Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Strong and Moving!

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I love Ustinov's distinctive, literate narration. And the photography is quiet nice. We put the film on for our 3.5 year old who sort of wandered in and out of the room. So for our first viewing, we only saw about 1/3 of the movie and were quite charmed. When we re-watched, sitting down for family time,we were all mortified at the violence and life-threatening situations the poor otter got into. About halfway through the movie, there's a rack of dead, bloody furry animals. Lots of blood, not just a little. Then at the end, there's a wild struggle with a dog, then blood clouds the water. You'd think, given the G rating, that's all you'll see...that they will IMPLY one of the animals died. Nope. They drag the carcass out of the water and show it plainly for several traumatizing seconds. Personally, as an adult I love horror movies and am fine with violent movies ala Scorsese, Cronenberg, Tarantino. Heck, I love the ultra violent Battle Royale. But those aren't kid movies and don't advertise themselves as such. If you are deliberately raising your young ones to see the harsh realities of life for cute animals, then this is the movie for you. If you are like me and my wife though, you might want to spare your child nightmares and avoid this one.

Many people think that "Tarka the Otter" isn't a suitable film for children because of its content, yet they would allow their children to watch the beauty of Watership Down or Disney films such as Bambi, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, the Jungle Book etc. They all have upsetting things that happen in them, but just because it's a cartoon, therefore less realistic, parents tend to think that it is suitable for children, as they won't get as upset compared to it being filmed as a non cartoon film. I have to disagree with this.Tarka the Otter is a beautiful film and very artistic, and while yes, it is a sad ending, the last words have stuck with me. The scenery shots are also as beautiful as the film and I was so surprised to find that I hated a dog so much, Boatman did very well, I love all animals and it is very hard for animals to make me dislike them.

This film is a classic, beautifully made and yes its upsetting. I sat with my 4 year old little girl and explained it to her, and she was in wonderment at it and although a little upset - she enjoyed it. She learnt more from this film than she will ever do if even if she watched 100 Disney fantasies. I'm fed up with parents wanting to shield their children from every tiny little thing that might cause them upset. As a child I baled by eyes out at the cruelty to black beauty it didn't do me any harm - it taught be humanity and compassion!!!!!!These days children's films fail to challenge children - its all fantasy - I think this is more worrying.

This movie follows the life-story of an otter. There is no animation, a minimum of human characters, hardly any dialogue and no silly anthropomorphizing of animals or any embarrassing animal stunts. The film is based around the impeccable footage of animals interacting with one another and their environment, and the rich narration by Peter Ustinov of a genuinely meaningful tale of an animal.Another reviewer has mentioned that this film should not be shown to children as certain sad/cruel aspects of the story would be upsetting for them. I can't disagree more. This video-tape was watched and re-watched by my siblings and I through our early childhood and we loved it. There are moments of joy and hilarity mixed with poignant and tragic occurrences, BUT nothing that a child can't handle. Certainly nothing worse then Bambi's mother getting shot, Simba's Dad being killed in a stampede or Nemo's mother and siblings being eaten by another carnivorous fish! This movie is a classic, and certainly a genuine feat of film-making. One of the best uses of Peter Ustinov's glorious wit and rumbling voice I have ever seen on film.