When a book comes onto the scene that completely captivates the public's imagination it's almost guaranteed that it will be turned into a movie. And since the characters in this story are almost completely of the rabbit persuasion you get nothing less than an enjoyable movie for the children. Like any good story you have to have a good villain to counter the strong lead characters, and with the rabbit General Woundwort as the nemesis you get as vicious a character as in any action film. Since the entire movie is shot from the viewpoint of the rabbits it gives the audience a chance to see the life and tribulations of this species and how it struggles to survive on daily basis.
After seeing a vision of death and destruction, a small group of rabbits leave their warren to escape the hazard but fall into the adventure of a lifetime during their journey to a new life. This film was made in the late 70s so the animation isn't as good as it is now, but it's the story that drives this movie and with the cast of characters that are involved it's enjoyable from beginning to end. The voice over work is very well done and the cast of actors is lead by John Hurt who does a wonderful job as Hazel. There are some violent parts, so it may not be suitable for younger children, but some of the traditional values that are dealt with, loyalty, courage, spirit, are well worth the time for our younger generation to watch and learn from.
Obviously due to the constraints of turning a book into a movie a lot of information that is given in the book isn't used to make the movie, and some of the actions, situations and attitudes of the characters aren't completely explained. The movie is a wonderful piece of work, but if you have the time and the inclination you should find and read the book, it will captivate you just as much as the film does.
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