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The Last Unicorn (1982) poster

The Last Unicorn

dir. Jules Bass · 1982

Feature
Coming of Age
Mood
Melancholic / Whimsical
Look
hand-drawn animation with a dreamlike quality, rich in color and detail
Structure
episodic journey with a focus on character development
Plot

From a riddle-speaking butterfly (Robert Klein), a unicorn (Mia Farrow) learns that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all of the others having been herded away by the Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly's words. She is eventually joined on her quest by Schmendrick (Alan Arkin), a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue (Tammy Grimes), a middle-aged woman who dreamt all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard (Sir Christopher Lee).

Why watch

"The Last Unicorn" enchants with its bittersweet tale of a unicorn's quest for identity, blending whimsical animation with profound themes of loss and belonging. A timeless exploration of dreams and the fragility of existence, this film invites viewers to reflect on the magic of belief and the passage of time.

Cultural context
1980s animation renaissanceenvironmental themes in fantasythe rise of independent animated featuresnostalgia for childhood innocence

Where this shelves

every shelf · back to the store