The phrase “banality of evil” means the normalizing of terrible actions. This term was first used by the writer Hannah Arendt in reference to Adolph Eichmann, Hitler’s right-hand-man during The Holocaust. Eichmann was in charge of the “final solution,” the murder of European Jewry. When he was brought to trial for his crimes, his only defense was: “I was just following orders.” Eichman was saying murder was his job and he was simply doing what he was told.

Most villains in animated movies are evil, scary, hulking figures. Characters such as Jafar in “Aladdin” and Scar in “The Lion King” are anything but banal. Such dramatic villains are rare in real life. Even the most monstrous have aspects of their personalities and actions that are everyday, humdrum or even boring, yet still thoroughly evil. The villains in Martin Rosen’s “The Plague Dogs”—scientists, the media, and society as a whole—are real villains, not Disney villains. This is one of many attributes that make this movie so amazing.

Rowf and Snitter are the two canine heroes of this film. They escape from the Animal Research Facility (A.R.S.E). Hearing the pained cries of the other animals as they make their escape, they accidentally knock over a vile that may contain the bubonic plague. They attempt to survive in the wild with the help of a wily fox. The media gets wind of the possible infection of the dogs, and takes the story to the public. After some mishaps that mislead people into believing the dogs are dangerous, the government, with prodding from the media, launches a deadly hunt for Snitter and Rowf that can only end in the worst way.

This film is based on the book, “The Plague Dogs” by Richard Adams. It is one of my favorite books. After seeing Rosen’s mediocre production of “Watership Down” (based on Adam’s other masterpiece) I was skeptical. Generally I’ve found that movies have a way of ruining great books. “The Plague Dogs” proved me wrong. The book and the movie complete each other.

“The Plague Dogs” is by far the best animated film I have ever seen. It is dark and serious. It doesn’t talk to its audience as though they are stupid (like most Disney films). The animation is flawless. The background is drawn in pastels, and no computers were used in the making of this movie. Each cell was hand-drawn. Famous animators came out of this movie, including Brad Bird who is the main animator for “The Incredibles.”

What I love most about this movie is how well Rosen re-created the characters. You cannot help but care about Snitter and Rowf. You love them for being so noble and innocent, especially when Rowf says, “I’m not a bad dog.” Yet throughout the movie the humans, whose faces we never see, talk about Snitter and Rowf as though they were a table or a chair. The scientists are animated in bland tones and voiced in matter-of-fact and often bored-sounding ways. This is far more effective in making them seem villainous than the over-the-top approach to villainy used in most animated movies. Torturing the animals is just their job; they have normalized what they do. They have no thought or concern about the animals’ well being. Rosen once said, “Instead of drawing the "White Coats" in broad strokes, and making them easily detestable villains, (I) endeavored to make them completely neutral. I wanted them to be very cool and un-thinking, dedicated to their mission but unaware of the pain they inflict—which is the way they really are."

I'll leave you on this note... Rosen once said “This is a movie for the thinking folks, and not necessarily for the footloose crowd.”

Rowf and Snitter are test subjects at an animal research lab, and when they get the chance, they escape. But once in the wild, they must prey on farm animals to stay alive. They team up with a crafty fox named "The Tod" who helps them to evade their human pursuers. At first, the lab denies any knowledge of the escaped dogs, but eventually the media breaks a story that 2 dogs are in fact missing from the lab and quite possibly infected with bubonic plague. This news causes the locals to demand action be taken. As a result, military forces are called in to track down the animals.

From the same director as Watership Down, The Plague Dogs is also based on a book by Richard Adams, and features similar lifelike animal animation. In fact, the animation is quite impressive as it captures the quirks and actions of these animals that give them personality. This 1982 film never got a real release in the US, and even on DVD is only available in its full version in Austrailia. I guess there isn't a huge market for depressing animal films.

This is really a sad story about these two canines who just want to be free. They want to escape the cruelty of the "whitecoats" and find nice masters. Snitter has recently undergone some brain vivisection and so he is a bit out of it, but Rowf takes care of his little companion. This isn't your typical furry animal film. From the opening scene of Rowf being nearly drowned in a water tank, its clear that little kids would be deeply disturbed by the content here. These poor forlorn pups earn a somber B+.

I saw the Plague Dogs a while ago. While in one of my Watership Down enthusiasms, I read the book. It was a thick, long book, and I couldnt put it down for two or three days. That's how gripping it was.

I felt that the movie just did not capture the spirit of the book the way Watership Down's movie did. To me the film felt disjointed, confused and rushed. And I kept remembering scenes from the book that weren't appearing.

Read the book! It will take longer, but will be more rewarding.

MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD

The book also contained a take-it-or-leave-it Deus Ex Machina chapter at the end, where the dogs are picked up in a fishing boat amd adopted. It softened the brutality of the dogs' fate. No such relief is incorporated in the movie, though.

This movie reminded me a great deal of "Grave of the Fireflies"--that sense of something very pure and innocent getting turned upside down by a world that seems bent on madness and cruelty. Here are two dogs that should've been lying before a fire warming someone's toes, but instead they are tortured and hunted.. all the while believing that perhaps it was they who brought this horror upon them.

I found this piece a little more coherent than "Watership Down" (Rosen's other animated feature) as the story is much more straightforward but that also means it gets a little repetitive in places. That said the story is very effective and powerful--we are enclosed almost entirely in the world of the dogs with actions of the distant human players in the story only being heard in voice-overs. As with "Watership Down", the language of the animal world is quite fascinating to listen to as they speak of common things like their relationship with the 'Masters' and the 'White Coats'.

This isn't a warm and fuzzy popcorn movie and it's definitely not for kids, but if you're looking for something somber with a timely message to it, this might be worth seeking out.