Watership Down (Collector's Edition) (1979) (Blu-ray) (UK Import)

An apocalyptic vision pushes a group of rabbits to abandon their warren in search of a new home, in this landmark British animation.

Richard Adams’ timeless novel is brought brilliantly to life as Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig tackle the brutal realities of the rural world - and mankind’s devastating impact on it - as they lead their colony to the utopian Watership Down. Featuring an acclaimed voice cast (including John Hurt and Denholm Elliott), a powerful score by composer Angela Morley and the hit single ‘Bright Eyes’ by Art Garfunkel, Watership Down is a thrilling tale of adventure, courage and resilience that continues to enthral new and old audiences alike. Newly restored by the BFI and Silver Salt Restoration, using the original 35mm negative and stereo audio tracks, this landmark animation is now available as a limited edition Blu-ray.

Extras

Newly restored and presented in High Definition
Newly recorded audio commentary by film and animation experts Catherine Lester and Sam Summers
Vintage audio commentary by director Martin Rosen and writer and filmmaker Chris Gore (2003)
Defining a Style (2005): short featurette about the film’s aesthetic
A Conversation with the Filmmakers (2005, 17 mins): Archive featurette in which director Martin Rosen and editor Terry Rawlings discuss the production history of the film
Storyboard comparison (2005, 15 mins): a look at four sequences from the film
Super 8 version (20 mins): original UK Super 8 digest release of Watership Down
Nepenthe Super 8 footage (3 mins): footage shot by Arthur Humberstone, one of the senior animators on Watership Down
Designing Watership Down (2024, 5 mins): a gallery containing some of the materials related to Watership Down courtesy of The Arthur Humberstone Animation Archive
Trailers and TV spots
Once We Were Four (1942, 9 mins): a bunny quartet face an onslaught of badgers, bombs and birds of prey in this black comedy masquerading as a nature film, directed by Mary Field
Rabbits or Profits? (1969, 15 mins): public information film providing a potted history of rabbits in the UK
Bolly in A Space Adventure (1968, 5 mins): a short Halas & Batchelor animation about the adventures of Bolly and his friends on imaginary planets, featuring animation by Tony Guy, animation director on Watership Down
Make Believe (1948, 17 mins): Anson Dyer tells 'The Tale of Ronnie Rabbit' in this documentary showing the various stages of making a cartoon bunny
Newly created optional English descriptive subtitles
Newly created audio description track for the blind and visually impaired
Double-sided poster featuring the original UK quad and the 2024 rerelease artwork
A set of four postcards featuring iconic scenes from the film
Perfect-bound book featuring writing by Jez Stewart, Catherine Lester, Nigel and Klive Humberstone, Angela Morley, Charlie Brigden, Lillian Crawford, Vic Pratt, Tim Coleman, Caroline Millar Tony Dykes and Michael Brooke

Rezensionen

Lexikon des Int.​Films: "Ein reizvoller, detailverliebter Zeichentrickfilm, der durch seine vielschichtigen Bezüge zur menschlichen Existenz Aufmerksamkeit verdient.​ Intelligent und phantasievoll.​"