Yeah funny enough... Those words I myself took to heart in many things, games, writing, life choices, etc! Frankly in a way, this story sort of parallels what humanity often goes through. We ourselves are not the strongest, nor the fastest, nor the most capable. But it is our cunning and our vast arsenal of tricks that made us unable to fall... Well atleast until other humans came to fight
I've always wondered where humans fall into this creation story to the rabbits? Like are humans the devil equivalent as we are the most efficient at killing them.
I always loved how the rabbits had their own mythology in this book. It wasn't exactly necessary, you could've probably told a good tale without it, but it REALLY sets the tone. You can tell Adams was thinking "well, how would a prey animal see its place in the world?" Love how it gets stylized in the adaptations too.
Not only that but mythology that doesn't paint them as helpless victims to unfair circumstances. The pride, greed, and self righteousness of Prince El-ahrairah that led to them being punished. And even then they were given a gift to help make things fair.
The stories also serve as setups to future events and scenarios, and shows how the rabbits come up with some of their ideas. They are their way of passing on their cultural and generational knowledge. The movie would have been paced awkwardly, had every story from the book been told. But in this case the creation myth being the setup was an excellent choice, it ties into the main story's themes very well.
If you enjoyed the rabbit's legends and myths, you should definitely read the sequel. It's called _Tales From Watership Down_ and it's full of myths and legends that didn't make it into the first book.
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies. Whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you, digger, listener, runner. Prince with the swift warning." I love this monologue.
It’s a good allegory for God. He will not allow one of his children to continuously wrong the others but will not forget that the former is still his child.
He said control, not eliminate. :) He just added the check on the “balance.” Rabbits multiplied like mad when brought to Australia as they had a NO predators to help control their population, arguably the best example of ecosystems and what happens when you introduce an animal which doesn’t fit. The inverse, I suppose, would be bringing cats to a land where mice didn’t have nearly the speed they have elsewhere, too conspicuous to hide, too large to be able to take refuge somewhere. The rabbits would see an example as above.
To think Richard Adamas originally made his books by just telling made-up stories to his children on things like long car journeys or before bed. Genius mind.
Those are sometimes the best stories. My grandfather used to make up stories about a lighthouse operator, but unfortunately he never wrote them down :(
I like how the origin of the rabbit is somewhat inverted in this story. Irl rabbits breed like crazy because they're constantly hunted, but here rabbits are hunted because they breed like crazy
@@wilhelmu i don't think so. The author of Watership Down was an ultra-orthadox Christian who firmly believed in that mankind's purpose was procreation. But then again Watership Down puts emphasis on that humans are careless and destructive so maybe not.
@@raydgreenwald7788 orthodox in context t of Christianity refers to eastern orthdox church. not that I expect accuracy from someone who thinks that christianity thinks that purpose of humanity is procreation.
well its from the point of view of the rabbits themselves so that checks out. why are we hunted if we are so good at spreading our genes (the goal of every animal?) why, it must be because we are the greatest! and it's the only way the other animals have a chance to compete with us!
All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies. And whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you. Digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.
Bits and pieces of this line stayed with me from watching it during childhood and I used to take comfort in it. I left home when I was a teenager and being a young girl on my own, the world really was my enemy. Like I had men trying to snatch me constantly. I was literal prey. All I remembered from that line was "All the world will be your enemy. And when they catch you, they will kill you- but first they must catch you. Be clever and cunning, and you will not die." Countless nights I remember thinking that to myself, and I got damn good and running and hiding too lmao. Sometimes I think if I were an animal I might be a rabbit.
What I love about this speech is that, at the beginning of the film, it feels like a warning (because it is), but at the end of the film, when it’s said again, it feels more like a celebration of the rabbits rather than another warning now that Hazel lived a full life.
Watership down scared me to different levels- but something was carved in my mind: the sun and the black rabbit- their symbolism is very deep to me, even as an adult. Especially the black rabbit- it gives me fear and at the same time keeps me calm, just like death.
I realised during long bleak days of lockdown while I was grieving my soulmate, & ruminating this autopilot assumption I had as an atheist, yet innate sense of God that had always been with me, that at the heart of my own personal origin of understanding spirituality, was this Frith & Black Rabbit type figure. I realised baby me had fathomed a lot from watching Watership Down as a kid. Buried in my head it got unpicked during those dark, lonely, soul searching days. In many ways Watership Down is my Genesis. I also realised I was never an atheist, I was just non religious, but always a spiritual agnostic.
It's the classical mythological tale of the heroic journey. There is the great danger, but there is also the opportunity for the hero to overcome the danger, not through sheer strength, but through intelligence, cleverness, cunning. It resonates powerfully with our species. No single human being will possess the sheer might to overcome all dangers. We might all like to be Superman, but we are not Superman. Our best chance of defeating a determined enemy lies not in sheer strength, but in cleverness. In overcoming terrible odds -- but only temporarily. The struggle is renewed tomorrow. Don't let your guard down. This is a great metaphor for life. No matter how gifted you are, you are weak when compared to all the forces of the rest of the world that will be arrayed against you. It is cleverness and intelligence, not brute force, that will allow you to get the farthest.
