I’m not entirely sure why I enjoyed The Last Unicorn so much as a child. Then again, I can’t really say I dislike it now. What I can say, however, is that it is one of the strangest animated films I’ve ever seen. Released in 1982 and adapted from Peter S. Beagle’s 1968 novel of the same name, it’s become something of a cult classic, probably by virtue of its outright weirdness.
Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., the film tells the tale of the last known unicorn (voiced my Mia Farrow), who ventures out on a quest to find other of her breed. Along the way, she teams up with bumbling magician “Schmendrick” (voiced by Alan Arkin), and the two embark on a dangerous and fantastical mission to save the unicorns from a tragic fate.
The script is, to put it mildly, a little wonky. It’s jam-packed with references, and the time period is so loosely established that everything feels like an anachronism. It’s also a semi-musical, thanks to a few rather out-of-place songs (including one particularly ill-advised duet between Farrow’s character and Jeff Bridges’ “Prince Lir” that has all the lyrical subtlety of a blow to the head).
Similarly lacking in finesse is the animation. Though the movie was released around the same time as animated classics like The Secret of Nimh and The Fox and the Hound, it feels much older, thanks to its choppy, unfinished style. The visuals are occasionally very beautiful, but for the most part, they’re put together in a way that just doesn’t look right.
Despite all these flaws, I find it impossible to say that The Last Unicorn isn’t worth at least one viewing. It may be flawed, but there’s something so peculiar about the way it’s put together that it’s impossible to look away from the screen.
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