Watership Down (1999 TV series)

The Watership Down animated television series is a British-Canadian adaptation of Richard Adams' 1972 novel of the same name. It aired for three seasons from 1999 to 2001. The series, while retaining the core narrative of the rabbits' flight from their warren and their establishment of a new home at Watership Down, featured several significant changes and expansions to the original story.

Key differences from the novel include:

• Expanded Roles for Female Characters: The television series significantly expanded the roles of female rabbits, particularly Hazel's sister Fiver (Pipkin in the novel) and Clover. Characters like Primrose were also given more agency. This contrasted with the novel's portrayal of rabbits generally, and female rabbits in particular, as primarily passive.
• Introduction of New Characters: Several entirely new characters were created for the series, both rabbits and members of other species. These additions often served to add new conflicts or explore different aspects of rabbit society and their interactions with the world.
• Altered Plot Elements: While the main plot points from the novel were generally followed, many specific events and character arcs were modified, added to, or removed altogether. The overall tone of the series leaned toward a more conventional adventure narrative, sometimes sacrificing the novel's more nuanced themes.
• Mythological Elements: The series incorporated more explicitly fantastical elements, particularly concerning the rabbit deity Frith and the Black Rabbit of Inlé. These elements were presented in a more literal fashion than in the novel, which left more room for interpretation.
• Target Audience: The television series, aimed at a broader audience than the novel, toned down some of the novel's more graphic violence and complex philosophical themes.

The series was produced by Alltime Entertainment, HIT Entertainment, and Martin Rosen's Nepenthe Productions, the company responsible for the 1978 animated film adaptation. Despite its deviations from the source material, the Watership Down television series exposed a new generation of viewers to the story of Hazel, Fiver, and their fellow rabbits.