Better than most people think

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The Plague Dogs... it's kind of hard to describe why this film is so good, because of all the things it manages to execute to near perfection.The animation, for it's time, is amazing, especially seeing that Martin Rosen's approach to this and "Watership Down" (another great) was to make the world and the animal characters in it seemingly realistic to a key (to an awkward point, when they draw out the dogs "package"). Nonetheless, the settings are dreary and threatening for our characters Rowf and Snitter (voiced by John Hurt, who also voiced Fifer in Watership Down) to traverse, and both the animals and even the humans are very well done.Such a provocative story as well, one that makes this more of an adults film rather than a children's (given a PG-13 rating for a few bloody reasons). The relationship between Rowf and Snitter is done brilliantly, and though I've never read the actual book, the way these two characters work with one another and each others self-conflicting emotions (Rowf's cynical yet determined will to survive, Snitter's intellect but often driven mad by his past misdeeds and being "cursed") to survive the harsh brutal world they escaped to is phenomenal. Even the characters they come to interact with (the sheep herders two collies, and "Tod" the fox) play their parts in helping these two find their way to freedom, though they may not actually be helping. Tod in particular is a fittingly cunning fox, and while he is helping these dogs for his own gain, he comes to a point in his life that he puts aside his own selfish thieving gain and sacrifices himself for the two. In the end, after enduring long and treacherous times in the wilds of Scotland, pursued by hunters for slaughtering sheep, and believed to be ridden with a "plague" from the cruel lab they escaped from, they come to the end of their journey. The film ends on a very sad (or if you choose) uplifting note, depending on how you interpret the ending of their story, whether or not they survived in the end. It may leave you with a mixed feeling, but the overall journey with Rowf and Snitter and everything in between makes this one of the greats in animation.Reasons this film is mainly geared more for adults isn't just for the enthralling story and the end result, it especially touches base with the issue of animal cruelty (most expressed in the beginning of the film, where Rowf is forced day by day to undergo endless swimming sessions of "endurance", drowning in the end and being revived by the humans to be put through the torture once more). Though I can't put my finger on what they did to Snitter, but it severely messed with his personal mind, causing his terrible imagery of his past, which in my mind delves even deeper on what terrible things we've done to animals simply for the sake of "what will happen." Say what you will about the issue, but I don't uphold animal cruelty on any level, but I wouldn't put a human first in line to be tested by a drug or treatment before it's proved foolproof. Wherever you stand on the issue, this film still manages to prove its point well, and makes you think about the aspects of animal experimentation/cruelty in labs.To top it off with dark story elements, such as the dogs trying to revert to the "wolf" ways to kill to survive, and bloody details of injuries, attacks on both animals and humans (one in particular that Snitter did not mean the cause may very well scar you for life), "The Plague Dogs" never ceases to amaze in my eyes.This film is definitely one to see at least once in your life, and many times thereafter if you truly grasp what the film attempts to evoke to its audience. Definitely in my top 10 favorite films (not just animated) of all time (alongside "The Iron Giant" of course).9/10 Jeffrey V/sonicfan5715

Plague dogs is among the most depressive films I have ever watched. It is certainly not a family film, despite being animated and made in the UK (hence, it is not anime and thus tends to be family oriented), it features some very heavy content and this is not like a Disney film. It is powerful and depressing, but it is not a masterpiece.I gave this 8/10 because, while being quite powerful, it was unable to move me enough to make me cry as several anime films managed to do. The plot is incredibly tragic and features an ambiguous ending.Overall, a must see for animation buffs but not a must see for general film fans.

...it will tear your heart out of your chest, throw it on the ground, and stomp on it over and over and over again. The reality of this movie is undeniable. Never before has an animated film (or perhaps any film) so deeply and tragically captured the horror of being tortured, being reviled, and being hunted. The Plague Dogs leaves an imprint on the spirit that can never (and should never) wash away. The love affair that humans have with dogs aside, the helplessness one feels when watching this film and knowing that one cannot help these poor creatures is too real to ignore. I cried the first time I saw this film, and I cried the second time, too. I feel as though I cannot bear to watch it a third time, and yet I also feel that it is my obligation as a father and a human to keep myself and others acutely aware of the horrors that our friends in the animal kingdom endure at the hands of our own species. Do not watch this film without a box of tissues; you will, and should, need them.

After the success of Watership Down (1978), writer/producer/director Martin Rosen, tackled another of Richard Adams' novels. Thematically similar to Watership Down, The Plague Dogs tells the story of two dogs who escape from a animal testing laboratory in Coniston in the Lake District. Snitter (John Hurt), a Jack Russell, and Rowf (Christopher Benjamin), a black Labrodor, find themselves in the fells of North West England. There they encounter a fox, The Todd (James Bolam), who offers to help them become wild to survive the harsh outside that they are not accustomed to. The local farmers are alerted to their presence once sheep start turning up mutilated. This breeds panic amongst them. The suspicions build and accusations are directed at the local, clandestine laboratory. Whilst kept secret for some time, the horrifying news is delivered that the two escapees are carrying the bubonic plague.As I have previously stated, this is thematically similar to Watership Down. Humans are the instigators of the death of animals. Death is ever present within this film. Throughout our main characters are physically dying of hunger and exhaustion. Disney this is not. It is far removed from the cutesy animal characters of the Disney movies. These are animals at the height of existential crisis. Snitter has constant flashbacks (caused by a surgical slice on the head) of his past master, who he caused the death of in a road accident. Both characters are perpetually reminded and discuss 'The Blackness'.This is not high-adventure kiddie-fodder. This is animated cinema at its bleakest. It's an austere account of survival in an alien winter landscape. The colour palette of the film is limited. With the hills and valleys of Lancashire, et al, in the closing months of the year, it uses mostly greys, browns, and shades to illustrate the dreary desolate surroundings. There are some incredibly disturbing moments here. In the opening sequence, Rowf is being submerged in a deep tank of water; the 'experiment' not verbalised. Rowf seems to die, sinking to the bottom until he is scooped out and resuscitated. In a later scene, Snitter is called over with whistles from a farmer searching for the escapees. When Snitter jumps in excitement, he accidentally pulls the trigger on a shotgun which proceeds to blow into the mans face.This is grim, harrowing viewing. I remember seeing this film as a five year old. I (possibly luckily) do not recall my emotional response to it. As an adult, I see it as a continuation of the messages of human destruction as first proposed by Watership Down. I have noticed that the DVD versions available have cut 20 minutes of the film. I can not see where they could do this. I'm assuming that the sequences which show mutilated, bloody sheep will have been edited out. But, luckily, i saw the original 102 minute version. I can only imagine that at such a tender age in 1982, I could only have been traumatised by the experience. However, I could be wrong. There was quite a little fad for relatively bleak animated films during this period. Just look at The Secret of Nimh (also 1982). The continues also with the same beautifully rendered animation techniques as Rosens previous film. It depicts the countryside of England so well. Whilst the film is not so fondly remembered as Watership Down, The Plague Dogs still represents a piece of pure animation that does not shy away from confronting very disturbing and emotional issues. It also represents (whilst differently) a move from the view that animation is solely for kids. Like the more recent animated movies of Pixar, it has elements which speak to the adult viewer as well as the young. This may possibly be why it is forgotten. Or maybe it is just too bleak to contemplate after viewing just once. After all, I remember seeing the film at five; so it clearly had some impact on me.