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The Last Unicorn (1982)

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130 comments in total

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37 out of 43 people found the following comment useful :-
A story more in the spirit of Miyazaki than any Disney film ever was., 3 January 2005

Author: brankoburcksen from San Francisco

The first time I saw this movie was when I was very young. So young, in fact, that the only things I can remember about this movie are subtle images; I couldn't even remember if I liked it or not. Now, more than twelve years later and after reading the book, I can honestly say that this is a truly great film.

I have seen very few films that have actually brought me close to tears, and most of those movies are ones I didn't like. The Last Unicorn is an especially good film not just because it stays true to the book, which animated films are rarely good at, but also because it breaks away from the Disney formula for telling the story. All the characters in this film are sympathetic in one way or another, including the villains King Haggard and Mommy Fortuna. Many people would ask why a villain would need to be sympathetic? The simple answer is they don't. The villains are sympathetic though because they are human. The unicorn herself doesn't truly become sympathetic until she is transformed.

I say this film is in the spirit of the great filmmaker and master animator Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese director, because even though this film is a fantasy, it is not a fairy tale. Miyazaki has become famous for making animated films that are enjoyable for children, but are also sophisticated and deep enough for adults. What makes this movie great is its story.

One of the things that makes this movie so special for me is because it has become one of my favorite love stories. More specifically, it is a story about hopeless love. There are only four love stories, this one included, that I regard as my favorites. One them being Princess Mononoke, one of the many great films by Miyazaki. It is also a unique love story because it is about true eternal love. How is it eternal? I will not say because I don't want to spoil the movie.

My only real complaint about this movie is that the animation isn't very fluid, but I am willing to let that slide because the film was obviously low budget. I only hope that the live-action version will be as good and hopefully even better than the animated version, because even though this movie was well paced there were certain things from the book I hope they mention in the new version that they didn't have time to put into the animated version. I also hope the live-action version is as truthful to the book as this movie was, and leans more to the adult side of the story so more emotion and character development can come out of it.

You're never to old to believe in the impossible.

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17 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Whimsical, 13 July 2004
Author: Clara B.

I only saw this movie recently and I wondered why I had never seen it before. I haven't read the book, and I only vaguely remembered some of my friends mentioning this movie.

I'm not usually a big fan of classic medieval fantasy, even though I love fantasy in general, but I enjoyed this movie so much. Even though it's a family movie, it doesn't get too cutesy and doesn't sweeten the story and the universe that the characters evolve in. And the characters do evolve, which is another of the good points in it. Even though it's a fairy tale, it's easy to apply some themes of the movie to our world. By example, we can suppose that this is a movie about staying true to yourself. This is no Disney movie. The ending can be seen in a positive as well as in a negative light. You can have many opinions about it, which is one thing I liked so much.

The art and character design is beautiful. You can tell it was made in the 70's or early 80's and it just adds more appeal to it. The style is a mix between anime and occidental cartoon style, but it works very well, specially since this type of collaboration cartoon was so frequent at that time. The atmosphere of the movie is helped by the gentle colors and the music. Yes, the music.. The music wasn't so great, I have to admit, but it really worked well for one reason. They didn't take instrumental music, they didn't try to compose fantasy-themed music for it. They used modern music, and even though it wasn't the best, it added a different and pleasant feeling to it..

In my opinion this is a beautiful movie that deserves a really high mark..

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17 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best Fantasy movies of all time., 20 February 2002
Author: John Lindsey (Jplindsey@hotmail.Com) from Socorro, New Mexico United States

The Last Unicorn, a unforgettable 1982 Animation Fantasy classic that enchanted fans of Fantasy and animation since it first came out. It is about a lonely Unicorn who thinks she is the last of her kind and sets out on a quest to find them throughout the dangerous yet magical world that she has never seen before, along the way she meets a cast of colorful characters including my favorite " Schmendrick The Magician", who is a goofy-but-lovable magician that magically transforms Unicorn into a Beautiful Human maiden to fool the bad guys.

This is indeed a beautiful, fabulous and touching animated movie that is one of my faves. It's both appealing to children and their parents, highly recommended.

