Watership Down | |
---|---|
Genre | Action Adventure Fantasy Drama Adult animation |
Based on | Watership Down by Richard Adams |
Written by | Tom Bidwell |
Directed by | Noam Murro |
Starring | |
Music by | Federico Jusid |
Opening theme | "Fire on Fire" (written and performed by Sam Smith) |
Ending theme | "Fire on Fire" (written and performed by Sam Smith) |
Country of origin | United Kingdom Ireland United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Editor | Andrew Walton |
Running time | 50–51 minutes |
Production companies | 42 Biscuit Filmworks BBC Netflix |
Budget | £20 million |
Original release | |
Network | BBC One (United Kingdom) Netflix (international) |
Release | 22 December – 23 December 2018 |
Watership Down is a CGI-animated adventure fantasy drama television miniseries directed by Noam Murro. It is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Richard Adams and adapted by Tom Bidwell. [1] It was released on 22 December 2018 in the United Kingdom and internationally on Netflix the next day. [2] [3] The BBC broadcast comprised two back-to-back episodes per day.
The music video for "Fire on Fire" (from Watership Down) by Sam Smith was released on 21 December 2018. [2]
In July 2014, it was announced that the BBC would be airing a new animated serial of Watership Down based on the 1972 novel and the 1978 film. [4] In April 2016, it was announced that the series would be a co-production between BBC and Netflix, and would consist of four one hour episodes. [5] The series has a budget of £20 million. [6] The rest of the voice cast was announced in November 2018. [7]
Originally set for release on 25 December 2018, [8] Watership Down was released on 22 December 2018, on BBC One in the UK and on 23 December 2018 on Netflix, internationally. [9] [3] [2]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) [10] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Journey" | Noam Murro | Tom Bidwell | 22 December 2018 | 4.64 | |
A rabbit named Fiver has a vision of machines coming to destroy their warren. He and his elder brother Hazel convince some rabbits to leave. A strange rabbit named Cowslip visits the group, offering to let them stay in his warren. Although it is full of well-fed rabbits, morale and numbers are strangely low. Bigwig is caught by a snare and starts to suffocate. Cowslip reveals that those snared are given to a farmer in exchange for food and protection. The rabbits free Bigwig and leave, with a doe named Strawberry joining them. They settle in a new warren, naming it Watership Down. | ||||||
2 | "The Raid" | Noam Murro | Tom Bidwell | 22 December 2018 | 4.64 | |
Holly recounts his travels to find the group. Kehaar, a seagull with an injured wing, crashes in front of the group, and Hazel befriends the bird in order to ask him to look for does. He flies off and returns with word of a nearby warren. Holly, Blackberry, and Bluebell are stopped by soldiers from the nearby warren of Efrafa and brought before its leader, General Woundwort, where they are imprisoned. The following night, Holly's group stages a breakout. While looking for does, Hazel is shot in the leg by a farmer and collapses into a storm drain. In a state of limbo, Hazel is visited by the Black Rabbit of Inlé, the Lapine grim reaper, and she assures him his time has not yet come. | ||||||
3 | "The Escape" | Noam Murro | Tom Bidwell | 23 December 2018 | 5.65 | |
Bigwig finds Hazel and helps him return to Watership Down. A plan is hatched to infiltrate Efrafa and save the imprisoned does. After earning the trust of Hyzenthlay, the leader of the Efrafan does, Bigwig attempts an escape from the warren alongside them, but they are caught. Hyzenthlay is accused of the escape plan and sentenced to execution. Bigwig is ordered to act as executioner in order to prove his loyalty to Efrafa. He declines, fighting off the soldiers and helping the does escape. They reunite with Hazel's group but are surrounded by Efrafan soldiers. Woundwort challenges Bigwig to a fight to the death. | ||||||
4 | "The Siege" | Noam Murro | Tom Bidwell | 23 December 2018 | 6.78 | |
Kehaar comes to their rescue and fights off the Efrafans. The rabbits hide in a nearby human village and thank Kehaar for his bravery the next morning. The group returns to Watership Down, but they encounter an Efrafa scouting party. Watership Down prepares for war; many are wounded and Holly is killed. Bigwig fights Woundwort. Fiver is captured by the farm cat, and Hazel abandons him to lure the dog to the warren. The dog and Woundwort lunge at each other, leaving the fate of Woundwort unknown. The warren prospers in the years that follow. |
Watership Down received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the narrative, performances of its voice cast and soundtrack, but receiving some criticism for its somewhat tamer tone and the quality of the computer animation, described as "soulless" [11] and "clunky". [12] On Rotten Tomatoes, the drama has an approval rating of 74% based on reviews from 23 critics, with its critical consensus reading "Though its animation leaves something to be desired, Watership Down is a faithful adaptation that will resonate with viewers of any age." [13] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on five critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". [14]
The Guardian and The Independent both gave it two stars out of five, calling the production "tame, drab and deeply unsatisfying." [15] and "spectacularly ho-hum – less tooth and claw than head shake." [16]
The Times was more positive, giving it three stars out of five, writing "this was a meaty, lovingly made production that, spread over two days, felt far too long," [17] while The New York Times noted that though the adaptation "fails its potential, it benefits from strong voice performances and a solid central story. Even this easy-listening version, which lays on the romance, jokes and limp dialogue, has moments of grandeur and the sweep of a fantasy epic." [18] Despite the negative reviews, it got four stars from the Daily Telegraph, which said that it had an "emotional bite".