The owl turning its gaze on the viewer at 3:24 is just a fantastic touch. If we weren't already immersed in the story and on the side of the rabbit, the owl basically saying, "you're prey, too" puts us there in a heartbeat.
Currently playing a Rabbit-folk character in a DnD game and his peoples lore is based entirely off this story. It's one of my favorite books/short films.
I have heard people saying watership down scarred them as a child except i remember watching it at around five and being completely in love with the story but i was a weird kid lol
I must be about the same age as you. I remember loving the film too at my local cinema then going to the loos and getting the feeling that the black rabbit was going to suddenly appear. I ran out of that gents rather sharpish to my Mum who was waiting outside.
the same with me, then i read the book, and my love for the rabbits grew. my wife wondered why when we adopted a big brown and white rabbit i named him Thlayli and would on occasion call him Bigwig
This movie terrified me as a child, but I was constantly drawn back to it. It made me realize that the point of childhood is not to avoid fear, but to take it in regular doses, inoculating oneself against it. Sadly, I fear we've become both too protective of feelings, and not effective at teaching our kids to confront danger with courage.
This film enchanted me as a child. It's a beautiful and powerful piece of work. The courage of out heros at the end almost makes me cry. It also led me to Tolkien and Martin as an teen.
i’ve watched this thousands of thimes when i was a kid, my gradma had the vhs and i was somehow mesmerized. Not a childrens movie for sure but somehow very beautifull. I still watch this from time to time
Technically it is a kids movie. Kids movies back in the day were quite violent but most people now are sensitive. I mean I’m a 21st century person but I feel like kids movies in the old days weren’t really beat it round the bush and would still show gore bc people where more tough in those days. But nowadays kids movies are all sugarcoated and cheesy comedies where everyone is always happy and they have terrible jokes etc. I still watch some movies like that but I feel like movies like watership down are declining
i agree that there is no need to sugarcoat everything, and that the modern kids movies are crap, but my only memories of watership down were: its something with rabbits and i have a really bad emotional feeling towards it whenever bright eyes comes on. maybe watching it with not even 6 years was not the best idea 😅
@@theotheseaeagle Of course there are exceptions for children's movies, like with all things. Cartoon Saloon's movies are exceptionally artistic and somewhat mature for children; even adults can watch it and not feel talked down too. My favorite of the movies are The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. If you want the more mature and artistic feel of Watership Down but without the aggressive violence that is there, then I think Cartoon Saloon is the perfect place; if you so desire.
This is remarkable - I've always loved it. The animation style, everything about it. There's so many universal things about different creation myths, and you can certainly see that here. One thing that keeps popping up is that the people telling the story mention that they are too clever and there are too many of them, and the "god" has to come up with a plan to cut them down to size and limit their number. Like for example the humans would overrun everything if they got access to fire, so Zeus tries to make sure they never get it. Here, Frith changes the other animals into predators to kill most of the rabbits, so it's kind of a Noah's Flood or Tower of Babel thing - use your supernatural powers to cut your too-clever creatures off at the knees and put them in their place. Very interesting.
Nope. Fire was taking because the violence of the steel age of humanity in Greek myth. And the bibical flood or Eden, man was meant to rule but their wickedness and sin denied that. Eden vs watership down creation would be that unlike the pride of the rabbi making his creator mad and forcing him on the run, it humanity sin that broke the world itself. So no, no all religions/faiths have the idea they are too smart and need to be control instead that sounds like Believer of the show”Acident aliens” and flate earths.
@@gameover9390 You're overthinking it and too concerned about details. The Tower if Babel story is ABSOLUTELY about what I was talking about. I specifically mentioned it. They're too smart and building too high, so confound their languages and cut them down to size. Not every story has everything in common, but like I said, certain ideas keep cropping up across cultures. I never mentioned Eden. The Greek Flood myth is specifically about there being too many humans and they make too much noise. Saying, "Well these specific ones I'm thinking of have other ideas that don't match in every detail" is a red herring.
I love the book, but I also appreciate the effort they made with the movie to faithfully try and stay true to the source material. This is a truly wonderful adaptation that holds the attention, and draws one into the world of Hazel and his friends in a way that mostly satisfies. The opening scene is so good it brings tears to my eyes even now, and I'm 58.
I see it more so as El-ahrairah being too scared to get out of the hole, and since only his bottom was exposed he told Frith to give the blessing there
What I really appreciate about the rabbit lore is that not only is it simple and easy to grasp, it also makes sense. At one point, all animals ate plants. Then the rabbits began to overpopulate and consume everything, and perhaps other species did as well. So Frith made some of the animals predators to control the populations. And to keep the predators from consuming all the prey as well, Frith gave the rabbits and other prey a means to defend themselves.
a friend told me, he was permanently affected by this movie; he saw it when it came out and spent half the movie cowering behind a gi joe action figure box. to this day he refuses to watch it again. and yep, the fields of blood is freakin scary. then theres part 2 with cpt holling, horrible
I play "Bright Eyes" when I lose one of my beloved pets. The narrative & voices of all the rabbits pull me in & I care about them. So much so I weep each time I see the film.
“All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.”
I love this movie so much!!! I wasn’t born in the 1970s or anywhere in the 1900s, but old movies like this are awesome!!! Btw, this has been out for 10 years, and now people are commenting?
