children should be told morality tales such as this to prepare them slowly to what living really is...I saw this as a 6 year old child back when it came out in 1978 I'm 43 now,and I watched it again throughout the years,and once even in elementary school when v.c.r's were getting popular,and in fact TCM just had a showing a few hours ago... I loved the fact that he created a monotheistic diety,a history,a belief system,codes of conduct good,or bad,right,or wrong,and a sense of human intelligence that mirrors our own...True it shows a harsh reality,and can even be sad,but this is what life for humans are...This was always a beloved story long before the feature was made...I personally grew up loving this film adaption...It's a beautiful,and brilliant tale,and when I watched it again this evening I fell in love with it all over again...
shareI saw this film when I was about 5 or 6 and wasn't troubled by it at all, I also read Roald Dahl books and was lucky enough to grow up in a time when people were a bit more realsitic about the world and it's dangers. If you bring your kids up watching pop idol or those crap talent programmes then something like this with some actual thought and depth will scare you, I suppose. There ae much more shocking things on the news than anything this cartoon might offer.
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I saw this film when I was about 5 or 6 and wasn't troubled by it at all, I also read Roald Dahl books and was lucky enough to grow up in a time when people were a bit more realsitic about the world and it's dangers.
I watched it when I was nine, having read the book, and it didn't traumatise me at all. I loved it and still come back to it today.
shareMy parents took me to see "Bambi"...with it's horrifying depiction of a forest fire. They took me to see "Sleeping Beauty" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"...in which both main characters are plotted against and nearly murdered. They took me to see "Cinderella"...whose sadistic family constantly preyed upon her. They took me to see "Pinnochio"...in which children are forced into slavery and Pinnochio is eventually eaten by a whale. If "Watership Down" had been released during my childhood, they would've taken me to see it as well. Clearly they were unfit parents, yet I somehow survived my childhood years and managed to retain my sanity. Perhaps the reason for that is because I was gradually introduced to the realities of life at an early age. I feel sorry for children whose parents are trying to raise them in danger-free glass bubbles. They will have a very hard time adapting to the real world.
Usually the glass bubble period ends naturally when puberty begins, (whether the parents consent to it or not) so I find comments like this to be on par with exaggerations. There's nothing hindering about not seeing adult themes as a child; now as an adolescent, I find it problematic. However, we're not living in a glass bubble society to begin with, which may be the reason for some uptight adults, who can't exactly censor the media anyway; sex is quite inescapable and most youth are rather immune to violence even when they are seemingly sheltered due to their access to social media and pop culture.
shareI saw this film as an eight year old and to be quite frankly, it didn't really bother me. I was actually more upset and terrified by Return to Oz which didn't contain quite the level of graphic violence this did (which was relatively tame). The wheelers and the scene in the corridor with the disembodied heads in the glass cupboards scared/disturbed me more. Children probably come across roadkill in the street which is more horrendous than this movie.
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