I plan to read the book sometime this year so my opinion is solely based on this film.
Although it is quite dark and gruesome at bits, I saw this film at a young age but wasn't distracted by the violence. Animted films with a grittier edge and underlying tone have always appealed to me much more than Disney films. Don Bluth was a great example of this.
The story starts with a Mythology behind the creation of the world and how rabbits became such underdogs in the world.
It then details the efforts of a small group of rabbits lead by a Seer. The Seer believes that their current warren is in danger but is brushed aside easily. His Brother, a strong willed and intelligent rabbit, believes there is truth to his prediction and rounds up their friends and begin an epic journey across the British Countryside to find a new warren, safe from man and the other oppressors!
It also shows an individual look into the 'politics' of rabbit warrens which I found quite interesting. The differences and, shockingly, the similarities between Woundwart and the Old Chief Rabbit shows that rabbits are a doomed race no matter how they live their lives. It reeks of allegory. Free-thinkers like Hazel, Fievel and their group are sneered at but make more sense than those in power.
I look forward to reading the book to futher my exploration into the Downs of Watership. I may even venture to the TV Series...
9/10