402 #2 - Watership Down (1978)

I first saw the 1978 version of Watership Down when I was a child and it completely traumatised me to a degree I was afraid of rabbits, yet I still had this fascination with it that I have to this day. The  rough art style worked perfectly with graphic and bloody fight scenes and the character designs to create a perfect mix of unsettling visuals that traumatise kids. It still baffles me that people think that because it is animated, it is for children.

The character designs for the main characters had mostly cartoon-y styles, although many of the villainous characters or even just the more horrifying scenes were a more realistic style that would hit the uncanny valley, especially around the eyes.

The use of blood and gore in the film is something that makes it age rating very questionable. Personally, it half fascinated and horrified me as a child (the uncanny valley stuff more scarred me) similar to how one can't stop watching a car crash. Funnily enough, I later became an avid horror fan. Go figure.

The plot completely went over my head as a child, as the original story is a political drama, but I can appreciate the story a lot more now that I have more intricate cognitive thought.