Watership Down (miniseries)  Watership Down is an adventure fantasy miniseries directed by Noam Murro. It is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Richard Adams and adapted by Tom Bidwell. It was released on 22 December 2018 in the United Kingdom and internationally on Netflix the next day. The BBC broadcast comprised two back-to-back episodes per day. The music video for "Fire on Fire" (from "Watership Down") by Sam Smith was released on 21 December 2018. In July 2014, it was announced that BBC would be airing a new animated miniseries of "Watership Down" based on the 1972 novel and the 1978 film. In April 2016, it was announced that the series would be a co-production between BBC and Netflix, and would consist of four one hour episodes. The series has a budget of £20 million. The rest of the voice cast was announced in November 2018. Originally set for release on 25 December 2018, "Watership Down" was released on 22 December 2018, on BBC One in the UK and on 23 December 2018 on Netflix, internationally. "Watership Down" received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the narrative, performances of its voice cast and soundtrack, but receiving negative reviews for its somewhat tamer tone and the quality of the computer animation, described as "soulless" and "clunky". On Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries has an approval rating of 77% based on reviews from 22 critics, with its critical consensus reading "Though its animation leaves something to be desired, "Watership Down" is a faithful adaptation that will resonate with viewers of any age." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". "The Guardian" and "The Independent" both gave it two stars out of five, calling the production "tame, drab and deeply unsatisfying." and "spectacularly ho-hum – less tooth and claw than head shake." "The Times" was more positive, giving it three stars out of five, writing "this was a meaty, lovingly made production that, spread over two days, felt far too long." While "The New York Times" noted that though the adaptation "fails its potential, it benefits from strong voice performances and a solid central story. Even this easy-listening version, which lays on the romance, jokes and limp dialogue, has moments of grandeur and the sweep of a fantasy epic."