The drama won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program. It also got nominated for a Daytime creative arts Emmy awards for outstanding directing, sound editing, sound mixing, graphic design and music direction. [19]
Watership Down is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Hampshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natural wild environment, with burrows, they are anthropomorphised, possessing their own culture, language, proverbs, poetry, and mythology. Evoking epic themes, the novel follows the rabbits as they escape the destruction of their warren and seek a place to establish a new home, encountering perils and temptations along the way.
Sir Ben Kingsley is an English actor. He has received accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry. He awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and received Britannia Award in 2013.
Sarah Caroline Sinclair, known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.
Nicholas Caradoc Hoult is an English actor. His filmography includes supporting work in big-budget mainstream productions and starring roles in independent projects in American and British films. He has received several accolades, including nominations for a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2012.
Anne-Marie Duff is an English actress and narrator.
Evan Thomas Peters is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 2004 drama film Clipping Adam and starred in the ABC science fiction series Invasion from 2005 to 2006. He has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Daniel Kaluuya is an English actor. Prominent both on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2021, he was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
Lucy Boynton is a British and American actress. Raised in London, she made her professional debut as the young Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter (2006). She appeared in television productions Ballet Shoes (2007), Sense and Sensibility (2008) and Mo (2010), making guest appearances on Lewis, Borgia, Endeavour, and Law & Order: UK. Boynton portrayed writer Angelica Garnett on Life in Squares, which aired on BBC. She appeared as an isolated popular girl in The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) and starred as a bold aspiring model in Sing Street (2016). She also appeared in horror films I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016) and Don't Knock Twice (2016).
Claire Elizabeth Foy is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama series The Crown (2016–2023), for which she received various accolades such as a Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Gemma Christina Arterton is an English actress. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature film debut in the comedy St Trinian's (2007). She portrayed Bond Girl Strawberry Fields in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008), a performance which won her an Empire Award for Best Newcomer, and spy Pollyana "Polly" Wilkins / Agent Galahad in the action war film The King's Man (2021).
James McAvoy is a Scottish actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his feature film career began. His notable television work includes the thriller State of Play (2003), the science fiction miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003), and the drama series Shameless (2004–2005).
Gemma Chan is an English actress. A graduate of Worcester College, Oxford, Chan began acting during the late 2000s, making her film debut in 2009. She rose to attention with her leading role in the Channel 4 science fiction series Humans (2015–2018). Chan came to international prominence with her starring roles in Crazy Rich Asians and as Elizabeth Hardwick in Mary Queen of Scots.
John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega, known professionally as John Boyega, is a British actor and producer. He first rose to prominence in Britain for his role as a teenage gang leader in the comedy horror film Attack the Block (2011), and had his international breakthrough playing Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). He received the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2016, and the Trophée Chopard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
Taron Egerton is a Welsh actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he performed in stage plays. Egerton gained recognition for his starring role as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, a spy, in the action comedy films Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017).
Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy is an actress. She has won several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a BAFTA Film Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Beat Bugs is an animated children's television series, created by Josh Wakely, and produced for Netflix by Grace: A Storytelling Company and Thunderbird Entertainment since 2016. The series is centred around five young anthropomorphised insects who live in an overgrown suburban backyard and learn life lessons while having adventures. Wakely acquired worldwide rights from Sony/ATV Music Publishing to a catalogue of music by the Beatles to feature in the series. The program features versions of songs by the popular rock group, performed by contemporary recording artists and interwoven into the narrative.
Tales of Arcadia is a trilogy of animated science fantasy television series created for Netflix by Guillermo del Toro and produced by DreamWorks Animation and Double Dare You. The series comprising the trilogy follows the inhabitants of the small suburban town of Arcadia Oaks, which is secretly home to various supernatural creatures and the young heroes who fight against the forces of evil that lurk in the shadows.
Den of Geek is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
Tom Dalton Bidwell is a British screenwriter and playwright.