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About:
Newly restored in 4K by the BFI and Silver Salt Restoration, with the characters and colours sparkling as never before, Watership Down will return to cinemas in the UK and Ireland from 25 October 2024 before it arrives on Limited Edition UHD and Blu-ray on 11 November.
The restoration has its world premiere at the 68th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express, returning us to the group of rabbits who undertake a perilous journey to find their utopia.
An apocalyptic vision pushes a group of rabbits to abandon their warren in search of a new home, in this landmark British animation. Richard Adams' timeless novel is brought brilliantly to life as Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig tackle the brutal realities of the rural world - and mankind's devastating impact on it - as they lead their colony to the utopian Watership Down. Featuring an acclaimed voice cast (including John Hurt and Denholm Elliott), a powerful score by composer Angela Morley and the hit single 'Bright Eyes' by Art Garfunkel, Watership Down is a thrilling tale of adventure, courage and resilience that continues to enthral new and old audiences alike. Newly restored by the BFI and Silver Salt Restoration, using the original 35mm negative and stereo audio tracks, this landmark animation is now available as a limited edition Blu-ray.
'Watership Down stands alone as a horizon never reached - a portal into what animation can be, could be: an art form. It fuels the hope for that future. A delicate, violent, savage confection - perfect and sharp, like a diamond knife'
Extras:
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Newly recorded audio commentary by film and animation experts Catherine Lester and Sam Summers
- Vintage audio commentary by director Martin Rosen and writer and filmmaker Chris Gore (2003)
- Defining a Style (2005): short featurette about the film's aesthetic
- A Conversation with the Filmmakers (2005, 17 mins): Archive featurette in which director Martin Rosen and editor Terry Rawlings discuss the production history of the film
- Storyboard comparison (2005, 15 mins): a look at four sequences from the film
- Super 8 version (20 mins): original UK Super 8 digest release of Watership Down
- Nepenthe Super 8 footage (3 mins): footage shot by Arthur Humberstone, one of the senior animators on Watership Down
- Designing Watership Down (2024, 5 mins): a gallery containing some of the materials related to Watership Down courtesy of The Arthur Humberstone Animation Archive
- Trailers and TV spots
- Once We Were Four (1942, 9 mins): a bunny quartet face an onslaught of badgers, bombs and birds of prey in this black comedy masquerading as a nature film, directed by Mary Field
- Rabbits or Profits? (1969, 15 mins): public information film providing a potted history of rabbits in the UK
- Bolly in A Space Adventure (1968, 5 mins): a short Halas & Batchelor animation about the adventures of Bolly and his friends on imaginary planets, featuring animation by Tony Guy, animation director on Watership Down
- Make Believe (1948, 17 mins): Anson Dyer tells 'The Tale of Ronnie Rabbit' in this documentary showing the various stages of making a cartoon bunny
- Newly created optional English descriptive subtitles
- Newly created audio description track for the blind and visually impaired
- Double-sided poster featuring the original UK quad and the 2024 rerelease artwork
- A set of four postcards featuring iconic scenes from the film
- Perfect-bound book featuring writing by Jez Stewart, Catherine Lester, Nigel and Klive Humberstone, Angela Morley, Charlie Brigden, Lillian Crawford, Vic Pratt, Tim Coleman, Caroline Millar Tony Dykes and Michael Brooke
Pre-Order: Watership Down (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Edition)
An apocalyptic vision pushes a group of rabbits to abandon their warren in search of a new home, in this landmark British animation. Order Watership Down at the BFI Shop and receive an exclusive and limited edition enamel pin badge!
shop.bfi.org.uk
