Years after leaving a whole generation traumatised as kids, Watership Down has finally been given a higher age rating.
The , which tells the tale of a colony of rabbits seeking a safe haven for their new warren after human developers threaten their community, bas been bumped up from U to PG alongside the likes of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
However, people who grew up having nightmares thanks to the 1978 film – seriously, we’ll never get over the final battle – think the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) should have gone even further with its annual report.
PG (parental guidance_ is described as acceptable for ‘general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children’, and Watership Down has been bumped up due to ‘mild violence, threat, brief bloody images and bad language’.
Yes, that does say MILD violence.
Naturally, plenty of people can never forget the first time they saw the film, which is based on , and they’ve got plenty to say.
‘“Mild” violence. This movie still makes everyone over the age of 37 curl up in the foetal position and suck their thumbs while recalling the it to their trauma therapist,’ tweeted one fan.
Another laughed: ‘After us Gen X were traumatised as children with a good but terrifying movie, I think this is just a ‘little’ late and still too low a rating for Watership Down ?’
Plenty of other people wondered how the movie was ever classified as a U, with the poisoning scene leaving some ‘haunted’ for years.
Someone else tweeted: ‘Apparently the “kids” cartoon film “Watership Down” has been reclassified by the BBFC from U to PG due to “mild violence, threat, brief bloody images, language”. On behalf of everyone traumatised by this film as a child, surely it should be 18.’
‘Not surprising. The original Watership Down is downright distressing with all those gory scenes and rabbits, ripping each other apart,’ added a fourth person.
And yet another cried: ‘Watership Down should be an 18 and carry a health warning ????’
In its report, the BBFC added that when a distributor resubmits a film, the piece is reviewed under the ‘current guidelines’, which can lead to something being reclassified.
The report references a ‘distressing sequence’, noting: ‘In their exile, the rabbits meet various challenges, some of which result in bloody bite and claw injuries caused by animals fighting.
‘In one scene, a bird tells one of the rabbits to “p**s off”.
‘When we viewed the film under the current guidelines we reclassified it PG in line with our current policies for violence, threat, injury detail and language.’
The tale returned to the small screen, which featured a star-studded voice cast including James McAvoy, John Boyega, Nicholas Hoult, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Colman and Gemma Arterton.
