The Gruesome Animated Movie Conclusion That Stays With Audiences
Out of every mature cartoon movies I have ever viewed, no other has stuck with me quite like the fear-filled finale of the viscerally violent and highly provocative film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
In 2015’s, this Spain-based filmmaker crafted a grim, bleak , frequently brutal world that included some tiny , desolate hints of optimism.
Although The Unicorn Wars seems like it came from a desire to push animation even more, the director explained that it was rather an attempt to communicate a widespread, multicultural theme regarding “the common origin of every conflict.”
That message is expressed through a squad of vividly colored bears , clearly inspired by a well-known line of lovable characters.
Growing up in a community focused on warmongering and the military-industrial complex, many of the bears are obsessed with slaughtering the mythical beasts, due to a sacred text which states the bears they were once masters of the woodland, until the unicorns drove them out.
Others haven’t fully bought into the indoctrination, , prefer to experiment with substances or mate outdoors.
In contrast to their cuddly counterparts, these colorful critters display genitals , definite urges.
For a particular notably brutal, pessimistic creature, the character Bluey, the war against unicorns turns into a path to power — and specifically to authority over his gentler, more compassionate sibling Tubby.
This bear behaves aggressively , a seeming antisocial figure , and as terror dominates his unit and kills his fellow soldiers sequentially, he grabs increasingly control for himself, in increasingly bloody, harmful methods.
At the same time, the horned creatures are suffering their own nightmare, as a spreading, destructive monster in their habitat.
“At the beginning, it appears as a lighthearted film,” the director stated. “But then it becomes a more dramatic and sad movie. And ultimately, it becomes a terrifying movie.”
Unicorn Wars starts out feeling a bit like among the playful movies from a renowned animator, that uncover a mischievous joy in allowing drawn beings curse, shoot each other, or have intimate relations.
Then it evolves into more akin to a more grim film from the same artist, including ever more visual gore , a noticeable link to genuine tragedy of conflict.
By the end, it becomes a complete Grand Guignol carnage.
The fear which makes the film a Halloween-friendly watch kicks in much sooner than indicated.
Unicorn Wars is one for the devoted lovers of violence, for enthusiasts of extreme cinema who want to view a film they haven’t ever viewed until now, and are able to withstand a story which delivers no restraint.
View it in a dimly lit space free from interruptions, and the finale will burrow deep within you and take up residence there.
Where to watch: Available for streaming or buying on multiple digital platforms.
