HOME | DD

Description
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a thousand enemies.
And when they catch you, they will kill you.
But first they must catch you;
digger, listener, runner. Prince with a swift warning.
Be cunning, full of tricks. And your people will NEVER be destroyed."

--------------------------

I've been meaning to do something like this for a while now, i've talked about Watership Down before; but i think it deserves a tribute of its own. Perhaps i'll do a 'Plague Dogs' version of this concept as well, god knows there are just as many (if not more) disturbing moments in that film too!
I ADORE this film, i only discovered it a few months ago (back when Youtube had the full movie). I didn't think much of it from my first viewing, but a few weeks ago i ordered a double feature DVD of 'Watership Down' and 'The Plague Dogs' And after watching Watership Down again, all of a sudden i'm obssessed with it!
So here they are; in all their nightmare inducing glory, the most disturbing and most memorable moments from this beautiful animated classic.

'The Plague Dogs' analysis piece: nostalgicchills.deviantart.com…

*ATTENTION* THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION CONTAINS SPOILERS*

-----------------------------------

1. Fiver's Vision (the field)
Ok, so the film starts out innocent enough. You've got a story of the rabbit's origins told in a very unique art style, kind of like a fable or legend. Then it cuts to the present where we meet the two main characters Hazel and his brother Fiver. Fiver feels uneasy about the warren on this particular day, although he can't figure out why. That is until he discovers a discarded cigarette butt and human footprints. Fiver's voice suddenly turns cold; and the scene takes a pretty disturbing turn as Fiver has a horrible vision regarding the warren:
"This is where it comes from. I know now, a terrible thing is coming. Look...the field...the FIELD...it's covered with blood."
This is where we know that this is no ordinary animated film, this is where smart parents of very little children turn the movie off. Because anyone who has seen Watership Down in its entirety knows that this is just the beginning, and the first of many disturbing scenes. It's a great scene though, i love it! The music score in the vision sequence fits the atmosphere perfectly, and this scene really sets the tone for the entire film. It's really hard to decide whether or not to feel sorry for Fiver in scenes like this. On the one hand, he clearly suffers from some kind of mental illness or anxiety disorder. To have these horrid mental visions about your home and loved ones; would be absolutely terrifying. It would also be pretty damn frustrating when just about everyone thinks you're insane. But then again, you have the ability to save the life of anyone who has the common sense to listen to you. So, it's a pretty tough call. Either way, Fiver has a very special; if not very disturbing gift.

2. Bigwig Snare scene:
This scene happens about 20 minutes into the movie, not much else happens between 'Fiver's vision' and this scene, but this moment happens very suddenly; catching its audiences off guard. It occurs after Bigwig snaps at Fiver for being 'unreasonable' and reluctant to settle in Cowslip's burrows; that were admittedly built by humans. Bigwig disappears into the bushes in a fluster to tell the others that he is done listening to Fiver and his intuition rantings. As he disappears, there is a loud screech. Bigwig has gotten himself trapped in a snare (or 'rabbit trap' as they are often called). The others gather to try and free him before he chokes to death. As the scene goes on, blood begins to pour from Bigwig's nose and mouth as the wire is slowly strangling him. Until finally, he is freed. He loses consciousness and is still. Mourning the supposedly dead Bigwig, Hazel recites a poem for him:
"My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today."
Thankfully, Bigwig regains consciousness and presses on. From this scene onwards, Bigwig ultimately begins to take Fiver and his premonitions more seriously.
This scene addresses a very unpleasant reality. Snares are still very commonly used by farmers to trap and kill rabbits. It's a very painful death for any animal unfortunate enough to get trapped in one. And in real life, once trapped there is NO escape.