I had seen two times videos that there comments were once turned off but turned on again but this one when the comments turned on again it said 100 but they where none
Thanks for showing me this film when I was very young mom. You simultaneously scarred me for life as well as made me very appreciative of good writing and film making.
El-ahrirah missed one enemy. An enemy he never really understood. See, somewhere on the African savannah, there was a particular breed of ape. It wasn't very fast, or very strong, but it was was vicious, and stubborn, and above all, after the gift of Lord Frith, it was INTELLIGENT. And that gift set it apart from all others. See, there was no Dog, until Man wanted there to be a Dog. And there was no Cat, until Man wanted there to be a Cat. Because while Man wasn't fast, it could make other beasts be Fast for him. And Man wasn't strong, but it could make other beasts be strong for him. And above every other beast, it knew how to HUNGER!
@@teddybearkiller5271 No, I just made it up myself, humans are barely touched on in the book because the rabbits have trouble understanding them or anything about them.
Well man didn't CREATE dog and cat, merely domesticated a wolf and a savannah cat species...And it was a willing and mutual beneficial relationship, but of course leave it to man to pervert and spoil that relationship as well :P
There are childhood novels and films that artfully introduce you to the harsher elements of the world as it really is. Watership Down, The Dark is Rising sequence, and The Chronicles of Prydain were it for me.
I've always wondered where humans fall into this creation story to the rabbits? Like are humans the devil equivalent as we are the most efficient at killing them.
I saw this in the cinema when i was 13 and now i'm 52 and it's still one of my favourite movies. (It was a double bill of Watership Down and The Dark Crystal)
It's strange how well this has stuck to my memory after seeing it so many years ago when I was really young. Whenever I seen any animation resembling it I instantly think of this and Art Garfunkel's bright Eyes...insta nostalgia ♥
Was born in '99 and had this on VHS, then the TV series on dvd. Now I'm rewatching the series here on YT. The movie is fantastic to this day, horrifically beautiful. And some amazing world building with the unforgettable intro.
I woke up one night as a child in the 70's. The tv was on and this was playing on hbo. So at 2am i sat glued to the tv. Horrified and compelled to see the rabbits quest through. It had a effect on me. I have read the novel probably 12 times.
Notice the difference in the perception of death by Hazel at the end of his life. Earlier in life, we're terrified of death. At the end of it, especially after a long and full life, we greet it as a friend or at least with familiarity. Similar effect is mentioned in Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" when the original owner of the invisibility cloak has reached his time.
In the book, it’s not the Black Rabbit of Inlé, but El-ahrairah with his starry ears (they were a gift from Frith after gambling is original ones away). He asks Hazel to join his Owsla.
My fave book of all time, one of my fave films of all time and thankfully both my kids adore it too. Classic storytelling, funny yet heart wrenching, the entire story is just class
I loved this movie as a kid. There was a fantastic group of animated tv/movies that didn't treat me like a kid but pulled me into the joy of reading. Mouse and his Child, Rikki-Tikki Tavi, Charlotte's Web, Flight of Dragons, The Last Unicorn, and many others. That had great voice actors, beautiful artwork, and generational musicians. I especially wish someone put a compilation of all of the great songs behind them...
I watched this a little boy with my mom all the time and loved it! She said I would act crazy as kid after. I quote this movie all the time. I had so many repressed emotions as a kid due to a hard childhood and these type of movies meant a lot to me.
This was a beautiful movie despite the violence. I'm lucky enough to have seen it as a full grown adult and not a little kid though. It still stuck with me, but I knew what I was getting into and it didn't stick with me the same way it stuck with my dad, who watched it in kindergarten or first grade.
"the Black Rabbit serves Lord Frith, and does no more then his appointed task" my wife and i recently lost a beloved cat to liver disease, and i quoted this phrase but saying Mother Nature can seem cruel, but she does no more than her appointed task
Lord Frith: ‘El-ahrairah, your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.’
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
it should be studied how perfectly this intro sets the tone for the film. it’s fantastic, you learn so much about the world and values of these rabbits before we even see them
One of my favourite film intros ever. Best children's film ever made imho. Can't wait to traumatise my son with this when he's old enough to watch it and understand it. Such fond memories of being terrified by watership down.
Good for you. Parents seriously need to stop coddling their children so much. I think that PiB2 with the representation of Death was about as good as it gets in modern "Children's Movies"
When i first saw this when i was 8 i cried the whole day. But i didn’t get traumatized, yes this movie has very sad and touching parts but i still love it. One of its kind and one of the best i’ve seen
Perfect way to explain the balance of Nature and why predators are necessary. Tested this Story on 4 kids in a Zoo. All sit down and listen without a sound till the End. All the world will be your Enemie, Prince with a thousand Enemies. And when ever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you!" Immortal magic.
This intro alone traumatised me as a kid. Absolutely love the film now. It's my absolute favourite animated movie. But it gave me nightmares for a week after watching it the first time.
This story - and this entire beautiful film - always made perfect sense to me as a kid. This creation myth makes total sense for the rabbits - their Prince refused to limit their breeding and eating so that the other animals wouldn’t suffer yet because of his arrogance they were all punished by Frith - and of course this explains why the fox, and the cat, etc hunt El aHrairah’s children. And the appearance of the Black Rabbit here…perfect.
