The Grisly Animated Film Ending That Stays With Fans
Out of all the adult-oriented cartoon movies I’ve ever viewed, no other has stuck with me quite like the fear-filled conclusion of the explicitly bloody and deeply subversive 2022 movie The Unicorn Wars.
Back in 2015’s, this Spain-based filmmaker created a grim, somber and often savage world with several minor , forlorn glimmers of hope.
Although The Unicorn Wars feels like it originated from an impulse to expand the medium even more, the filmmaker explained that it was more an attempt to communicate a widespread, cross-cultural theme about “the mutual source of all wars.”
This theme is conveyed by means of a group of brightly hued teddy bears , obviously based on a famous line of lovable characters.
Growing up in a community focused on aggression as well as the war machine, a lot of the bears are consumed by killing unicorns, due to a sacred text that claims them they were once kings of the woods, until these creatures drove them out.
Others have not completely accepted the brainwashing, and choose to try out narcotics or engage sexually in the woods.
Unlike their gentle equivalents, these colorful critters show sexual organs , definite libidos.
For one particularly cruel, pessimistic creature, Bluey, the conflict with unicorns transforms into a path to power — and particularly to supremacy above his more tender, more compassionate sibling Tubby.
Bluey behaves aggressively , a seeming antisocial figure , and while terror dominates his unit and takes his teammates sequentially, he takes increasingly influence for himself, through ever more bloody, damaging approaches.
At the same time, the unicorns are enduring their own nightmare, in the form of a growing, destructive monster in their habitat.
“Initially, it feels like a humorous movie,” the filmmaker said. “Yet it becomes a more dramatic and sad film. And ultimately, it transforms into a terrifying movie.”
Unicorn Wars begins feeling a bit like among the quirky films from a renowned animator, that uncover a mischievous joy in permitting animated figures swear, shoot each other, or sex each other up.
Afterward it evolves into more akin to a darker movie by that same creator, featuring progressively explicit brutality , a tangible link to the real suffering of conflict.
In the finale, it becomes a complete theatrical horror massacre.
The horror that turns this a Halloween-friendly watch begins a lot earlier than that description suggests.
Unicorn Wars is suited for the hardcore lovers of violence, for fans of graphic films who desire to watch a film they have not watched previously, and who can handle a story which delivers unflinching brutality.
See it in a dimly lit space free from interruptions, and the conclusion will dig into your mind and take up residence there.
How to view: Available for rental or purchase on various digital platforms.
