November 1, 1978 –
The British animated film, Watership Down, directed by Martin Rosen, and featuring the voices of John Hurt, Richard Briers, Harry Andrews, Simon Cadell, Nigel Hawthorne, Roy Kinnear, and Zero Mostel (in his final film role,) opened in the US on this date.
The British Board of Film Classification had received complaints about this movie for over four decades after its release, due to the board’s decision to classify it U (suitable for all). The BBFC admitted in 2012 that it had “received complaints about the suitability of Watership Down at U almost every year since its classification.” On August 4, 2022, the film was re-rated PG after 44 years. It is still considered to be the most violent animated PG-rated movie ever made.
