The Grisly Cartoon Movie Ending That Haunts Fans
Among all the mature animated films I have ever viewed, no other has lingered in my mind as much as the dread-soaked finale of the graphically gory and highly provocative 2022 movie The Unicorn Wars.
In 2015’s, the Spanish filmmaker crafted a dark, melancholy , frequently brutal universe that included a few small , forlorn hints of optimism.
While Unicorn Wars appears as it originated from an impulse to advance the medium further, the filmmaker clarified that it was actually an effort to communicate a universal, multicultural theme regarding “the common origin of all wars.”
This theme is expressed by means of a band of brightly hued teddy bears , clearly modeled after a famous line of cuddly figures.
Growing up in a society focused on militarism and the military-industrial complex, a lot of the bears are fixated on slaughtering the mythical beasts, thanks to a religious scripture that tells them they used to be masters of the forest, before the horned beings expelled them.
Some did not entirely fallen for the indoctrination, and choose to try out drugs or mate outdoors.
In contrast to their cuddly equivalents, these colorful critters display genitals and obvious libidos.
For one particularly cruel, skeptical animal, the bear named Bluey, the battle with unicorns transforms into a path toward dominance — and particularly to authority above his more tender, kinder brother Tubby.
The character acts as a tormentor and a seeming antisocial figure , and while horror dominates his unit and takes his teammates individually, he takes increasingly influence on his own behalf, through ever more bloody, destructive ways.
Meanwhile, the unicorns are experiencing their own terror, in the form of an expanding, harmful creature in their woods.
“At the beginning, it appears as a humorous movie,” the director said. “However it becomes a more dramatic and sorrowful film. And by the end, it transforms into a horror film.”
Unicorn Wars begins feeling a bit like one of the more quirky films by a legendary filmmaker, which find a naughty glee in letting drawn beings swear, engage in violence, or sex each other up.
Then it becomes more akin to a darker work by that same artist, including ever more explicit brutality and a tangible link to the actual suffering of battle.
Ultimately, it is a full-on Grand Guignol bloodbath.
The horror that turns the film a perfect Halloween watch kicks in a lot earlier than indicated.
The Unicorn Wars is suited for the most dedicated lovers of violence, for fans of graphic films who want to view something they haven’t ever watched previously, and are able to withstand a story that pulls no restraint.
See it with the lights off with no disturbances, and the conclusion will burrow into your mind and stay with you.
Where to watch: Accessible via digital rental or sale on multiple streaming sites.