Fave movie as a kid. I had the movie book too. Used to make ShrinkeyDinks out of the images. Now I have Lord Frith tattooed on my right forearm. Thanks for this clip.
The book explains the etymology of the name. It's actually a combination of three words in Lapine, the rabbit language Elil = Enemy Hrair = Thousand Rah = Prince So Elil-hrair-rah is literally "The prince with a thousand enemies" 🙂
This is an incredibly talented riff on scriptural language and teaching. I loved it when I first read the book, and when the movie came out, I thought Michael Hordern totally nailed it. Always awesome when the movies get something right.
"Be cunning and full of tricks and your people will never be destroyed."
That part always gives me the good "whoa" kind of chills.
Yeah funny enough... Those words I myself took to heart in many things, games, writing, life choices, etc!
Frankly in a way, this story sort of parallels what humanity often goes through. We ourselves are not the strongest, nor the fastest, nor the most capable. But it is our cunning and our vast arsenal of tricks that made us unable to fall... Well atleast until other humans came to fight
@@mileselon1339 Wow that was so beautiful.
For me its the "But first they must catch you", Its weirdly empowering
@@astick5249It is basically you always have a chance.
Eren Yeager
“But first they must catch you…”
So good.
El-ahrairah was clearly afraid of being recognised and subsequently cursed by Frith instead of blessed.
They never caught my boy Chamomile, he lived until he was 12 years old ♥ (and escaped from a fox and cats) so proud and blessed to have him.
Fantastic world-building in under 4 minutes.
This whole film looking back now was a masterpiece.
Better than byebell
*Literal* world-building.
I cannot praise how succinctly and effectively this storytelling is enough!
I've always wondered where humans fall into this creation story to the rabbits? Like are humans the devil equivalent as we are the most efficient at killing them.
I always loved how the rabbits had their own mythology in this book. It wasn't exactly necessary, you could've probably told a good tale without it, but it REALLY sets the tone. You can tell Adams was thinking "well, how would a prey animal see its place in the world?" Love how it gets stylized in the adaptations too.
Not only that but mythology that doesn't paint them as helpless victims to unfair circumstances. The pride, greed, and self righteousness of Prince El-ahrairah that led to them being punished. And even then they were given a gift to help make things fair.
The stories also serve as setups to future events and scenarios, and shows how the rabbits come up with some of their ideas. They are their way of passing on their cultural and generational knowledge. The movie would have been paced awkwardly, had every story from the book been told. But in this case the creation myth being the setup was an excellent choice, it ties into the main story's themes very well.
It makes you wonder if the other animals have their own mythology as well.
If you enjoyed the rabbit's legends and myths, you should definitely read the sequel. It's called _Tales From Watership Down_ and it's full of myths and legends that didn't make it into the first book.
Unlike humans, the rabbits aren't conceited enough to assume they're numero uno either
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies. Whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you, digger, listener, runner. Prince with the swift warning." I love this monologue.
@@os10v311same, I spontaneously say it every now and then, it's imbued with some kind of magic to me
It's honestly one of my favorite lines in any media
Samee my favorite part of the whole movie/series
I love how even though Frith made the other animals hunt the rabbits he still gave them a fighting chance to survive.
Frith is the Germanic concept of peace, but that does not mean zero conflict. It means harmony.
Every living things deserves a chance to survive. The challenge is how to go about doing it.
It’s a good allegory for God. He will not allow one of his children to continuously wrong the others but will not forget that the former is still his child.
He said control, not eliminate. :)
He just added the check on the “balance.”
Rabbits multiplied like mad when brought to Australia as they had a NO predators to help control their population, arguably the best example of ecosystems and what happens when you introduce an animal which doesn’t fit.
The inverse, I suppose, would be bringing cats to a land where mice didn’t have nearly the speed they have elsewhere, too conspicuous to hide, too large to be able to take refuge somewhere. The rabbits would see an example as above.
To think Richard Adamas originally made his books by just telling made-up stories to his children on things like long car journeys or before bed. Genius mind.
@T T
Stephen King certainly thinks so.
🙂
Those are sometimes the best stories. My grandfather used to make up stories about a lighthouse operator, but unfortunately he never wrote them down :(
Even Tolkien in his way did the same with the hobbit.
I wouldn't be able to sleep for months
Hahaha the Turkish men from the 80s on your profil Pic
"Prince with a thousand enemies" is a sick title
I like how the origin of the rabbit is somewhat inverted in this story. Irl rabbits breed like crazy because they're constantly hunted, but here rabbits are hunted because they breed like crazy
it's a warning for humanity
It kinda works both ways. Still, you're probably right on the original direction of causality.
@@wilhelmu i don't think so. The author of Watership Down was an ultra-orthadox Christian who firmly believed in that mankind's purpose was procreation. But then again Watership Down puts emphasis on that humans are careless and destructive so maybe not.
@@raydgreenwald7788 orthodox in context t of Christianity refers to eastern orthdox church. not that I expect accuracy from someone who thinks that christianity thinks that purpose of humanity is procreation.
well its from the point of view of the rabbits themselves so that checks out. why are we hunted if we are so good at spreading our genes (the goal of every animal?) why, it must be because we are the greatest! and it's the only way the other animals have a chance to compete with us!
