That Grisly Animated Film Conclusion That Lingers Audiences
Out of every mature animated films I have ever watched, nothing has stuck with me quite like the fear-filled conclusion of a explicitly bloody and deeply subversive film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
Back in the year 2015, the Spain-based writer-director created a dark, somber , often savage universe that included some tiny , desolate glimmers of hope.
Although The Unicorn Wars seems like it came from a drive to advance the medium even more, the director stated that it was rather an effort to convey a global, multicultural theme regarding “the shared root of every conflict.”
That idea is conveyed through a group of brightly hued teddy bears , clearly inspired by a popular line of lovable characters.
Being raised in a culture centered on warmongering as well as the war machine, many of these creatures are consumed by slaughtering the mythical beasts, thanks to a holy book which states them they previously were rulers of the woods, before the horned beings drove them out.
Some haven’t fully fallen for the propaganda, and choose to sample drugs or fornicate in the woods.
Unlike their gentle equivalents, these vivid animals have visible sexual organs and definite libidos.
For one particularly cruel, pessimistic creature, the bear named Bluey, the war against the unicorns transforms into a path toward dominance — and specifically to authority above his gentler, nicer brother the bear Tubby.
Bluey is a bully , an obvious psychopath , and as horror takes over his group and claims his comrades one by one, he seizes more and more control personally, in increasingly bloody, destructive ways.
At the same time, the unicorns are enduring their own horror, in the form of an expanding, harmful creature in their habitat.
“In the early stages, it feels like a comedy,” the filmmaker stated. “But then it evolves into a more intense and sad film. And ultimately, it becomes a horror film.”
The Unicorn Wars begins resembling among the whimsical features from a renowned filmmaker, that uncover a naughty glee in permitting cartoon characters curse, fire weapons, or have intimate relations.
Then it becomes closer to a darker film by that same creator, with increasingly visual gore , a noticeable link to the real horror of war.
By the end, it becomes a full-on Grand Guignol carnage.
The horror which makes the film an ideal spooky-season viewing starts a lot earlier than one might expect.
Unicorn Wars is one for the devoted lovers of violence, for fans of extreme cinema who desire to view a film they haven’t ever viewed until now, and are able to withstand a narrative that offers 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.
Where to watch: Offered for rental or purchase on multiple digital platforms.
