Watership Down (film) the US box office, earning only US$3 million against a budget of $4 million. The British Board of Film Classification have been criticized for declaring Watership Down as a U rating, which is intended for anyone at least 4 years of age. The film was released to theatres in the UK before the PG rating was created in the UK, but had never been rerated after the PG rating came. The fact that the film is an animation about rabbits makes many unaware parents mistake the film for being a typical child-friendly film, arguing that the frequency of gore, death,
Watership Down (film) and disturbing imagery should have resulted in at least a 'parental guidance' rating. Some places like Quebec have given the film a G rating as well; however, in places like the United States, Australia, and Ireland, the film was rated PG due to the film's violence and disturbing imagery. A picture book of the animated film was also produced, titled "The Watership Down Film Picture Book". Two editions of the book were published, one a hard-cover, the other a reinforced cloth-bound edition. The contents include stills from the film linked with a combination of narration and extracts from the script,