When the Wind Blows

1986 • 1h 24m •

Animation War Drama

MOVIEVIBE Rating

★ 7.5/10

351 reviews

Your Rating

With the help of government-issued pamphlets, an elderly British couple build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack, unaware that times and the nature of war have changed from their romantic memories of World War II.

"...it's no fairy tale."

Top Billed Cast

John Mills

Jim Bloggs (voice)

Peggy Ashcroft

Hilda Bloggs (voice)

Robin Houston

Radio Announcer (voice)

James Russell

Russian submariner (voice)

David Dundas

Additional Voices (voice)

Matt Irving

Additional Voices (voice)

Bernard Montgomery

Self (archive footage)

Harry S. Truman

Self (archive footage)

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

T tensharpe Verified TMDB Critic

2023-02-03

“When The Wind Blows” is a heartbreaking, horrendous, portrayal of the fallout following a nuclear attack on the United Kingdom. Based on the book by “The Snowman” creator Raymond Briggs, this film manages to show the full horror of an elderly couples experiences once missiles have struck.

Opening with real Cold War era footage accompanied by David Bowie’s haunting theme song, “When The Wind Blows” follows similar animation style to that of Briggs other famous works. ( “The Snowman” , “The Snowman and the Snow Dog” ) Such dark narrative seems unfitting for this animati...