3. Holly's Message/Destroyed Warren scene:
This is THE scene. The scene that EVERYONE remembers. For some, this is the most disturbing thing they've ever seen in any animated film. And yes, this scene is very memorable for a good reason.
Captain Holly from their first warren at the beginning of the film, finally catches up with Hazel, Bigwig and the rest of the escaped members. Injured and exhausted, he is relieved to have found them at last. But Holly has a very grim flashback that explains what happened to their warren.
(To Fiver) "I remember you...You're the one that saw it coming."
"But, what happened?"
"Our warren...destroyed."
"Destroyed? How?"
"Men came. Filled in the burrows. Couldn't get out. There was a strange sound. Hissing. The air turned bad. Runs blocked with dead bodies. Couldn't get out! Everything turned mad. Warren, herbs, roots, grass, all pushed into the earth."
I'm not particularly proud of this, but this is actually my favourite scene in the entire movie. It's very unpleasant, there's no denying that. But this scene was so well done that i just have to give it a round of applause. If you disagree, think about this: this scene was less than a minute long, yet it is the most commonly refered to as the most memorable. This scene has caused more nightmares than any other. And i think i'm beginning to understand exactly how it left such a large impact on its audience. It's not just the visuals, it's the subtle details as well. Like the quiet music score, the brilliantly written dialogue, the art style and the sound effects all perfectly come together to create this utterly terrifying sequence. I've come to realise that; the best way to scare your audience in an animated film or TV show is to simply change the art style. 'Courage the Cowardly Dog' effectively used this method too, they used to change the art medium to create their most terrifying moments: using mediums like CGI, clay-mation and even life action. Watership Down may not have changed the art medium, but they did change the art style and color scheme. The common, realistic earthy colors drastically change to a vivid blue and bright red; to create a surreal nightmare of a horrible, chaotic mess as their home and their very lives are destroyed.
YouTube clip of this scene: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzirfr…

4. General Woundwort/'Dog Loose in the Woods' scene:
Hats off to General Woundwort for being a pretty badass villian! He didn't particularly get much screen time, but he certainly left a great impression in the short time that he had. What's more, he had an awesome finale/death.
General Woundwort invades Watership Down to kill Bigwig and his group for treason against 'The Efrafa'. As a desperate attempt to save his friends, Hazel and some other members free a dangerous farm dog and lead it to the burrow. The scene that follows is nothing short of a blood bath as the rabid dog rips the Efrafans' apart, killing most of them. Woundwort emerges from the hole and sees his soldiers fleeing at the sight of the killer dog:
"Come back! Come back, you fools! Come back! Come back and fight! Dogs aren't dangerous!"
The dog appears from over the hill, drops a dead Efrafan and then comes after Woundwort. Rather than run away like a common coward, The General lunges at the dog; and is never seen again:
"General Woundwort's body was never found. It could be that he still lives his fierce life somewhere else, but from that day on, mother rabbits would tell their kittens that if they did not do as they were told, the General would get them. Such was Woundwort's monument, and perhaps it would not have displeased him."
I love this end for a great villain! The villain's last scene in just about every animated movie, whether they die or not; are never dignified. This is just one of the many ways Watership Down seperates itself from the common animated film.

5. The Black Rabbit of Inle:
This ominous character appears a few times in this movie. This dark, immortal figure has scared quite a few people in the past. Probably not so much the character itself, but what this spirit represents...Death. 'The Black Rabbit of Inle/Death' is literally the 'grim reaper' of the rabbit world.
"We go by the will of The Black Rabbit. When he calls you, you must go."
This brings me to the hidden genius within two of Richard Adams' books, not just in 'Watership Down' but also in 'The Plague Dogs' And that is how the concept of Death is portrayed. A very difficult idea to handle in any story. But in these stories, Death is feared and avoided by some/most characters, but is also embraced by others. The Black Rabbit as a character isn't evil at all, he is just a misunderstood entity who does nothing more than fulfil his purpose:
"The Black Rabbit serves Lord Frith, but he does no more than his appointed task."
The Black Rabbit even helps Fiver find Hazel's injured body after he is shot by the farmers. But of course the most discerning moment with him is the very end scene, where Hazel is approached by the dark figure:
"I've come to ask if you'd like to join my Owsla. We shall be glad to have you, and I know you'd like it. You've been feeling tired, haven't you? If you're ready, we might go along now.
[Hazel looks at all the younger rabbits of Watership Down]
"You needn't worry about them. They'll be all right, and thousands like them. If you come along now, I'll show you what I mean."
Hazel embraces Death, and dies peacefully. His soul emerges from his body as he joins The Black Rabbit on his journey to eternal bliss.
As exemplified by this scene, Death; rather than being nothing but an unjust end, can actually be seen as a beginning of a new life. A better life, away from the grip of old age or any other equally painful circumstance. This is the way that Death should be treated in the media. Should you avoid death for as long as you can? Yes. Should you live in fear of it? No. Because it really is an inevitable, and ultimately unavoidable part of life. Life is a choice, Death is a reality. But Watership Down and I assure you, it's just the beginning of something far greater than we as people can comprehend.

----------------------------------

If you haven't seen this film, go see it. However you can. Unfortunately, Youtube no longer has the full movie, it was deleted due to copyright infringements. But i'm telling you, you need to see this film at least once in your lifetime. Even if you hate it, you can still look back and say "I've seen Watership Down."
And who knows, you may grow to love this film as much as i do.

