An animated adaptation of Richard Adams’ novel, about a pair of dogs (Snitter and Rowf) who escape from a research laboratory and try to survive in the wild with the help of a cunning fox (The Tod). The lab director tries to keep the escape quiet, but as an increasing number of sheep are found killed, word leaks out, together with rumours that the dogs might be plague carriers…

The Plague Dogs (1982)
  • Rating: (1,962 votes)
  • Runtime:103 minutes
  • Director: Martin Rosen
  • Countries:USA, UK
  • Actors:
    Snitter (voice)
    John Hurt
    Rowf (voice)
    Christopher Benjamin
    The Tod (voice)
    James Bolam
    Dr. Boycott (voice)
    Nigel Hawthorne
    Tyson / Wag (voice)
    Warren Mitchell
    Stephen Powell (voice)
    Bernard Hepton
    Laboratory Assistant (voice)
    Brian Stirner
    Lynn Driver (voice)
    Penelope Lee
    Farmer (voice) (as Geoffrey Mathews)
    Geoffrey Matthews
    Farmer's Wife (voice)
    Barbara Leigh-Hunt
  • Genres:Adventure, Animation, Drama
  • Producer:
    Martin Rosen
    producer  
  • Plot: An animated adaptation of Richard Adams' novel, about a pair of dogs (Snitter and Rowf) who escape from a research laboratory and try to survive in the wild with the help of a cunning fox (The Tod). The lab director tries to keep the escape quiet, but as an increasing number of sheep are found killed, word leaks out, together with rumours that the dogs might be plague carriers... Written by Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>
The Plague Dogs
  • User's comment:Tragic by the_naked_airplane

    Martin Rosen's second animated film is a powerful piece, which is based on Richard Adams novel of the same name. The Plague Dogs is a very rare example of a film in the animation genre which strives for realism in the grittiest of senses. As far away from fluffy Disney films as one could imagine, this is a disturbing account of the hardships of two dogs who escape from an animal testing lab. The perceived haven of the real world soon turns out to be anything like Rowf and Snitter had hoped. However the friendship that is built through out the film between the two dogs and a rogue fox whom they meet, is touching and at times heartbreaking. To delve much further into the story would be to spoil certain aspects of the film, so that shall be left down to the viewer to discover.

    Suffice to say, the main strength of Plague Dogs is paradoxically the reason the film has found itself in obscurity. To this date the original, 'uncut', version has not been released on any small screen formats (not to my knowledge at least). This strength is the bravery with which Rosen tackles the story. Resulting from this is a down beat film that isn't suitable for, nor is it likely to interest most, children. This is more than likely the reason it never found the success of Rosen's previous feature, Watership Down.

    In short, this film deserves to be released in its full splendor and embraced by a whole new generation of film lovers. Anyone with a heart that isn't made of stone will get the appeal of this wonderful film.


  • Quotes: Snitter: Have you ever thought, Rowf... that we won't need food when we're dead? Or names for that matter... I wonder who the buzzards will like best... You, or me... I hope you make sure we're properly dead before you start, old rip-beak! Stephen Powell: I think he's starting to pack it in. Snitter: Rowf. Rowf! Come back.
  • Also known as: Die Hunde sind los (Austria - imdb display title), Die Hunde sind los (West Germany), A pestises kutyák (Hungary - imdb display title), Flykten mot frihet (Sweden),

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