Devious_Thievius_Raccoonus (Static)

I didn’t have high hopes for this series to begin with but I’m honestly on the fence about this. Most of the characters seem completely different than the original movie and book. Bigwig is just angry all the time and Hazel isn’t the same confident leader we saw in the book. I feel like too many changes were made that didn’t need to be. Watership Down is known for its brutal violence and bloody fights, yet there was only one scene in this entire series with any blood- and it wasn’t even in a fight. I’m not saying that it needs blood to be good but I feel like it was too soft and honestly it took away the feeling of dread - hoping that they would be ok. I sat through this entire thing hoping they could turn it around but I’m not surprised they didn’t. The original movie was more true to the book than this, and with a much shorter run time as well. Several main characters were pushed to the side, changed or completely cut from this version while minor characters took the spotlight. Pipkin and Speedwell are nowhere to be seen, and I’m sure quite a few other rabbits are missing as well (as it has been quite a while since I’ve read the book I can’t recall.) Several iconic lines are cut from the series and overall I never felt any of them were in any real danger- or I just couldn’t bring myself to care. The animation was flat and stiff in most action sequences, and General Woundwort wasn’t nearly as threatening as the original cartoon. Fiver’s visions were boring, to say the least, and his and Hazel's relationship lacked feeling. If you haven’t seen or read the original book or movie it can be enjoyable, but as a fan you’ll most likely be disappointed to see your favorite characters removed, changed or ruined completely. It wasn’t completely terrible but it definitely isn’t truly Watership Down.