Other animated films to see: The Plague Dogs

The Plague Dogs

The film opens with a dog struggling for air in a water tank

The Plague Dogs, a film by the author and animators of Watership Down, tells the story of a pair of dogs who escape from a government research facility, their struggle to survive in the bleak rocky landscape they find themselves in, and their ultimate pursuit by the world of man - convinced that they may be carrying the Bubonic Plague.

It was always debatable whether or not Watership Down was a children's film - well, this one is doubtful too. Its an interesting perspective on animal cruelty, but anyone young enough to need an animated way into debates on cruelty and vivisection issues is probably too young to avoid being upset by the film itself... in fact, I'd say this is the sort of effort to push the animation envelope that could easily put a film company out of business! The artwork and characterisation is nearly as good as in Watership Down, and taken purely as a work of art it's nice to watch, but Plague Dogs just goes the extra inch or two farther than Watership down by including cruelty as well as blood, and that pushes it over the edge into being a film for adults in my opinion - or at the very least kids who have the mental resources to understand what they're watching. In the film's defence, Watership Down would have been a lesser work if it's depiction of life and death had been toned down, and similarly perhaps you couldn't actually tell the story in Plague Dogs as written without doing it this way, however I just don't feel like this is a film for children, and adults (except for animation fans) would probably skip it if they weren't taking their kids to see it because it lacks the heart and polish of Watership Down and the story is too surreal and depressing for a mass audience. They made a really good job of it, but I'd have given this project a miss if I'd been Nepenthe.

The film begins with the black labrador dog Rowf struggling for breath in a water tank, then slowly sinking to the bottom only to be dragged back to the surface and revived so that the scientists can take him to the point of death again when a new experiment is devised. The experiment's purpose is not really explained, other than it seems to be a test of the dog's survival instinct.

Rowf's friend Snitter has had brain surgery to connect his concious with his subconcious mind, creating a hallucinogenic dream-like state in his mind, where reality is frequently mixed with his dreams or imagination.

The two manage to escape from the research centre after a moment's carelessness by their keepers, eager to get away now that the centre has closed for the weekend, which leaves Rowf's cage door unlocked.

The dogs escape, but roam the deserted research centre aimlessly, especially Rowf, who has a weak-willed attitude to their chances of escape all the way to the end of the film - strange really, since he does so well in the survival tests!

The dogs come across the locked door of the plague research section, but sense the disease behind it, and turn away to explore other areas of the centre, finally finding their way into the warm incenerator chamber where they decide to sleep.

A little while later one of the caretakers takes the body of one of the centre's dogs to be burned. The body is dropped in with the sleeping dogs, and they only have seconds to escape through the incinerator's chimney before the chamber ignites. Rowf is reluctant to leave the warm place they've found, and Snitter has struggles with his apathetic friend, trying to make him escape - and finally has to force him out by biting him.

They emerge into the early winter's night, free from the tortures of the experiments, but now without food or shelter. The dogs go to a small village they find, driven by Snitter's memories of the master he once had (who died trying to save him after the dog ran into the road) they meet no sympathy with the locals however, and even the local sheepdogs warn them away in case they're shot by their farmer owner to protect his sheep.

The sheep are the only form of food in the bleak landscape, and soon the dogs are forced to hunt them, aided by a fox friend called "The Todd" (probably a UK countryside name for a fox - not sure about that). This brings them to the attention of the local farmers, who demand action to protect their flocks. The research centre attempts to deny all knowledge of the dogs' escape however, and launches their own attempt to hunt down the dogs before the farmers or the press get to know about them.

And so the dogs are hunted by all sides, but prevailing with the aid of the wily Todd until the winter begins to set in - and along with it the snow...Once the snow arrives the sheep are taken in to shelter by the farmers, leaving the dogs at last with no means to survive at all while the hunt for them goes on...

The dog becomes exahusted and finally sinks to the bottom.
A boathook fishes down and snags the dogs collar, allowing it to be
pulled back to the surface.

As a light shines down the dog is revived with defibrilator paddles...

...and the weight in its stomach is taken out.

The building holding the dogs is a government research facility,
secluded away in Northern England's mountainous Peak District.

A man goes along the dog's cages, putting food in each one.
In one cage the dog is found dead and is
picked up with a shovel for disposal.

A man goes along the dog's cages, putting food in each one.
The man becomes distraced by his workmate yelling at him to hurry up
when the black labrador's cage is reached. The man and his friend are preoccupied
with their plans to have a few beers at the local pub,
and a moment's carelessness is all that it takes...