# Watership Down (2018)

> A group of rabbits flee their doomed warren and struggle to find and defend a new home in a dark, imaginative animated miniseries.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/60038

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 2
- Episode runtime: 100 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, drama, family
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, John Boyega, Peter Capaldi, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya, Olivia Colman, Gemma Arterton
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5670764/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: melancholic, eerie, contemplative, harrowing

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate this animated two-part adaptation of Richard Adams's novel positively, valuing its faithful, emotionally serious take on the rabbits' survival journey.

## Synopsis

Watership Down (2018) is a British animated survival adventure miniseries broadcast on BBC One, adapted from Richard Adams's novel of the same name. Hazel and Fiver lead a small band of rabbits who must abandon their doomed warren and search the English countryside for a new home. Bigwig provides the muscle and bravado that keeps the group moving, while General Woundwort rules a rival warren with brutal authority, and the gull Kehaar offers an unlikely ally. The engine of the story is the hazard of the open land: predators, hunger, and the tension between trust and fear as the rabbits search for a place to settle. The two feature-length episodes unfold as a dark, imaginative pastoral odyssey, with an eerie, melancholic atmosphere. Its tone is contemplative and sometimes harrowing, balancing wonder with real danger. Fans of The Plague Dogs and The Lord of the Rings will find resonance in its blend of animal fable, quest structure, and mythic countryside peril. The miniseries is a single self-contained story across two episodes, making it a complete viewing experience for families and adult animation fans alike.

## Shows like Watership Down

- [Scavengers Reign (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/127032)
- [Infinity Train (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/77446)
- [Sweet Tooth (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/86832)
- [Over the Garden Wall (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54915)
- [Watership Down (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/10882)
- [I Am Not an Animal (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/87)
- [Wolf King (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/149403)
- [The Animals of Farthing Wood (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/172)
- [Chimp Empire (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/141954)
- [Redwall (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/27571)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt