FILM · 1978 · UK
Watership Down
29 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (29)
- #001
Watership Down was initially directed by John Hubley, who died in 1977. Work by him and his wife Faith can still be seen in the film, particularly in the "fable" scene.
- #002
Watership Down was the first animated film to be shown in cinemas in Dolby Stereo.
- #003
Most of the locations in the film either existed or were based on real places in Hampshire, England and the surrounding areas.
- #004
Sir John Hurt and Richard Briers, who played Hazel and Fiver respectively in this film, returned to voice General Woundwort and the new character Captain Broom respectively in Watership Down (1999), a series adaptation of the book.
- #005
Watership Down is a real place located south of Newbury.
- #006
It is considered the most violent PG-rated animated film ever made.
- #007
In December 2011, property developers announced plans to develop Sandleford Park near Newbury, Berkshire, a real-life parallel to the fictional development of the area that drives the rabbits to leave their warren in the book and film. Richard Adams, the book's author, planned to organize fierce opposition to the development. "I will fight it tooth and nail. It is very beautiful open country and the finest area south of Newbury. The idea of building on it makes your gorge rise."
- #008
The film premiered in the United Kingdom on 19 October 1978 at the Empire, Leicester Square cinema and rolled out to the rest of the UK the following year. It became the sixth highest-grossing film of 1979 at the British box office.
- #009
Rabbits were brought into the studio so the animators could study their movements.
- #010
The backgrounds and locations, particularly Efrafa and the nearby railway, match the diagrams and maps in Richard Adams's book almost perfectly.
- #011
Aside from "Bright Eyes," Mike Batt wrote other songs that were not used in the film. The composer recorded three songs with Art Garfunkel on vocals, but only "Bright Eyes" appeared in the film.
- #012
Voicing Kehaar was Zero Mostel's final film work.
- #013
Whether the character Kehaar swears during one of his tantrums is a subject of fierce debate among fans of the film. It seems odd that the BBFC would allow strong language in a U-rated film (for the time), but there is strong evidence that the bird does in fact say "P*ss off!" in one scene, even though it appears neither in the script nor the book.
- #014
The film was popular among adults who attended late-night screenings.
- #015
Malcolm Williamson was originally commissioned to compose the score, but after falling behind he was replaced by Angela Morley, and he composed only the opening and main title theme in sketch form.
- #016
Both the original director, John Hubley (who was replaced during production by Martin Rosen), and star Zero Mostel died a year before the film's release.
- #017
A 70-minute cut of the film used for television broadcast exists, most notably the CBS broadcast, along with some VHS and DVD releases. This cut is usually rated TV-14.
- #018
Woundwort tells Hazel that if Bigwig and the other escapees are not outside by the time his army arrives, he will "tear out every throat here." Unlike in the original source, Woundwort literally makes good on this threat with Blackavar.
- #019
The film is part of spine number 748 of the Criterion Collection.
- #020
Watership Down was adapted for the stage in 2016. The production was staged at the Watermill theatre and featured only nine actors. It ran from June 2016 to July 2016. The production featured puppetry, physical theatre and live actors.
- #021
Along with The Plague Dogs (1983), The Secret of NIMH (1982) and The Last Unicorn (1982), Watership Down is widely regarded as one of the darkest and most violent animated films of the late twentieth century, even though The Secret of NIMH (1982) and The Last Unicorn (1982) were rated PG and G respectively.
- #022
Watership Down was originally scheduled for release in August 1978, but the huge box-office success of Grease (1978) forced a two-month delay because too few screens were available. (Before multiplexes, cinemas usually had only 2 or 3 screens.) The summer of 1978 also brought big-budget films such as Jaws 2 (1978) and a re-release of Star Wars (1977). In addition, Watership Down found itself competing for younger audiences with Disney's live-action The Cat from Outer Space (1978). It was therefore decided to push the release back until after the summer holidays; the film had a successful theatrical run in the United Kingdom in October and in the United States around Thanksgiving, before being delayed again to make room for the major Christmas releases.
- #023
The film had a three-year production period because of financing problems. Original director John Hubley was also dismissed by producer Martin Rosen, who was unhappy with Hubley's animation style. (Some of the animation Hubley supervised was nevertheless included in the film.) The film was also made without the backing of a major studio, so distributors had to be found as completion approached. Avco Embassy released it in the United States, EMI released it in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and independent distributors handled it in other territories.
- #024
Watership Down was Martin Rosen's directorial debut.
- #025
A preview screening of the film was held in New York on 5 May 1978.
- #026
Blackavar, a huge character in the book, is killed in the film, which is very strange because in the book both he and Bigwig stand up to General Woundwort.
- #027
This was the first theatrical film to star John Hurt. He later voiced Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings (1978), Snitter the Jack Russell terrier in The Plague Dogs (1982), the Horned King in The Black Cauldron (1985), Mr. Mole in Thumbelina (1994), the Narrator in The Tigger Movie (2000) and Felix the seagull in Valiant (2005).
- #028
This was the first animated film to star Nigel Hawthorne to be released in cinemas. He later voiced Dr. Boycott in The Plague Dogs (1982), Fflewddur Fflam in The Black Cauldron (1985), Brigadier G in Freddie as F.R.O.7 (1992) and Professor Archimedes Q. Porter in Tarzan (1999).
- #029
The film's cast includes four Oscar nominees: Sir Ralph Richardson, Denholm Elliott, John Hurt and Nigel Hawthorne.
Continue through the archive
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- IMDb IMDb kaydı
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work