The Gory Animated Film Conclusion That Haunts Audiences
Out of all the adult-oriented cartoon movies I’ve personally viewed, no other has lingered in my mind quite like the terror-laced conclusion of a explicitly bloody and deeply subversive 2022 movie The Unicorn Wars.
Back in the year 2015, the Spanish writer-director created a grim, somber , frequently brutal universe that included a few small , forlorn hints of optimism.
Although Unicorn Wars feels like it originated from a desire to expand animation further, the director explained that it was rather an attempt to express a widespread, cross-cultural theme concerning “the mutual source of every conflict.”
That message is expressed through a squad of vividly colored bears , obviously modeled after a famous series of lovable figures.
Growing up in a culture focused on militarism as well as the defense industry, many of these animals are fixated on slaughtering unicorns, thanks to a religious scripture that claims the bears they were once kings of the woods, before the unicorns forced them out.
A few have not completely accepted the indoctrination, , choose to try out substances or fornicate in the forest.
Unlike their gentle equivalents, these colorful critters have visible genitals and clear sex drives.
For a certain particularly cruel, skeptical animal, Bluey, the battle with the unicorns becomes a path to power — and specifically to dominance over his gentler, more compassionate sibling Tubby.
Bluey acts as a tormentor and an obvious sociopath , and as fear overcomes his group and takes his teammates individually, he grabs more and more power personally, via progressively gory, harmful methods.
Meanwhile, the unicorns are experiencing their own horror, through an expanding, destructive monster in their forest.
“In the early stages, it appears as a comedy,” the director commented. “Yet it turns into a more dramatic and sad movie. And ultimately, it transforms into a scary feature.”
Unicorn Wars starts out similar to one of the more whimsical features from a legendary animator, that discover a mischievous joy in permitting cartoon characters swear, engage in violence, or sex each other up.
Subsequently it turns into closer to a more grim film from that director, with increasingly explicit brutality , a noticeable link to the real tragedy of conflict.
In the finale, it becomes a full-on Grand Guignol bloodbath.
The terror that makes the film a perfect Halloween viewing begins well before than that description suggests.
The Unicorn Wars is suited for the hardcore fans of gore, for lovers of graphic films who desire to view a film they haven’t ever watched previously, and are able to withstand a narrative that offers unflinching brutality.
See it with the lights off free from interruptions, and the finale will dig under your skin and take up residence there.
How to view: Available for rental or purchase on several streaming sites.