This rabbit mythology is wonderfully realized through voice and animation.
The late Michael Hordern was brilliant at that. He had a natural storytelling voice :)
All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies. And whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you. Digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.
A haunting warning that is very powerful! No matter how many times, I hear that, it gives me chills!
Bits and pieces of this line stayed with me from watching it during childhood and I used to take comfort in it. I left home when I was a teenager and being a young girl on my own, the world really was my enemy. Like I had men trying to snatch me constantly. I was literal prey. All I remembered from that line was "All the world will be your enemy. And when they catch you, they will kill you- but first they must catch you. Be clever and cunning, and you will not die." Countless nights I remember thinking that to myself, and I got damn good and running and hiding too lmao. Sometimes I think if I were an animal I might be a rabbit.
@@gingeralice3858 You can join my owsla anytime!
What I love about this speech is that, at the beginning of the film, it feels like a warning (because it is), but at the end of the film, when it’s said again, it feels more like a celebration of the rabbits rather than another warning now that Hazel lived a full life.
@@HBICTiffthe quote at the end doesn’t mention using tricks oddly enough.
Watership down scared me to different levels- but something was carved in my mind: the sun and the black rabbit- their symbolism is very deep to me, even as an adult. Especially the black rabbit- it gives me fear and at the same time keeps me calm, just like death.
That is both terrible and beautiful all at the same time. Just like life.
Just remember, if you don't act right; the General, will get you:)
I realised during long bleak days of lockdown while I was grieving my soulmate, & ruminating this autopilot assumption I had as an atheist, yet innate sense of God that had always been with me, that at the heart of my own personal origin of understanding spirituality, was this Frith & Black Rabbit type figure. I realised baby me had fathomed a lot from watching Watership Down as a kid. Buried in my head it got unpicked during those dark, lonely, soul searching days. In many ways Watership Down is my Genesis. I also realised I was never an atheist, I was just non religious, but always a spiritual agnostic.
It's the classical mythological tale of the heroic journey. There is the great danger, but there is also the opportunity for the hero to overcome the danger, not through sheer strength, but through intelligence, cleverness, cunning. It resonates powerfully with our species. No single human being will possess the sheer might to overcome all dangers. We might all like to be Superman, but we are not Superman. Our best chance of defeating a determined enemy lies not in sheer strength, but in cleverness. In overcoming terrible odds -- but only temporarily. The struggle is renewed tomorrow. Don't let your guard down.
This is a great metaphor for life. No matter how gifted you are, you are weak when compared to all the forces of the rest of the world that will be arrayed against you. It is cleverness and intelligence, not brute force, that will allow you to get the farthest.
I must have seen this 40 year ago…when I was six or seven. Schools showed movies which traumatized children back then.
The owl turning its gaze on the viewer at 3:24 is just a fantastic touch. If we weren't already immersed in the story and on the side of the rabbit, the owl basically saying, "you're prey, too" puts us there in a heartbeat.
Currently playing a Rabbit-folk character in a DnD game and his peoples lore is based entirely off this story. It's one of my favorite books/short films.
I love this! May your people never be destroyed.
I m building a rabbit folk character now, and wanted to flesh him out and using this as a core for his people as well lol
@Burgundy Blues yeah I know it goes on to the full story. I just say short film cause I think it's only 30 or 45 min, that's all.
@@EthanDarke The movie is an hour and a half long.
@@CockatielPony (just checked) huh you're right it is. I guess I just remembered it being shorter.
I have heard people saying watership down scarred them as a child except i remember watching it at around five and being completely in love with the story but i was a weird kid lol
Cat Craft OMG same here, one movie I watch every Easter.
They used to show it on tv every easter. And Charlotte s web
I was a mix of both. Terrified by so many scenes but I was always thirsty for a rewatch
Same I was never scared of it and never have been since ( in my 25 times watching it)
I must be about the same age as you. I remember loving the film too at my local cinema then going to the loos and getting the feeling that the black rabbit was going to suddenly appear. I ran out of that gents rather sharpish to my Mum who was waiting outside.
What a disturbing, beautiful film.
This is one of the coolest intros to a movie ever. Animated or otherwise.
My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today.
yes
@@sixteenstringjack i have owned several cats, and i quote this each time one of them passes away.
I watched this as a kid and It became my absolute favorite movie to watch
the same with me, then i read the book, and my love for the rabbits grew. my wife wondered why when we adopted a big brown and white rabbit i named him Thlayli and would on occasion call him Bigwig
This movie terrified me as a child, but I was constantly drawn back to it. It made me realize that the point of childhood is not to avoid fear, but to take it in regular doses, inoculating oneself against it. Sadly, I fear we've become both too protective of feelings, and not effective at teaching our kids to confront danger with courage.
Watership Down started me down the path to being able to eat lunch while watching autopsies be performed. Thanks Mr. Adams!
Can't beat the classics.
I love the voice of whomever is narrating the prologue.
Michael Hordern
"Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you."
"But first they must catch you"
This film enchanted me as a child. It's a beautiful and powerful piece of work. The courage of out heros at the end almost makes me cry. It also led me to Tolkien and Martin as an teen.
