DVD Reviews

The Last Unicorn - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Feb 22, 2011, 15:36 GMT

In this whimsical, animated film, a lone unicorn seeks out others like herself through a mystical land of talking cats and spellbinding magicians. Based on the book by Peter S. Beagle, this story has enamored the hearts of fans – young and old – from around the globe. In her search for other unicorns, the last unicorn encounters a cast of delightful characters as well as dangers she never imagined. ...more

Certainly not the last of its kind, but the much loved fantasy tale from writer Peter S. Beagle arrives in high definition.  The results are as breathtaking as the finished product and add a host of new special features to make you believe in magic again. 

Two hunters are passing through the forest of a Unicorn (voiced by Mia Farrow) and comment that she’s the last one left.  The disbelieving unicorn asks a scatterbrained Butterfly (Robert Klein) if she is truly the last one.  He eventually tells her that her brethren have been driven away by a ferocious, flaming Red Bull. 

The Unicorn leaves her forest to find out what happened to her kind.  She discovers that humankind only see her as a white horse and don’t recognizer her as a mythical creature.  That isn’t true with the wicked Mommy Fortuna (Angela Lansbury) or bumbling sorcerer Schmendrick (Alan Arkin), although he hides the fact from Fortuna.  She puts a spell on the unicorn and adds her to her traveling show. 

The Unicorn discovers that Fortuna’s other mythical beasts are shabby animals that Fortuna has cast spells upon for the yokels to recognize.  She even casts a spell to put a false horn on the unicorn so that they’ll see her as a unicorn and not a horse. 

The other real creature is the harpy Celaeno who Fortuna keeps bound with powerful spells because if she escapes she’ll lay waste to Fortuna, but she views her imprisonment of the creature as her bid at immortality since the eternal beast will never forget that she captured her. 

Schmendrick helps the unicorn to escape and she frees all of the creatures including Celaeno who takes a bloody revenge on Fortuna. 

The unicorn and Schmendrick continue into the forest and encounter Captain Cully (Keenan Wynn) and his merry band, including Molly Grue (Tammy Grimes).  Grue continues on with them to discover what happened to the unicorns and the group encounters the Red Bull. 

It looks as if the unicorn is doomed but Schmendrick casts a spell that transforms her into a human.  She takes on the guise of Lady Amalthea and the group continues on to the castle of King Haggard (Christopher Lee) and his son Prince Lir (Jeff Bridges) and to finally discover the location of the missing unicorns. 

Peter S. Beagle adapts his own novel for this 1982 masterpiece.  The film holds interest for both young and old.  It has an appeal that doesn’t matter your age.  The kids can be delighted in its animation, humor, and creatures, but adults will find more adult themes hiding within. 

If you watched the film as a youth then you might be surprised at those underlying themes of melancholy and regret.  It is heady stuff for what some would mistake for a children’s film.  Maybe I’m just older and like Molly Grue, who gives a fine speech about regret, and such sentiment rings truer than when I was a jaded youth. 

The voice cast is without peer and I can only imagine that it was a once in a lifetime roundup.  Bridges was so hot to do it that he volunteered to do it for free or scale.  I very much doubt that his prices are still the same.  Lee’s villainy is not out and out evil but also shades of grey, although he’s fantastically cast as Haggard. 

Tammy Grimes is also excellent as Grue and puts much heart and longing into that aforementioned speech.  Arkin adds and American accent to the cast and also adds heart to Schmendrick.  Farrow seems aloof, but it fits the character of the isolated unicorn and I think it adds to her character. 

I think that the Last Unicorn is much beloved by those that have discovered it and is ripe for discovery for those that don’t know about it.  It is offered in a much improved Blu-ray transfer that will please both camps.            

The Last Unicorn is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1).  Special features are in high definition unless noted. 

They include a commentary with Beagle and his publisher Connor Cochran, the 13 minute “Immortal Characters” that has interviews with them as well as phone interviews with Christopher Lee and director Jules Bass, a 2010 gallery of entries to a art contest, a narrated, text based look at Beagle’s works (totaling 25 minutes), the 8 minute (SD) “Tale of the Last Unicorn” interview with Beagle (from previous DVD), Schmendrick’s magical gallery, and the 3 minute trailer (SD). 

The Last Unicorn is a classic animated film that much deserves space on your shelf.  Lovers of fantasy will find a charming film inside that can appeal to all ages.  The transfer is much improved and does away with the censorship from the previous release (the Harpy’s breasts were blurred).  It will make you believe in Unicorns again.

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