User reviews

Richard Adams's novel 'The Plague Dogs' always stood in the shadow of his superior masterpiece - the classic 'Watership Down'. The same goes for the animated films, both of them directed by Martin Rosen. The animated version of The Plague Dogs, released four years after the acclaimed Watership Down, never quite achieved the kind of success its predecessor had; not because it wasn't as good, but because of pretty much the same reasons for the novel's limited success. While Watership Down hid violence and severe social-political criticism behind a disguise of a children's tale, The Plague Dogs is much more in-your-face, much less subtle, and makes no attempts to hide itself behind pretty words. The Plague Dogs is a tragic tale that is mercilessly critical toward modern society, taking a strict stand on the subject of cruelty to animals. The idea of an animated film strictly for adults was as difficult to swallow twenty years ago as the idea of a novel for adults told from an animal's point of view. Therefore, movie-goers didn't quite know what to make of the film; it didn't seem right for an adult to go watch an animated film about animals - and a parent who takes his little child to this film would face an even bigger problem of explaining to them why the bad people do such horrible things to the poor dogs.

Fortunately, today we know that animation isn't just for kids, and we can fully appreciate this masterpiece. The story is that of two laboratory dogs, voiced brilliantly by John Hurt and Christopher Benjamin, who escape from their cages and from the lab seeking the freedom of the outside world, and finding out that surviving in the wilderness isn't as easy as that. The scientists have reason to believe that the dogs contacted a bubonic plague virus during their escape, and so the two must run for their lives and fight for survival. Most of the film is from the dogs' point of view (they are later joined by a fox, voiced by James Bolam, who helps them survive in the wild, not without his own reasons). On the other hand we also hear the humans' conversations, yet we never see a human being's face; Rosen doesn't allow us to sympathize or identify with any of the human characters. The animals are clearly the more humane here, and that's the basis of what Rosen and Adams say here.

Be warned - don't let the animation fool you, this is not an easy watch. The violence in The Plague Dogs is more explicit than in most live action films, and the message it bears about human beings as a whole is difficult to swallow. John Hurt's performance as Snitter, alternately funny and sad, dominates the film, and it makes for one of the most beautiful and round animated characters ever seen on film. The story, especially that of Snitter's, is incredibly sad and touching, and is more powerful emotionally than any other animated feature I've seen. A highly recommended film, and not just for animation enthusiasts.

A forgotten animated film directed by the man who made Watership Down in 1978, and also adapted from a novel by the same author who wrote it, Richard Adams. Watership Down is famously not for small kids, although it's smart and good for older children. The Plague Dogs, on the other hand, is so relentlessly bleak that it makes Watership Down look like The Rescuers Down Under. You might call it All Dogs Go to Heaven, but Only After They've Been Through Hell. That's not to disparage it, but just to paint the mood. The story follows two dogs who escape from a government lab where they've been cruelly experimented upon. The film opens with one of the two protagonists, Rowf, struggling to stay afloat in a giant tank of water as two researchers take notes. We watch the poor lab sink to the bottom of the tank, drowned. The scientists pull him out and revive him. The second protagonist, Snitter, has had experimental brain surgery performed on him, and he has trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality. After the two escape, they forage the rather bare countryside for food. Finding little, they end up going after sheep. This puts the local farmers on the defensive, and they begin to hunt the two down like, well, dogs. When the laboratory releases information that the dogs may also be carrying bubonic plague, the military is called in to get rid of them. It's an extremely difficult movie to watch, especially if you love animals. A lot of people will be turned off because there is just no hope to be had. We know there is no real escape for the two. There's also constant talk about death between them, and how it might be better. It's dark as hell, and you should only show it to children if you want to give them nightmares or screw them up. Personally, I was deeply moved by the film and highly recommend it. Too bad Rosen didn't produce anything other animated films besides this and Watership Down. Both are beautifully animated (well, the animation is a little bit choppy in The Plague Dogs, but the drawings themselves are gorgeous), and he tells stories well. Supposedly this movie is a lot more solid than the original novel.

