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The New Watership Down Remake Is On TV Tonight, Are You Ready For it?

The New Watership Down Remake Is On TV Tonight, Are You Ready For it?

The first of two parts is at 7pm on BBC One. Get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions

Rachael Grealish

Rachael Grealish

It's three days until the big day and that means one thing, Christmas television is really heating up to show all the good stuff we've been waiting for.

Things are really kicking off tonight as the BBC are showing the brand-spanking-new remake of the 1978 classic Watership Down - but are audiences ready for a new version of the classic?

People have been hesitant about getting excited about the new adaption after the classic film was said to have 'traumatised' kids of several generations.

But, will this be as dark as people feared? Well, the executive producer, Roy Aitken, told the Telegraph the updated version will not just tone down the levels of on-screen violence to make it more appropriate for children, but give a boost to its female characters.

He added: "While we won't shy away from the darkness in the book, visually it won't be as brutal and scarring."

In the trailer for tonight's hit it opens straight into Fiver's ominous premonition of the destruction that lies in wait for the animals of Watership Down.

People Are Still Traumatised By Watership Down.
BBC

Fiver then embarks on his mission to try and convince his fellow rabbits of the imminent threat to the landscape and its wildlife - desperately asking Hazel to believe him.

He says: "Something will come to this place, we can leave now, or we can be destroyed with it."

James McAvoy, John Boyega, Nicholas Hoult and Olivia Colman are all lending their voices to the remake making for a glittering star-studded cast.

Back in the 70's, as youngsters settled down in front of their family television screens many expected to tune into a cuddly story about bunnies, but what they got was a dark, gory and very realistic (for the time) animated version of the book - I'm guessing at this point many didn't read the book then, as that is pretty dark on its own.

People Are Still Traumatised By Watership Down.
BBC

Now many say they're still traumatised from some of the gorier scenes.

On person said: "Not sure how I feel about this. As a fully grown adult not sure I'm ready to be traumatised again. To the youngens it ain't no Peter Rabbit! #WatershipDown."

Another commented: "I can't believe they're remaking Watership Down. Were we not all traumatised enough from the original? Which I saw far too young..."

But, as it's yet to be aired and with promised of less gore and horror Watership Down could be the new family release we're all waiting for as we bunker down for Christmas day.

Featured Image Credit: BBC

Topics: Christmas, TV and Film, UK Entertainment