Wow
This must be important to you
i’ve watched this thousands of thimes when i was a kid, my gradma had the vhs and i was somehow mesmerized. Not a childrens movie for sure but somehow very beautifull. I still watch this from time to time
Technically it is a kids movie. Kids movies back in the day were quite violent but most people now are sensitive. I mean I’m a 21st century person but I feel like kids movies in the old days weren’t really beat it round the bush and would still show gore bc people where more tough in those days. But nowadays kids movies are all sugarcoated and cheesy comedies where everyone is always happy and they have terrible jokes etc. I still watch some movies like that but I feel like movies like watership down are declining
i agree that there is no need to sugarcoat everything, and that the modern kids movies are crap, but my only memories of watership down were: its something with rabbits and i have a really bad emotional feeling towards it whenever bright eyes comes on. maybe watching it with not even 6 years was not the best idea 😅
@@theotheseaeagle Of course there are exceptions for children's movies, like with all things. Cartoon Saloon's movies are exceptionally artistic and somewhat mature for children; even adults can watch it and not feel talked down too. My favorite of the movies are The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea.
If you want the more mature and artistic feel of Watership Down but without the aggressive violence that is there, then I think Cartoon Saloon is the perfect place; if you so desire.
Elilhrairah: So... how did that whole human project work out for you in the end eh? :)
Frith: SHUT UP I'M NARRATING.
Now he's controlling our people with the coronavirus
@@robc2892 Well said!
@@robc2892 yes very well said
@@robc2892 I don't think so. If the Toba Catastrophe couldn't destroy us, what chance does the coronavirus have? ;P
@@robc2892 that didn't last too long. But we've become pretty good at playing five B Chess with viruses by now.
This is remarkable - I've always loved it. The animation style, everything about it. There's so many universal things about different creation myths, and you can certainly see that here. One thing that keeps popping up is that the people telling the story mention that they are too clever and there are too many of them, and the "god" has to come up with a plan to cut them down to size and limit their number. Like for example the humans would overrun everything if they got access to fire, so Zeus tries to make sure they never get it. Here, Frith changes the other animals into predators to kill most of the rabbits, so it's kind of a Noah's Flood or Tower of Babel thing - use your supernatural powers to cut your too-clever creatures off at the knees and put them in their place. Very interesting.
Nope.
Fire was taking because the violence of the steel age of humanity in Greek myth. And the bibical flood or Eden, man was meant to rule but their wickedness and sin denied that.
Eden vs watership down creation would be that unlike the pride of the rabbi making his creator mad and forcing him on the run, it humanity sin that broke the world itself. So no, no all religions/faiths have the idea they are too smart and need to be control instead that sounds like Believer of the show”Acident aliens” and flate earths.
@@gameover9390 You're overthinking it and too concerned about details. The Tower if Babel story is ABSOLUTELY about what I was talking about. I specifically mentioned it. They're too smart and building too high, so confound their languages and cut them down to size. Not every story has everything in common, but like I said, certain ideas keep cropping up across cultures. I never mentioned Eden. The Greek Flood myth is specifically about there being too many humans and they make too much noise. Saying, "Well these specific ones I'm thinking of have other ideas that don't match in every detail" is a red herring.
I love the book, but I also appreciate the effort they made with the movie to faithfully try and stay true to the source material. This is a truly wonderful adaptation that holds the attention, and draws one into the world of Hazel and his friends in a way that mostly satisfies. The opening scene is so good it brings tears to my eyes even now, and I'm 58.
2:41 Even at the edge of death, El-ahrairah still had the guts to insult Frith. 😂
Frith appreciates courage and snark.
To be fair Frith was trying to teach El ahrairah a lesson
I see it more so as El-ahrairah being too scared to get out of the hole, and since only his bottom was exposed he told Frith to give the blessing there
Basically "I'm digging, kiss my az" XD
@@justsomeguy07 I’m pretty sure in the book that’s actually what he says.
Be cunning and full of tricks and your people will never be destroyed
Such a cool line / dialogue
One of the Greatest Animated film and story ever!! ....still profound and inspiring 40 years later...
PREACH!!!!!!!
This prologue still gives me goosebumps to this day.
Thank god the comments returned maybe there's still hope
😁😁😁😁👍👍👍👍
Oooooh, chills up and down my spine.
Especially when Frith started making the peaceful animals malevolent
Watership Down has some of the coolest world-building ever.
I love how when the two birds pop out the bushes they squawk for a moment then just look at the screen and have an 'Oh hey!' look on them. XD
Ladies and gentlemen, world building at it's finest.
What I really appreciate about the rabbit lore is that not only is it simple and easy to grasp, it also makes sense. At one point, all animals ate plants. Then the rabbits began to overpopulate and consume everything, and perhaps other species did as well. So Frith made some of the animals predators to control the populations. And to keep the predators from consuming all the prey as well, Frith gave the rabbits and other prey a means to defend themselves.
