Angels_Review Um… This is a really really odd show. Rather silent and made my skin crawl just a bit, especially how they show a dog being killed by downing in an experimental room. I'm not spoiling anything there since the show starts out with that.This show is so depressing, so sad that it made me want to curl into a ball and cry. It's about dogs who want to find masters that will not torture them with tests. It turns darker as they don't find a master and become wild dogs pretty much and do as they need. A little bit of surreal stuff does seem to come up because one of the dogs seems to have had work done to his brain. I think its also interesting to note that we see a lot of what happens when someone has the plague since both of them show signs as the days go on.The story actually felt rather boring for the most part, and it felt like it was going way to slow without really any reason for it. The only thing somewhat entertaining was watching the dogs try to catch frogs in desperation to have something to eat.The art style is rather odd, very dark and detailed. When you do see the people, you can see almost every line in the face. The animals all look pretty real and add to how scary the show really is. They really watched how dogs really act because everything they do isn't humanoid. The animation is pretty fluid, and works well with the story.The voices are hard to hear a lot, they talk rather softly and then the music would blar when I had my volume up. Their British voices also are a bit hard to tell what is being said. They sometimes also talk a bit scatter brained and mix up. Now also, even when we do not see the humans, we do hear them talking about the dogs escape.Now, this show was written because of the problems with testing animals and also working with illnesses and bioweapons that could become a national problem if they get out. This show was a creation from a book by Richard Adams that wrote a lot of different sad books about animals in bad conditions.

Howard Schumann It has been estimated that from ten to one hundred million animals are used annually for research purposes. In the U.S., any procedure can be performed on an animal if it can be successfully argued that it is scientifically justified. Whether medical and scientific discoveries of benefit to mankind outweigh animal cruelty and likely death is a debate that has been going on since testing and experimentation on living animals began in Greece in the fourth century BC and shows no signs of abating. This subject is the theme of Martin Rosen's animated film The Plague Dogs.Based on the novel by Richard Adams who also wrote "Watership Down," The Plague Dogs is a disturbing movie that pulls no punches and is heartbreakingly real in its depiction of the sad effects of animal experimentation. Whether or not children should see it is a decision that has to be made by each parent. Walt Disney, it is not. In the film, a black Labrador named Rowf (John Hurt) and a fox terrier Snitter (Christopher Benjamin), subjected to endless tests of endurance as well as undefined brain surgery, make a daring escape from an animal research facility in Coniston, but find the outside world less welcoming than they remember.With no specific destination in mind, the two wander through the English Lake District hoping to find a master that will take care of them (Snitter is racked with guilt, thinking he caused the death of his previous master in an accident). In this bleak environment depicted in dark colors, their search for food and shelter is aided only by a sly, opportunistic fox (The Tod) who teaches the dogs the ways of the wild, mostly for his own benefit. As more and more sheep are reported killed, the research center spreads the rumor that the dogs may be carriers of the Bubonic Plague and the farmers are now assisted by the Army to hunt them down. Snitter does not help their cause by being involved in a freak shooting accident that kills a passerby.Though the mood of The Plague Dogs is somber and the film is marred by heavy British accents that are barely audible, the film is strengthened by the loving relationship of the two dogs and we root for them to survive even though we know the odds are against them. While the dogs are puzzled by the actions of the "whitecoats," they do not succumb to thoughts of revenge. Trying not to think the worst of their whitecoat tormentors, Rowf asks "There must be some reason, mustn't there? It must do some sort of good," but the good is hard to find as the dogs must confront insurmountable obstacles to find a way to survive. Like many of us who are trying to keep our heads above water, their island is so close but so far away.

luminous-luciano Director Martin Rosen's second animated film, based upon the novel by Richard Adams, proves that he is a master of the genre. Like his preceding effort, *The Plague Dogs* belongs to that category of animation that is definitively the diametrical opposite of what studios such as Disney or Pixar dish out every time. For, just like *Watership Down* before it, *The Plague Dogs* is all about a grimy and sad reality - and everything that comes with that. It comes a step further than that, even. The two title characters, Rowf and Snitter, couldn't be further from the Lady, the Tramp and other feel-good cartoony loons of their ilk... For this is a tale that could very well have happened, up to a certain degree, unlike those recounted in 1001 other pieces of animations intended for children and a family audience - something that The Plague Dogs is definitely not, as you've already understood.The story, in brief: these two dogs escape from a laboratory where they were destined to be guinea pigs - or already were. Their escape is not the solution to all aspects of their plight, however, as the world outside is most unwelcoming and of course -one would expect it but not two innocent dogs- they will soon be tracked down for recapture or elimination. Along the way they befriend a fox and all three soon meet their destiny - but not as we would expect it.This is a film unlike any other, almost - for even *Watership Down* will appear to be an upbeat thingie in comparison (and it sure wasn't Bugs Bunny either!) The fact is that Rosen carries through with the original story and does not try to deter from it, nor to embellish things or, Heaven Forbid, tack on a happy ending à-la-Disney. The film suffered immensely from this in terms of marketability, of course - being neither a children's film nor something that appealed to a mature audience, it is indeed stuck in some limbo in-between these two poles. This film does have a happy ending though - the only one it could have had and, to me, it is the most beautiful and poetic thing ever on film. Not to appreciate it would either imply that your heart is made of stone or that you have no perception beyond the material state of things - and, in either case, it would make you a sadder story than *The Plague Dogs* were themselves. Many parents introduce their children to the ''real world'' via intelligent pieces of fiction especially crafted for them: tales such as *Charlotte's Web* and *Watership Down* - I suggest to add *The Plague Dogs* to the list too; but only when they are mature enough to view it, and learn from its lessons. And only when you are ready and willing to learn along, too.

velcrocandy This movie had been recommended to me because I had watched "Watership Down" years ago, and I found it very interesting and unlike any other animated movie. I was told that "The Plague Dogs" was similar in make, so I thought I would give it a try. This gave me the same eerie feel, but it kept me on my toes, almost like a suspense film. I have never seen a film so accurately display dog's behaviors AND personify them... Instead of just talking dogs, I felt as if I was just given a translation of what they would have really been saying if they COULD talk. This made the movie feel so real to me, I connected with the characters and this movie was simply a pleasure to look at. The realistic environments, the glistening coats of the dogs, even the water trickling down the stream was a relief from most modern animation.I am not one to cry when I watch movies. This movie made me sob and sob, in the beginning I cried, and in the end I cried. Like I said in my summary: it's definitely tough for dog lovers to watch!!! I would highly recommend this movie, however it is not for kids 16 and under. If you think you'd like to watch it with your family, the parental guidance on this site is incredibly helpful for this, and for any movie on here. 10/10 in my opinion!! What a great movie!!