The Plague Dogs

I first saw Plague Dogs when I was about 4 years old, right after I first saw Watership Down. I did not understand much of the film then, but now I do. This movie is not about happy endings, zesty lines, or colorful musical scenes. This is about the hardships of life and the ever growing errors of man's interuption in the animal kingdom. You will walk away depressed, but at the same time be more aware of how important respect towards animals is. If possible buy or rent this movie as soon as you see it. I do not believe it has ever been re-released in any form. The acting and direction feels very much like a live action film. Many things about Plague Dogs will stick in your mind for years.

The Plague Dogs is impressively animated (especially in the opening scenes) and, for a cartoon, remarkably downbeat. While the book suffered from a "tell, don't show" attitude, spending much of its time in an impassioned and sometimes overwrought critique of animal experimentation (perhaps justified; the horrific and generally ludicrous experiments in the book were apparently based on actual horrific and ludicrous animal experiments), the movie is content to show you what happens and let you be horrified on your own. People are wisely pushed as far out of the movie as possible, allowing it to be focused almost entirely on the animal protagonists. Sadly, the best thing about the book, Snitter's extreme confusion between fantasy and reality, and his poetic way of speaking, have been almost entirely lost in the movie. The book's description of Snitter's experience in the shed is far more surreal than what you get in the movie.

Martin Rosen ("Watership Down " )makes another excellent animated movie inspired in the book of Richard Adams . Like in "Watership Down " ,even when the main characters are talking animals , this is far away to be part of Disney World .It dares to be complex and emotionally intense . There is one violent scene (but tastefully done ) that shocked me ,but also show me the brilliance of all the people involved in this movie . The animation it's flawless ,full of details in all the scenes : the animals ,the humans ,the scenery ...the voices and the music are wonderful and I would recommend it to any fan of the animation . "The Plague Dogs " is one of the most artistic and beautiful animated movies that I have seen and ts'one of my all -time favorites .

A perfect film. Strong characters, wonderful animation; a rarity. It manages to be real; it actually CAPTURES the totality of its components without catering to any audience. It's a difficult film to watch. You suffer alongside, vicariously. The hardships portrayed here are viciously painful. You'll hug your pets tight and be glad they wound up as your pets. This movie is very special - considering the content, it could have easily been pandering and preachy. It manages to go so far beyond anything you've ever experienced. It's quite an achievement on every level. It won't leave you happy, but it will affect you permanently. It is emotional, but never manipulative. It's a tragic and unrecognized masterpiece.