Description
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a thousand enemies.
And when they catch you, they will kill you.
But first they must catch you;
digger, listener, runner. Prince with a swift warning.
Be cunning, full of tricks. And your people will NEVER be destroyed."

--------------------------

I've been meaning to do something like this for a while now, i've talked about Watership Down before; but i think it deserves a tribute of its own. Perhaps i'll do a 'Plague Dogs' version of this concept as well, god knows there are just as many (if not more) disturbing moments in that film too!
I ADORE this film, i only discovered it a few months ago (back when Youtube had the full movie). I didn't think much of it from my first viewing, but a few weeks ago i ordered a double feature DVD of 'Watership Down' and 'The Plague Dogs' And after watching Watership Down again, all of a sudden i'm obssessed with it!
So here they are; in all their nightmare inducing glory, the most disturbing and most memorable moments from this beautiful animated classic.

'The Plague Dogs' analysis piece: nostalgicchills.deviantart.com…

*ATTENTION* THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION CONTAINS SPOILERS*

-----------------------------------

1. Fiver's Vision (the field)
Ok, so the film starts out innocent enough. You've got a story of the rabbit's origins told in a very unique art style, kind of like a fable or legend. Then it cuts to the present where we meet the two main characters Hazel and his brother Fiver. Fiver feels uneasy about the warren on this particular day, although he can't figure out why. That is until he discovers a discarded cigarette butt and human footprints. Fiver's voice suddenly turns cold; and the scene takes a pretty disturbing turn as Fiver has a horrible vision regarding the warren:
"This is where it comes from. I know now, a terrible thing is coming. Look...the field...the FIELD...it's covered with blood."
This is where we know that this is no ordinary animated film, this is where smart parents of very little children turn the movie off. Because anyone who has seen Watership Down in its entirety knows that this is just the beginning, and the first of many disturbing scenes. It's a great scene though, i love it! The music score in the vision sequence fits the atmosphere perfectly, and this scene really sets the tone for the entire film. It's really hard to decide whether or not to feel sorry for Fiver in scenes like this. On the one hand, he clearly suffers from some kind of mental illness or anxiety disorder. To have these horrid mental visions about your home and loved ones; would be absolutely terrifying. It would also be pretty damn frustrating when just about everyone thinks you're insane. But then again, you have the ability to save the life of anyone who has the common sense to listen to you. So, it's a pretty tough call. Either way, Fiver has a very special; if not very disturbing gift.

2. Bigwig Snare scene:
This scene happens about 20 minutes into the movie, not much else happens between 'Fiver's vision' and this scene, but this moment happens very suddenly; catching its audiences off guard. It occurs after Bigwig snaps at Fiver for being 'unreasonable' and reluctant to settle in Cowslip's burrows; that were admittedly built by humans. Bigwig disappears into the bushes in a fluster to tell the others that he is done listening to Fiver and his intuition rantings. As he disappears, there is a loud screech. Bigwig has gotten himself trapped in a snare (or 'rabbit trap' as they are often called). The others gather to try and free him before he chokes to death. As the scene goes on, blood begins to pour from Bigwig's nose and mouth as the wire is slowly strangling him. Until finally, he is freed. He loses consciousness and is still. Mourning the supposedly dead Bigwig, Hazel recites a poem for him:
"My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today."
Thankfully, Bigwig regains consciousness and presses on. From this scene onwards, Bigwig ultimately begins to take Fiver and his premonitions more seriously.
This scene addresses a very unpleasant reality. Snares are still very commonly used by farmers to trap and kill rabbits. It's a very painful death for any animal unfortunate enough to get trapped in one. And in real life, once trapped there is NO escape.

3. Holly's Message/Destroyed Warren scene:
This is THE scene. The scene that EVERYONE remembers. For some, this is the most disturbing thing they've ever seen in any animated film. And yes, this scene is very memorable for a good reason.
Captain Holly from their first warren at the beginning of the film, finally catches up with Hazel, Bigwig and the rest of the escaped members. Injured and exhausted, he is relieved to have found them at last. But Holly has a very grim flashback that explains what happened to their warren.
(To Fiver) "I remember you...You're the one that saw it coming."
"But, what happened?"
"Our warren...destroyed."
"Destroyed? How?"
"Men came. Filled in the burrows. Couldn't get out. There was a strange sound. Hissing. The air turned bad. Runs blocked with dead bodies. Couldn't get out! Everything turned mad. Warren, herbs, roots, grass, all pushed into the earth."
I'm not particularly proud of this, but this is actually my favourite scene in the entire movie. It's very unpleasant, there's no denying that. But this scene was so well done that i just have to give it a round of applause. If you disagree, think about this: this scene was less than a minute long, yet it is the most commonly refered to as the most memorable. This scene has caused more nightmares than any other. And i think i'm beginning to understand exactly how it left such a large impact on its audience. It's not just the visuals, it's the subtle details as well. Like the quiet music score, the brilliantly written dialogue, the art style and the sound effects all perfectly come together to create this utterly terrifying sequence. I've come to realise that; the best way to scare your audience in an animated film or TV show is to simply change the art style. 'Courage the Cowardly Dog' effectively used this method too, they used to change the art medium to create their most terrifying moments: using mediums like CGI, clay-mation and even life action. Watership Down may not have changed the art medium, but they did change the art style and color scheme. The common, realistic earthy colors drastically change to a vivid blue and bright red; to create a surreal nightmare of a horrible, chaotic mess as their home and their very lives are destroyed.
YouTube clip of this scene: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzirfr…

4. General Woundwort/'Dog Loose in the Woods' scene:
Hats off to General Woundwort for being a pretty badass villian! He didn't particularly get much screen time, but he certainly left a great impression in the short time that he had. What's more, he had an awesome finale/death.
General Woundwort invades Watership Down to kill Bigwig and his group for treason against 'The Efrafa'. As a desperate attempt to save his friends, Hazel and some other members free a dangerous farm dog and lead it to the burrow. The scene that follows is nothing short of a blood bath as the rabid dog rips the Efrafans' apart, killing most of them. Woundwort emerges from the hole and sees his soldiers fleeing at the sight of the killer dog:
"Come back! Come back, you fools! Come back! Come back and fight! Dogs aren't dangerous!"
The dog appears from over the hill, drops a dead Efrafan and then comes after Woundwort. Rather than run away like a common coward, The General lunges at the dog; and is never seen again:
"General Woundwort's body was never found. It could be that he still lives his fierce life somewhere else, but from that day on, mother rabbits would tell their kittens that if they did not do as they were told, the General would get them. Such was Woundwort's monument, and perhaps it would not have displeased him."
I love this end for a great villain! The villain's last scene in just about every animated movie, whether they die or not; are never dignified. This is just one of the many ways Watership Down seperates itself from the common animated film.

5. The Black Rabbit of Inle:
This ominous character appears a few times in this movie. This dark, immortal figure has scared quite a few people in the past. Probably not so much the character itself, but what this spirit represents...Death. 'The Black Rabbit of Inle/Death' is literally the 'grim reaper' of the rabbit world.
"We go by the will of The Black Rabbit. When he calls you, you must go."
This brings me to the hidden genius within two of Richard Adams' books, not just in 'Watership Down' but also in 'The Plague Dogs' And that is how the concept of Death is portrayed. A very difficult idea to handle in any story. But in these stories, Death is feared and avoided by some/most characters, but is also embraced by others. The Black Rabbit as a character isn't evil at all, he is just a misunderstood entity who does nothing more than fulfil his purpose:
"The Black Rabbit serves Lord Frith, but he does no more than his appointed task."
The Black Rabbit even helps Fiver find Hazel's injured body after he is shot by the farmers. But of course the most discerning moment with him is the very end scene, where Hazel is approached by the dark figure:
"I've come to ask if you'd like to join my Owsla. We shall be glad to have you, and I know you'd like it. You've been feeling tired, haven't you? If you're ready, we might go along now.
[Hazel looks at all the younger rabbits of Watership Down]
"You needn't worry about them. They'll be all right, and thousands like them. If you come along now, I'll show you what I mean."
Hazel embraces Death, and dies peacefully. His soul emerges from his body as he joins The Black Rabbit on his journey to eternal bliss.
As exemplified by this scene, Death; rather than being nothing but an unjust end, can actually be seen as a beginning of a new life. A better life, away from the grip of old age or any other equally painful circumstance. This is the way that Death should be treated in the media. Should you avoid death for as long as you can? Yes. Should you live in fear of it? No. Because it really is an inevitable, and ultimately unavoidable part of life. Life is a choice, Death is a reality. But Watership Down and I assure you, it's just the beginning of something far greater than we as people can comprehend.

----------------------------------

If you haven't seen this film, go see it. However you can. Unfortunately, Youtube no longer has the full movie, it was deleted due to copyright infringements. But i'm telling you, you need to see this film at least once in your lifetime. Even if you hate it, you can still look back and say "I've seen Watership Down."
And who knows, you may grow to love this film as much as i do.