Why Watership Down feels more timely now than ever
Originally a beloved book by Richard Adams, Watership Down is the story of a band of rabbits looking for a home. Over the years it's spawned an animated film, TV series, stage plays and a radio play. Now, there's a new adaptation out on Netflix that features an all-star cast of voices, including James McAvoy, Ben Kingsley, John Boyega and Olivia Colman.
Far from being a simple nursery rhyme about bunnies, Watership Down examines the forces that shape us all. The rabbits you meet are displaced by urban sprawl and forced to fight for their survival. They encounter the sinister tyrant rabbit General Woundwort who rules a prison camp of a warren, known as Efrafan.
As more people grow more concerned about things like the environment, authoritarianism and mass migration, some say that this story feels more timely now than ever.
Noam Murro is the director of this latest adaptation of Watership Down. He joined guest host Laurie Brown to discuss why we feel so compelled by stories about animals that show us what it means to be human.
— Produced by Chris Trowbridge
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