That Gruesome Cartoon Movie Ending That Lingers Fans
Out of every mature cartoon movies I have ever viewed, no other has remained with me as much as the dread-soaked finale of the graphically gory and overwhelingly transgressive film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
In 2015’s, the Spain-based writer-director created a grim, bleak , often savage universe that included a few small , desolate twinges of optimism.
Although The Unicorn Wars seems like it stemmed from a drive to push the medium further, the filmmaker clarified that it was rather an effort to convey a global, cross-cultural theme concerning “the common origin of each battle.”
That message is expressed through a band of brightly hued teddy bears , openly modeled after a well-known series of cuddly figures.
Maturing in a society centered on aggression as well as the military-industrial complex, numerous these creatures are consumed by exterminating unicorns, because of a sacred text which states the bears they previously were masters of the woods, until the unicorns expelled them.
Some haven’t fully fallen for the indoctrination, and prefer to try out narcotics and engage sexually in the woods.
Unlike their cuddly counterparts, these colorful critters have visible genitals , obvious libidos.
For one particularly cruel, skeptical animal, Bluey, the war with the unicorns turns into a route toward dominance — and particularly to dominance above his softer, more compassionate sibling the character Tubby.
This bear behaves aggressively , an apparent antisocial figure , and when horror takes over his unit and claims his comrades sequentially, he seizes progressively influence for himself, via progressively bloody, damaging approaches.
At the same time, these mythical beings are suffering their own horror, in the form of a spreading, destructive monster in their forest.
“At the beginning, it seems like a comedy,” the filmmaker said. “Yet it evolves into a more dramatic and sad movie. And in the finale, it becomes a horror film.”
Unicorn Wars commences feeling a bit like one of the more whimsical films by a renowned filmmaker, which find a naughty glee in letting animated figures swear, shoot each other, or sex each other up.
Afterward it turns into more akin to a more grim film from the same creator, with increasingly graphic violence and a noticeable link to the actual tragedy of battle.
Ultimately, it is a complete extreme drama bloodbath.
The fear that turns this a perfect Halloween viewing kicks in much sooner than one might expect.
The Unicorn Wars is suited for the hardcore gorehounds, for enthusiasts of graphic films who desire to see a film they’ve never seen on-screen before, and are able to withstand a narrative which delivers no restraint.
See it with the lights off without any distractions, and the finale will crawl under your skin and stay with you.
Where to watch: Accessible via streaming or buying on various streaming sites.
