Film rated G by the MPA

It’s a summer night in 2011 and my sisters won’t let me pick the movie we’re going to watch. They’re pulling a DVD I don’t recognise from the cabinet. I’m stubbornly resisting their unfamiliar choice, but the DVD is put into the player, and soon enough a mystical world is unfolding on the TV screen right before my eyes.

The Last Unicorn is based off of a book by the same title, authored by Peter S. Beagle. I’ve still yet to read the source material, but the film has stuck with me for well over a decade at this point. This 1982 cult classic has made recurring appearances throughout my childhood and into my young adulthood, as the themes of the film range so widely – capable of engaging audiences of all ages.

With the author of the 1968 novel writing the film’s screenplay, The Last Unicorn is a genre mixing journey. It is at times an unnerving tale – thrilling and mysterious – while simultaneously illustrating a beautifully fantastical story about what it means to endure the complexity of human emotion. We follow an immortal unicorn who, upon discovering she is the last of her kind, embarks on a quest to seek answers regarding what happened to them. On this journey, she comes to learn more about the human experience than she previously expected, or rather believed she ever would.

The cast contains the voices of well renowned actors like Jeff Bridges, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lee, and Alan Arkin. These talents further enliven the film, proving that voice acting truly is another beast in the acting world.

The orchestral score is never overstimulating, effortlessly weaving itself through the story. Each composition adds to the scene with purpose, ranging from tones of unease to romance. It’s audible magic.

Similarly to my points on Paranorman, the animation of this film is uniquely captivating. The hand drawn animation style stays a favourite of mine. I specifically find the use of colour to be one of the most endearing parts of the film. The film’s palette is wide ranging, from soft purples and blues, to egregiously poignant yellows, to horrifyingly vibrant reds. There is so much careful detail in all of the landscapes, all the way down to something as simple as small purple flowers blooming between rocks.

In a scene between a group of bandits and an amateur magician, the bandits' clothes match that of the woods around them, whilst the magician’s clothes nicely parallels the colour of the night sky. This kind of colourful contrast happens often throughout the film, and it remains a pleasantly beautiful sight for the viewer.

The story itself is timeless and ageless. While it was marketed as a children’s movie, characters like the Red Bull and King Haggard are pure, unsettling nightmare fuel. Additionally, the grief experienced by characters throughout the film hits hard in older audiences, as time alive allows for a deeper understanding of pain and loss.

However, amidst all of this, there is a softness that remains constant. At the root of this film is a question about mortality – about what your life means when you know it’s not unending. What do you choose when you know that nothing is permanent? Do you take the safer path or take risks? Do you choose love or loneliness? Hope or fear? What does mortality make you? These questions and more are layered through the film,

If you’ve been hunting for an older film that will remind you of cozier times, I can’t recommend The Last Unicorn enough. Its thoughtful production is riveting and well worth the hour and a half runtime. If it can hold the attention of a seven year old Marielle just as well as a twenty-two Marielle, I’m certain you’ll see some of the magic too.