Magic Monday-The Last Unicorn

Okay, before I actually start, I'm going to give credit to who introduced me to this film: Nash. He does a lot of great stuff, but easily his most criminally underrated series is "Here There Be Dragons", which is all about fantasy films. I can't recommend that series or "Classic Who Reviews" enough, and it was his video on The Last Unicorn that first made me aware of the film.

I only saw it very recently actually, and mostly because of opportunity: my wife owns it on DVD and she loves it. Having heard some good buzz already, I was interested. And I have to say, I liked what I got.

For those of you, like me from a few months ago, who don't know anything about the film, let me explain. It's based on a novel written by Peter S. Beagle, all about the titular unicorn, who believes herself to be the last of her race, and leaves the safety of her forest to try and discover what happened to the rest of her kind.

Animated by Rankin and Bass, the two directors behind all those stop-motion animated Christmas films from back in the day as well as the animated Hobbit and Return of the King films, the movie really lives and breathes in that 1980's style of animation. The character designs and backgrounds are exquisite, and from the visuals alone this movie is gorgeous.

A lot of people don't like the music in the film done by the band "America", but I think it sounds awesome. No, my problem is how it was used. The first time was actually really good, a classic "song over opening credits and gorgeous visuals" sequence, something that really evokes similar sequences in animated films of the time.

However, later in the film the songs are used for montages, and in one particular segment the montage skips over large segments of story that are clearly missing from the film. The characters's development feels like it skips several steps down the road, and it can be very oft-putting. This was obviously done for the sake of running time, but it isn't handled as well as other films I've seen when it comes to trimming story. It comes off very rough, and it's clear to anyone watching where the writer's scissors were.

Now, unlike nearly everyone else I've seen talk about this film, I've never read the book. Hell, I didn't even remember there was a book until I recently rewatched Nash's review. So for once I'm looking at a work as an Unsullied, and adaptational changes in general won't effect me.

Without any built-in attachment due to having read the book, this film did get me invested. The story is engaging, and it's emphasis on the protagonist's alien perspective is fairly unique. I like seeing a fantasy world from the perspective of a magical creature, not a normal person, and the fact that she's never left her forest before means that the exposition still can come off naturally.

There's also a lot of really interesting ideas going on in this story: the world of mythology interacting with reality, how reality tends to darken and taint those beautiful myths, and how those stories we are told as children often don't give us realistic expectations for how our lives will really go. The last of those in particular is done in an amazing scene, probably my favorite in the film, when the unicorn protagonist is accosted by someone for never appearing to them until they're older, and after their lives have gone so far downhill.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are scenes like this:

I know a lot of people talk about the harpy with visible, naked breasts, but while that isn't what most expect it is an interesting interpretation of the Harpy. This tree though? Big Lipped Alligator Moment. Random magic goes wrong, boom, tree has boobs and a face and...yeah. I guess some people might find it funny? I suppose? I didn't.

Sooo...yeah. While I'm voicing minor gripes, I will say that I found the ending somewhat anticlimactic, and the villain could have been more richly nuanced, especially with that voice actor. But none of these complaints are things that I actually hold against the film.

I will say, however, that if you're a little younger and haven't seen a lot of 70's or 80's animated films, this movie might be weirder than intended. It's worth remembering that the style of theatrical animation has changed a lot since then, especially in pacing. This film is not only fairly slow-paced, but it also is full of very dark tones, to the point where you need the brightness up on your viewing device to actually see some scenes.

This isn't a negative, but I do know people who aren't used to the style, so I'd recommend this film more to people who already love films like The Land Before Time, The Hobbit, The Brave Little Toaster, or Watership Down. Of course, if you're able to watch animated films and enjoy them at all I'd recommend The Last Unicorn, with the caveat that more conservative parents might not want to watch it by themselves first before showing it their kids. Still, I whole-heartedly endorse this classic film for anyone who'll give it the time of day.

#animatedfilm #monday