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19 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Favorite and Keeper, 8 January 2005

Author: Brianna Ruth (justkeepswimming23@hotmail.com) from Michigan, United States

This is one of my all time favorite movies. I grew up watching this movie and cherished it. The characters are timeless and the quotes from this movie are so moving. The things that the characters say are so real and true to life. They often reflect some of what's in my own soul and I love that. I read earlier that one of the other reviewers compared this to a Hayao Miyazaki and I would totally have to agree. It has the same elements of the films, the whole reality without the happy ending thing, but it's not sad either. As Schmendrick says, "There are no happy endings because nothing ends." I admire Peter S. Beagle for not only writing a fabulous book by the same title, but for writing this fabulous screenplay as well. I must admit, I'm a bit hesitant to see the upcoming movie for fear it will ruin the old one. I wonder what they will do about songs. America's songs are timeless. They take you to another place and you are part of the magical world that is created for you through animation. While my family is sick of me watching it all the time still and my roommates are definitely tired of me watching it, I will continue to do so since this is a movie that can be watched over and over without anyone getting tired of it. Fabulous. Definitely give it two thumbs way up! Huzzah!

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32 out of 48 people found the following comment useful :-
Either I had no life, was poor,, 14 May 2002
Author: renaldo and clara

or this film had some sort of supernatural power over me...I think all three are true because I saw this film once when I was 3 or 4 and fell so deeply in love with it that since we didn't have a VCR I somehow found out when it was on again, mashed scotch tape over a cassette I found, shoved it into my new huge Fisher Price tape recorder and audio recorded the entire movie. At that age I already knew this film held the secrets of the universe and if I could get that on tape I had it made. Well I lost the tape and haven't seen the film since, so someday I'll watch it again and see if I was right....wow...the soundtrack must've been awesome because I can still hum the song in my head(!)

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18 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Classic fantasy., 20 April 1999
Author: Chrissie from Incheon, Korea

The Last Unicorn stands out as that rarest of beasts: a film far better than the book. This can be attributed to the fact that the book's author, Peter S. Beagle, was forced by the constraints of film to pare his work down to the bare essentials. The Last Unicorn is marketed as a children's film, but it's far more than that -- a tale of redemption, of the search for identity, truth, and lost innocence. Molly Grue's meeting with the Unicorn stands as one of the most poignant moments in cinema.

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13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Fantasy classic!, 14 April 2005

Author: coopnyrm from United States

I remember watching this movie as a child and wearing out the old VHS tape. The music provided by the 70s music group, America, provides a wonderful folk mood to the piece. I recently discovered this movie on DVD and immediately bought the movie. I watched the movie and read the book. I love how the animators were able to bring forward the essence of Peter Beagle's masterpiece of fantasy fiction.

The Last Unicorn is story about friendship and love. The Unicorn discovers that she is the last unicorn in the world. Searching for a sense of identity, she starts a quest to find the other unicorns. That quest introduces her to Schmendrick and Molly Grue. The Unicorn, Schmendrick and Molly are each searching to fill a void, and as an audience member, I vicariously find a way to fill my void through their experiences.

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14 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
A cildhood dream that sticks with you, 26 October 2004

Author: mejoza from Texas

Whether it's a combination of the soundtrack by America, or the super-dramatic vocal talents of the actors, this is one movie that sticks with you for... oh, about 20 years. I can recall lines (and sometimes cry) even when I haven't seen the movie in ages. I was lucky enough to get the (slightly poor) DVD release this week and watched it three times in a night.

Any line that Molly Grue says makes the hairs on my neck stand up. Not being a big anime or fantasy film buff, I still list this as a top child-hood movie to watch over and over (and over again much to the chagrin of my husband). Mia Farrow sounds like an angel. Alan Arkin is just lovable. Jeff Bridges "sounds" handsome (which is about all his character has to be). I'm almost afraid to see the new live version coming out in 2006. I don't want to lose the fantasy of this film.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
An underrated classic, 5 July 1999

Author: JeffG. from Boston, MA

I saw this movie in theaters when I was a kid. I didn't see it again for the longest time until I found it on video recently. I rented it and was instantly reminded of what a wonderful movie this is. I bought my own copy a week later. It's one of the few book-to-movie translations that actually stays true to the spirit of the book. Probably due to the fact that Peter S. Beagle wrote the screenplay. A must-see. Gotta love that theme song!

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
One of my all time favorite movies!, 2 January 2005

Author: seattleangela from Seattle, WA

This is an excellent animation that I have loved since childhood. The story, voices, and music are by far more beautiful and memorable than any other animated movie I have seen. In fact, there are few animations that can top the cast of great stars that provided their voice talents for this movie. The music is astoundingly wonderful and even after it had been years since I had seen the movie I would still often find the tunes playing inside my head.

As for the profanity and nudity mentioned on the other review I have to say that I can't recall either (I own the DVD and have watched it recently). I would say this movie is by far suitable for any child that can handle a one or two mildly frightening scenes. Great movie and I still love it!

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