Martin Rosen's second animated film is a powerful piece, which is based on Richard Adams novel of the same name. The Plague Dogs is a very rare example of a film in the animation genre which strives for realism in the grittiest of senses. As far away from fluffy Disney films as one could imagine, this is a disturbing account of the hardships of two dogs who escape from an animal testing lab. The perceived haven of the real world soon turns out to be anything like Rowf and Snitter had hoped. However the friendship that is built through out the film between the two dogs and a rogue fox whom they meet, is touching and at times heartbreaking. To delve much further into the story would be to spoil certain aspects of the film, so that shall be left down to the viewer to discover.

Suffice to say, the main strength of Plague Dogs is paradoxically the reason the film has found itself in obscurity. To this date the original, 'uncut', version has not been released on any small screen formats (not to my knowledge at least). This strength is the bravery with which Rosen tackles the story. Resulting from this is a down beat film that isn't suitable for, nor is it likely to interest most, children. This is more than likely the reason it never found the success of Rosen's previous feature, Watership Down.

In short, this film deserves to be released in its full splendor and embraced by a whole new generation of film lovers. Anyone with a heart that isn't made of stone will get the appeal of this wonderful film.

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.

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.

Don't even think about showing this one to the kiddies. It's about two abused lab animals that escape only to find that the experiments that have been conducted on them leave them unfit to survive in the wild. Their desperate flight for survival leads them through a series of cruelties, heaped upon their lives already made wretched by torturous and seemingly unnecessary experimentation, that culminate in one of the most moving moments in the history of animation.

I've always thought that animation could be more than an after-market money-machine vehicle for creating cloyingly sweet garbage for which actors can earn voice-over money without having to be too closely associated with the work. And yes, that's what I think most animated features are.

But not this one.

Animation is a way of depicting what cannot be shown in live action films. In this case, we explore the tragedy of animal abuse in a way that will never let you forget what a crime it really is. Plague Dogs is insightful, brutally honest, and unflinchingly direct in exposing the gruesome truth about animal research. This is one of the greatest animated films ever made. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

A beautifully melancholy and poignant story about companionship, loyalty, and hope. An incredibly strong cast (including the classically trained John Hurt and Patrick Stewart) give this excellently scripted tale a fully believable life of its own, more vivid and heartfelt than the majority of blockbuster Hollywood movies you're likely to see this year (or any other for that matter). If the fact that this is an animation puts you off, do yourself a favour and don't let it. Once the narrative is under way I defy anyone to find the animation detrimental to the experience.

Certainly in regards to the genre of animated films this is superior to anything Disney have ever done, both in respect of visual and intellectual content, and stands alone as a benchmark of what can be achieved in the genre.

From the creators of 'Watership Down', this film shares the same author and production company, but despite its PG certificate you should be warned that some scenes may be upsetting, not specifically for younger viewers but for everyone - this is a genuine tear-jerker of a film.

Highly recommended. If you don't watch it you are doing yourself a disservice.

As the plot synopsis has been covered in sufficient detail by many previous comments, I instead offer this comment as a humble plea to film and animation enthusiasts, such that they may actively seek out this criminally underrated and genuinely affecting animated drama. My hope would be that sufficient renewed interest in this successor to "Watership Down" might provide the impetus for a well-deserved North American reissue of the film in it's uncut version.(An uncut, 99 minute Region 4 PAL disc is now available online through import sites, while the only available Region 1 NTSC versions are of the 82 minute edit). The voicing of the two principle characters, the Smooth Terrier "Snitter" and the noble Labrador "Rowf", is nothing short of brilliant, with John Hurt providing an especially poignant turn as Snitter, whose brain has been tampered with at the research facility, thereby confusing his perception of objective/ subjective realities. There is a powerful message and some timely social commentary to be had here, though the film wisely refrains from overt didacticism and sentimentality. As fate would have it, the film will now stand as one of the last animated features to have been entirely hand colored (to great effect, I might add). At once powerful, haunting and emotionally draining, this film is surely not to be forgotten once viewed (example: many previous comments having mentioned the author retaining vivid recollections of the film from childhoods far removed). I implore you, please seek out a copy (cut or uncut) and view it with those closest to you. Discuss it with your friends, your children and fellow film enthusiasts. Let's not allow this masterwork to languish and slip into further obscurity.