Now this is story telling done right, Richard adams is a fantastic author rest in piece kind sir, your memory will live on in your stories you tell
field of blood scene from this movie still creeps me out
a friend told me, he was permanently affected by this movie; he saw it when it came out and spent half the movie cowering behind a gi joe action figure box. to this day he refuses to watch it again. and yep, the fields of blood is freakin scary. then theres part 2 with cpt holling, horrible
That and the scenes where the rabbits scratch the other rabbits to death, that got me as a child too
tbh wjat got me as a Child (was like 5) was the Scene when the one Rabbit told them about the Gassing of their Old home.
@@superturkle yeah, just in case the field scene didn't mess you up, the captain Holly story with the digger and bodies definitely will.
It’s foreshadowing of when the Fiver uses his sixth sense to earn the others that humans are coming. That’s what makes it even more creepy imao
I play "Bright Eyes" when I lose one of my beloved pets. The narrative & voices of all the rabbits pull me in & I care about them. So much so I weep each time I see the film.
“All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.”
I love this movie so much!!! I wasn’t born in the 1970s or anywhere in the 1900s, but old movies like this are awesome!!!
Btw, this has been out for 10 years, and now people are commenting?
I had seen two times videos that there comments were once turned off but turned on again but this one when the comments turned on again it said 100 but they where none
PG my left testicle. There are parts in this film that are terrifying. But still one of my favorite movies from that time.
This and the dark crystal damaged me when I was a child.
It was rated U in the UK I believe
PG had a very different meaning back then
The other movie based off of Richard Addams book traumatised me.
Mike Zacharias Girl The Plague Dogs? Yeah that was dark...
Thanks for showing me this film when I was very young mom.
You simultaneously scarred me for life as well as made me very appreciative of good writing and film making.
El-ahrirah missed one enemy. An enemy he never really understood. See, somewhere on the African savannah, there was a particular breed of ape. It wasn't very fast, or very strong, but it was was vicious, and stubborn, and above all, after the gift of Lord Frith, it was INTELLIGENT. And that gift set it apart from all others. See, there was no Dog, until Man wanted there to be a Dog. And there was no Cat, until Man wanted there to be a Cat. Because while Man wasn't fast, it could make other beasts be Fast for him. And Man wasn't strong, but it could make other beasts be strong for him.
And above every other beast, it knew how to HUNGER!
😶😶
Is that a quote from the book? It sounds familiar somehow.
@@teddybearkiller5271 No, I just made it up myself, humans are barely touched on in the book because the rabbits have trouble understanding them or anything about them.
@@Piledriver86 Oh ok. Nicely done. :)
Well man didn't CREATE dog and cat, merely domesticated a wolf and a savannah cat species...And it was a willing and mutual beneficial relationship, but of course leave it to man to pervert and spoil that relationship as well :P
This opening is a master class in world building. It’s not confusing, it’s not long-winded. It’s concise and it gets to the point.
Rabbits: **exists**
Elil: We're about to end this rabbit's whole career!
There are childhood novels and films that artfully introduce you to the harsher elements of the world as it really is. Watership Down, The Dark is Rising sequence, and The Chronicles of Prydain were it for me.
I've always wondered where humans fall into this creation story to the rabbits? Like are humans the devil equivalent as we are the most efficient at killing them.
Disney did the Chronicles of Prydain dirty, with Black Cauldron instead of making all of the books into movies.
I love the contrast between this cartoon animation with the realistic style of the all film
I watch this when I was 7 and now im 16 and still one of my favorite movie
I saw this in the cinema when i was 13 and now i'm 52 and it's still one of my favourite movies.
(It was a double bill of Watership Down and The Dark Crystal)
It's strange how well this has stuck to my memory after seeing it so many years ago when I was really young. Whenever I seen any animation resembling it I instantly think of this and
Art Garfunkel's bright Eyes...insta nostalgia ♥
I love how Elilhrairah had so many friends, but after angering Frith, he has many enemies
Was born in '99 and had this on VHS, then the TV series on dvd. Now I'm rewatching the series here on YT.
The movie is fantastic to this day, horrifically beautiful. And some amazing world building with the unforgettable intro.
This still impresses me like it did when I was 6 😢❤
For a long time I thought this was just some weird fever dream my 8 year old mind had concocted...
I woke up one night as a child in the 70's. The tv was on and this was playing on hbo. So at 2am i sat glued to the tv. Horrified and compelled to see the rabbits quest through. It had a effect on me. I have read the novel probably 12 times.
same here :)
Super cozy story
That intro theme tells you immediately some serious shit will go down
After this prologue, you can't say you haven't been warned of what comes later in the film.
I remember watching this back in high school and falling in love with this scene. So expertly designed!
3:35 - _"Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed“_ - I guess, Australians can tell you a thing or two about that.
Notice the difference in the perception of death by Hazel at the end of his life. Earlier in life, we're terrified of death. At the end of it, especially after a long and full life, we greet it as a friend or at least with familiarity.
Similar effect is mentioned in Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" when the original owner of the invisibility cloak has reached his time.
No movie has ever made me feel like the moment the black rabbit comes for Hazel, my childhood comes rushing back in that moment...
In the book, it’s not the Black Rabbit of Inlé, but El-ahrairah with his starry ears (they were a gift from Frith after gambling is original ones away).
He asks Hazel to join his Owsla.
“Digger, listener, runner” they forgot breeder
Yep it helps to keep the species alive if you can birth more than they can kill.
