Conventional wisdom is that animated films not targeted at children are doomed to failure. Perhaps from an economic standpoint, but 'Watership Down' is a richly imagined, vividly realized film filled with some of the most beautiful, pastoral animation this side of Disney. But, make no mistake, Disney this isn't. Here are characters so compellingly written and acted that you may not even notice that they are rabbits. So much for conventional wisdom.
Warner has released a terrific letterboxed transfer of this enchanting film (did I say "enchanting") on disc. Slightly windowboxed, the framing on this disc is about 1.66:1. I could not find fault with any aspect of this transfer. Color, contrast, sharpness and detail are excellent. Animation, being two dimensional, usually works well on video and this taken with the almost total absence of video artifacts makes this an engrossing experience from the very beginning.
The soundtrack is also a treat. One will be hard pressed to find a more directional soundtrack. Even dialog moves across the soundstage following the characters on screen, something very rare in the age of Dolby.
The film runs 92 minutes and Warner has generously chapter encoded the disc with a total of 28. List price is $34.95.
As you may have guessed, I highly recommend this disc <G>.
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