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The Plague Dogs

Play trailer Poster for The Plague Dogs PG-13,  1982,  1h 43m,  Adventure/ Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Stream Now Watchlist 70% 10 Reviews Tomatometer 90% 2,500+ Ratings Popcornmeter
70% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In this animation, Snitter (John Hurt) and Rowf (Christopher Benjamin) are two dogs trapped in a lab where they are repeatedly abused for testing purposes. One day, they accidentally find a way to unlock their cages and escape. In the wild, they must struggle to survive with the help of their guide, the Tod (James Bolam), a fox. Despite their hopes for a better life, they are discouraged by the increasing lack of food and vicious rumors the government is spreading that they carry the plague.
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Critics Reviews

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Frances Dickinson Time Out Mar 1, 2018
Adams' succinct complaint about animal exploitation is reduced to a mute whine. Go to Full Review
Janet Maslin New York Times Mar 1, 2018
The Plague Dogs makes such skillful use of computer animation that its principal characters develop an amazing doggy authenticity. Go to Full Review
Rachel Wagner rachelsreviews.net Oct 3, 2024
It is definitely a bold and shocking film worth seeing Go to Full Review
Seth Troyer PopMatters Oct 3, 2023
While The Plague Dogs is certainly not for the faint of heart, it is beautifully animated and truly moving, emotional journey. Go to Full Review
Alistair Lawrence Common Sense Media May 5, 2021
4/5
A less-famous relation to Watership Down, this animated tale from 1982 takes a similarly unflinching look at the natural world and humans' relationship to animals. Go to Full Review
Phil Edwards Starburst Apr 14, 2020
Long winded and generally unpleasant. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Hermione S Mar 31, 2019 I'm not going to say it's good or bad, but the first time I watched it, I almost vomited. Can't fully explain why. Maybe it was the unexpected and grotesque violence. I personally did not like it and will never watch it again, but you do you. See more
Poe R Jan 3, 2019 A great movie about realistic animal testing.
George G Mar 8, 2018 This story spares no expense in its journey to imbue its canine characters with pathos. A supreme depression that is expertly earned, turning the neutral into dog lovers and dog lovers into misanthropes. See more
Rey W Oct 6, 2017 The Plague Dogs is a truly underrated classic that deserves more respect than it currently has. Being the 2nd animated film from director Martin Rosen, this doesn't shy away from sucking anything deemed optimistic and turning it into a sequence of unfortunate events, leading to the deaths of the dogs at the end of the film. In some ways, this adaptation of the 1977 novel of the same name is more harsh than it's original predecessor, with the main example being the ending I mentioned earlier. I don't care if you have a strong or weak stomach, WATCH IT. See more
Harry L Jun 5, 2017 This is not a kids movie. In fact it might traumatize little ones whose parents thought it was just another funny talking animal movie. 'The Plague Dogs' tells the story of best friends, Rowf and Snitter, who escape from an animal research center after being tortured and experimented upon. Rowf and Snitter run into difficulty adjusting to life in the wild as they find themselves being hunted by their captors. Relying on a cunning fox calling himself The Tod, who they've reluctantly befriended, our heroes must navigate through a dangerous world where anyone could be a threat. It's already easy to root for our three protagonists as they're abused animals. But they also have their own personalities with emotional depth and undying loyalty to each other, making them all the more sympathetic. You might want to have tissue handy because you could be in tears by the end of this one. I recommend trying to find the original uncut version because whoever censored this film thought American audiences couldn't handle a tragic and bloody story about two dogs on the run from the rest of the world. See more
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The Plague Dogs

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this animation, Snitter (John Hurt) and Rowf (Christopher Benjamin) are two dogs trapped in a lab where they are repeatedly abused for testing purposes. One day, they accidentally find a way to unlock their cages and escape. In the wild, they must struggle to survive with the help of their guide, the Tod (James Bolam), a fox. Despite their hopes for a better life, they are discouraged by the increasing lack of food and vicious rumors the government is spreading that they carry the plague.
Director
Martin Rosen
Screenwriter
Richard Adams, Martin Rosen
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Violent Images)
Genre
Adventure, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 21, 1982, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 1983
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 29, 2019
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Surround
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