"I'm inside my head now. And it's where I should be... I can't come out. If I do, I'll go mad again" - Snitter

As everyone else has already said - this is not a movie for kids,at least they should watch it with an adult.

I first saw it at the cinema maybe 19-20 years ago and it has never left my mind.I remember crying in the end of the movie and when I hear "time and tide" it still makes me cry.

It is very well made yet disturbing and as said before it has nothing in compare with Disneys animated musicals. There is nothing funny in this movie.Nothing to laugh at and it makes you feel very sad and depressed and ashamed of being a human.

It is very sad that most people have never ever heard of it.It deserves a far better destiny than to just fade away in to the past.

The only animated movies I can think of that is almost as touching (but still far from) as "Plague dogs",is perhaps Watership Down,Secret of NIHM,An American tail and Grave of the fireflies.

I really hope that animators nowadays could watch Plague dogs and get some inspiration.Disneymovies are nice but they are far to sentimental in my opinion.

Thats just one of the great things about Plague dogs - Its dark,grim and depressive but it NEVER EVER gets sentimental.

Why cant anybody re-release it on VHS and DVD?

"Memories is only about the past,the present time will never last, the future lies within your heart.I left this cruel world behind and I found my peace of mind.I don't feel no pain no more..."

I have never been a fan of anthropomorphism in film. Talking animals bug me. Most Disney work is likeable fluff with little substance and loads of Hollywood phoneyness. These aforementioned films are formulaic and frankly rather drab. But the Plague Dogs...the Plague dogs is an exception. The story of two infected dogs who escape from a containment facility is the most heart wrenching story I think I have read, and the film recreates that world perfectly. It is not that there is a bleeding heart liberal inside of me and I would stress that I am not a member of PETA. utr this film hurts. What makes this film hurt so damned much is that there is no option for the characters. You love them immediately for their innocence and nobility. You feel for them because they have no ability even if freed to make anything of their freedom. The dogs are our children. And the world they exist in, is our world, one we have allowed to stand. The Plague Dogs creates a world where the finest of our emotions falls short of saving the day. It creates a world where good things lose and die and bad things remain in control of the world, where friendship can fail, and even the trickster loses...and yet...the beauty of the story is how the best of our emotions, even though they will not neccessarily win the day, can make an ending bearable. Though this ending left me drained and hollow. This movie has the ability to shatter a viewer.

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.

Martin Rosen didn't make any concessions with The Plague Dogs, even more-so, arguably, than Watership Down. While making a serious animated film about rabbits might sound like more of a challenge, and is a great film, I would be more inclined to people I know for them to watch The Plague Dogs to see how truly brutal Rosen could be as a filmmaker.

Adapting from a book by Richard Adams, who also wrote Watership, this is a movie that a kid might be inclined to see right away just by the picture of dogs running around on the front cover - some may not understand the word 'Plague' and even if they do they'll want to see it anyway... That is, if they can find it, as it is not very widely available. But for parents, it has to be indicated what this film is: this is dark and gloomy and with an ending that is at best ambiguous and at worst so sad that it will make your kids' reaction to Bambi or the Lion King look like a scraped knee. It will f*** them up emotionally.

And yet it will, too, for the adults seeing it. This is not a perfect animated film but it is one of the most gut-wrenching and opposite-of-heartwarming you may ever come across, animated or otherwise. It's about two dogs who are subjected to vicious psychological and physical treatment (think that one brief scene in Secret of Nimh only not brief and with dogs instead of mice) and somehow escape the facility and go on the run. They scrounge for food, finding very little, getting some limited help from a mischievous fox. But one of the dogs, voiced by John Hurt, has a scar where the surgeons operated on his brain at the clinic - he can't distinguish objective and subjective, and if he's in a room for any long length of time colors change. Then after an accidental death, the dogs are even further pursued, this time claimed by the humans in the area to be infected with the Black Plague.