Idk what it is about this part that I love so much but it always draws me in even when I read the book I couldn’t stop imagining this in my head
that was the movie of my childhood..i could not stop watching that on HBO waaaaaaaaaay back 40yrs ago.
I love this film, and particularly love this opening sequence. I rate it - 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇
Only four, because rabbits can't count to five? 😁
My fave book of all time, one of my fave films of all time and thankfully both my kids adore it too. Classic storytelling, funny yet heart wrenching, the entire story is just class
Sublime. The perfect combination of source material and interpreters
"All the world will be your enemy, prince with a thousand enemies. If they catch you, they will kill you, but they will have to catch you first."
It’s amazing how Richard Adams made it so the rabbits have their own language and terms for things as well as religion.
incredible way of explaining the balance of nature, as seen through the eyes of a rabbit. very moving
I loved this movie as a kid. There was a fantastic group of animated tv/movies that didn't treat me like a kid but pulled me into the joy of reading. Mouse and his Child, Rikki-Tikki Tavi, Charlotte's Web, Flight of Dragons, The Last Unicorn, and many others. That had great voice actors, beautiful artwork, and generational musicians. I especially wish someone put a compilation of all of the great songs behind them...
Yeah I remember Flight of Dragons and the Last Unicorn. Brings back memories.
Should try plague dogs
Memories indeed
Mouse And His Child "We want to be self-winding"
I remember those growing up too and don’t forget secret of nimh
I watched this a little boy with my mom all the time and loved it! She said I would act crazy as kid after. I quote this movie all the time. I had so many repressed emotions as a kid due to a hard childhood and these type of movies meant a lot to me.
Rabbits are nature's Doritos. Crunch all you want, we'll make more.
One of my favorites as a child. Whenever it was aired it was a truly magical experience. When i grew up I read the book.
This was a beautiful movie despite the violence. I'm lucky enough to have seen it as a full grown adult and not a little kid though. It still stuck with me, but I knew what I was getting into and it didn't stick with me the same way it stuck with my dad, who watched it in kindergarten or first grade.
Frith above, that reaper rabbit scared me as a child
"the Black Rabbit serves Lord Frith, and does no more then his appointed task"
my wife and i recently lost a beloved cat to liver disease, and i quoted this phrase but saying Mother Nature can seem cruel, but she does no more than her appointed task
Lord Frith:
‘El-ahrairah, your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so.
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you.
But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning.
Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.’
since a kid stil scares me ,in a haunted way , but still so beautiful and when Hazel dies i flood with tears n my bottom lip goes all floppy flop flop
Elhrairah's owsla. (bawling uncontrollably) so damn beautiful. (Hazel... Hazel...) (stinging tears!)
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
"All the world will be your enemy.... ". I will never forget this prologue
it should be studied how perfectly this intro sets the tone for the film. it’s fantastic, you learn so much about the world and values of these rabbits before we even see them
One of my favourite film intros ever. Best children's film ever made imho. Can't wait to traumatise my son with this when he's old enough to watch it and understand it.
Such fond memories of being terrified by watership down.
Good for you. Parents seriously need to stop coddling their children so much. I think that PiB2 with the representation of Death was about as good as it gets in modern "Children's Movies"
When i first saw this when i was 8 i cried the whole day. But i didn’t get traumatized, yes this movie has very sad and touching parts but i still love it. One of its kind and one of the best i’ve seen
I love Watership Down, both the book 📖 and the movie 🎥! I have the movie on DVD 📀.
Perfect way to explain the balance of Nature and why predators are necessary. Tested this Story on 4 kids in a Zoo. All sit down and listen without a sound till the End. All the world will be your Enemie, Prince with a thousand Enemies. And when ever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you!" Immortal magic.
This intro alone traumatised me as a kid. Absolutely love the film now. It's my absolute favourite animated movie. But it gave me nightmares for a week after watching it the first time.
Beautiful tale
I just saw this film, and wow it was beautiful.
Frith the type of game dev who bans all the bug abusers except the first one who reported the bug
digger, listener, runner, prince with a swift warning...
This story - and this entire beautiful film - always made perfect sense to me as a kid. This creation myth makes total sense for the rabbits - their Prince refused to limit their breeding and eating so that the other animals wouldn’t suffer yet because of his arrogance they were all punished by Frith - and of course this explains why the fox, and the cat, etc hunt El aHrairah’s children. And the appearance of the Black Rabbit here…perfect.
Is it a crime to love this film? This opening is lit.
I love how if you see the movie through to its end, it is revealed that Frith himself is narrating this genesis account.
Fave movie as a kid. I had the movie book too. Used to make ShrinkeyDinks out of the images. Now I have Lord Frith tattooed on my right forearm. Thanks for this clip.
The book explains the etymology of the name. It's actually a combination of three words in Lapine, the rabbit language
Elil = Enemy
Hrair = Thousand
Rah = Prince
So Elil-hrair-rah is literally "The prince with a thousand enemies" 🙂
Forever enchanted by this heartbreaking film.
I loved this as a kid.
This is an incredibly talented riff on scriptural language and teaching. I loved it when I first read the book, and when the movie came out, I thought Michael Hordern totally nailed it. Always awesome when the movies get something right.