Synoahpsis:
As wikipedia has graciously informed me, the name for this film, based on the classic children's novel, is taken from the real life destination of a group of rabbits fleeing their warren because of the warnings of a clairvoyant bunny named Fiver. Sensing an impending danger for all of his warren, Fiver and his brother Hazel go before the chief (yes, there are chief rabbits) to warn him. Promptly ignored, the two brothers round up a contingent of rabbits from the warren and flee from the Owsla, a sort of military caste, in search of a new home.
Encountering many dangers from Elihi, Howden (or something like that) and Dogs (no mythical name for dogs provided), the rabbits face a plethora of peril as the journey on. What's wonderful about the story is the rich use of mythology and intricate anthropomorphism throughout the film. It's no wonder that the book it's based on, something Kate's looking forward to reading, I'm sure, remains Penguin's best selling book to date.
The best bit:
The opening. From the beginning, you are entranced by the legend of creation of the world by Lord Frith and El-arairah, the prince of rabbits. The animation changes form a sort of cave drawing look when the modern day story of Hazel and Fiver's journey to realistic rabbits in beautiful english countryside starts– it makes for good retroactive appreciation.
Marks out of 10:
The plot is relatively uneventful, but the story is told quite well. I haven't read the book, but I expect that it would be amazing to read aloud. The pace at which it needs to be told for the sake of filmafying it detracts from what I suspect is a thumping good read. Also, I found myself thinking at several points "why am I watching a film about rabbits?" This might have been a good story for me when I was 7, but I found the film to be a bit dull, so 5.4.
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