If it doesn't sound happy it doesn't look it either. The film's ultimate purpose is about hope, the lack of it, where it becomes nil quicker and quicker as innocent figures are cast aside and hunted down. While there's been some criticism that the film (or the book for that matter) may have some "statement" about animal cruelty or testing, it never really stuck out for me. I was so wrapped up in the story, the nature of the horrific dynamic that these two dogs were in, that I had little time to really put a lot of thought into the issues. Indeed, this is sparse in terms of characterization, though rich in detail as the dogs go along these black and gray mountains, the rubble around, the snow falling all around. There's not one sunny day around (then again it is England), and as their circumstances get worse, and the odds grow thinner, our attachment peaks at a point - and it goes over it in the last five minutes with an ending that would leave the toughest Clint Eastwood wannabe sobbing for dear life.

But as with, for example, Grave of the Fireflies, or in literary comparison Cormac McCarthy's The Road, whatever is heartbreaking is earned by the artistry, the commitment to making this a dark, mortifying hurdle through existence. Not all of the animation syncs up completely (albeit this may be sour grapes as I have only seen the 82 minute severely censored version that may have cleared up a couple of gaps- as far as I could tell it wasn't a flaw on Rosen's part), but everything in terms of atmosphere, or provoking a certain place of dread brought about when humanity is at its worst, and dogs at their most vulnerable, that you can't help but be moved. Hell, we even get one of Hurt's best performances, voicing a bi-polar dog who should already be dead or past the point of no return, and at one point even asks for it in a moment that had me floored (the bit about not having to worry about eating if one is dead).

The Plague Dogs isn't a 'for-everyone' animated adventure - for the love of all that is sacred do NOT show it to your dog-loving first-date - but it's entirely successful, and criminally underrated, as a mature work of art, a precisely sorrowful story that should appeal to anyone looking for a good, warranted cry and a look at dogs that is the sort of clear version of some diluted movie made at the same time like The Fox and the Hound. A+

Usually I don't like films like this. Plague Dogs feels long, slow, drab, and arguably melodramatic. Its not excellent in character, and it doesn't seem to have a particular message. But The Plague Dogs works for me. And it has to come down to the animation.

The animation looks good for the time, but more importantly, its barren, and uses faded colors - light blues, greens, and grays. The artists make modern England look like its in post-apocalypse. Yeah, there are humans around, but, from these dog's perspective, its a scary, lonely place.

Plague Dogs is near hopeless, and honestly has some of the more screwed up scenes I've seen in animation. There's not much else to say about it. If you're in the right mood, its an emotional experience. Can't say I love it, but it stuck with me longer than most movies.

simply the best animated film i have seen.nemo's great but this one hits you in places others won't and probably never will again..i watched this back in the early 80's and never forgot it..its great that it has been released on dvd as i have been after it for years..for all those who have not seen it i recommend you to see it as it will always stay with you..its not your average kids animated movie and many were shocked when it was first released..there is one particlar gory scene with a farmer and a shotgun, say no more don't want to spoil it..and this scene could not have been animated and script better...beats watership down every time! I have never been so moved as i have with this film..

This movie had been recommended to me because I had watched "Watership Down" years ago, and I found it very interesting and unlike any other animated movie. I was told that "The Plague Dogs" was similar in make, so I thought I would give it a try. This gave me the same eerie feel, but it kept me on my toes, almost like a suspense film. I have never seen a film so accurately display dog's behaviors AND personify them... Instead of just talking dogs, I felt as if I was just given a translation of what they would have really been saying if they COULD talk. This made the movie feel so real to me, I connected with the characters and this movie was simply a pleasure to look at. The realistic environments, the glistening coats of the dogs, even the water trickling down the stream was a relief from most modern animation.

I am not one to cry when I watch movies. This movie made me sob and sob, in the beginning I cried, and in the end I cried. Like I said in my summary: it's definitely tough for dog lovers to watch!!! I would highly recommend this movie, however it is not for kids 16 and under. If you think you'd like to watch it with your family, the parental guidance on this site is incredibly helpful for this, and for any movie on here. 10/10 in my opinion!! What a great movie!!

Other than that, not much nice to say about it. The plot is very simple and drags in a predictable direction to the end. Some character work is there too. Luckily, it's not that long of a film. One must assume the praise the two films get is coming from adults nostalgically rewatching their most memorable childhood flicks, most of which are unwatchably bad for an averagely intellingent adult, so now these two seem profound in comparison.