The Last Unicorn

The Last Unicorn

1982 "There's Magic in Believing!"
The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn

The Last Unicorn

7.3 | 1h32m | G | en | Adventure

From a riddle-speaking butterfly, a unicorn learns that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all 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, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a now middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.

View More
Rent / Buy
amazon
Buy from $7.99 Rent from $2.99
AD

WATCH FREEFOR 30 DAYS

All Prime Video
Cancel anytime

Watch Now
7.3 | 1h32m | G | en | Adventure , Fantasy , Animation | More Info
Released: November. 19,1982 | Released Producted By: Rankin/Bass Productions , ITC Entertainment Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

From a riddle-speaking butterfly, a unicorn learns that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all 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, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a now middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.

...... View More
Stream Online

The movie is currently not available onine

Cast

Alan Arkin , Jeff Bridges , Mia Farrow

Director

Irra Duga

Producted By

Rankin/Bass Productions , ITC Entertainment

AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime.

Watch Now

Trailers & Images

Reviews

Jesper Brun It failed to grab my feelings at too many levels. The only thing I really think was great was the surprisingly beautiful forest landscapes and patchwork montages shown in the beginning of the movie and a couple of the voice actors performances like Christopher Lee and Angela Lansbury. Aside from that it didn't really get to me. The beautiful forest was abandoned pretty quickly and the patchwork did only turn up a few times, so it couldn't save the experience, because the too stilted and awkward character animation and the off-pitch musical numbers sung by the prince and Amalfia/the unicorn really dragged it down. There were some designs like The Red Bull and the unicorn itself which were well done, but the central themes of the movie and the quest the unicorn goes on just isn't consistent in its pacing. It either goes frantically fast or drags itself too slow. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't have to be so. If you like it it's fine, but that did not do the trick for me.
WondrousMoose The Last Unicorn is an oddity. It's certainly a darker movie than others aimed at kids, though it is hardly dark enough to affect adults. It doesn't look bad but has hardly aged well, all things considered. It tells its story pretty effectively but is slow and frankly pretty boring.In my opinion, the biggest flaws with the movie are results of the time in which it was made. The '60s, '70s, and early '80s are widely acknowledged as a lousy period for animation, and The Last Unicorn suffers from just about every cliche we've come to know from that time: flat visuals, jerky character movement, limited facial animations, awkward voice acting, bad music, and more.The film's animation is pretty good for its time, but I can only say that in reference to the period in which it was made, rather than strictly its age; for example, 1959's Sleeping Beauty used a similar animation style to much better effect. I also do not feel that the soundtrack, performed by the rock band America, has aged well at all. The film grinds to a halt each time a new song starts, and none of them help move the story along. This film has no reason to be a musical, but it is one, despite the fact that the leads aren't very good singers when they join in.Of course, it isn't all bad. While I do have issues with the animation overall, there are glimpses of something really interesting. The story book style of the visuals is distinctive, and the simple, single-minded drive of the lead is strangely engaging. I believe that The Last Unicorn would benefit from a remake. There is interesting material here; it just isn't being used to its full potential. Instead, the film stands as an example of a pretty good movie from a poor environment.
FilmFreak94 The Last Unicorn tells the story of a Unicorn who is unaware until recently that she is the last of her kind on earth. She learns that a Red Bull drove most of the unicorns from their respective forests and ventures from her own to find out more about what happened to them. Along the way she encounters a magician named Schmendrick who accompanies her on her quest and a careworn woman named Molly. The three travel to the castle of King Haggard who owns the Red Bull. When the Bull attacks the trio and tries to lure the unicorn into the sea Schmendrick turns her into a human in desperation. The three approach the castle and the unicorn, under the name Amalthea, and meet King Haggard himself along with his son Prince Lír. Amalthea is horrified at becoming human at first but soon becomes more used to it as she begins to fall in love with Lír. Haggard suspects that she is a unicorn and reveals that he keeps them all captive because they are the only things that make him happy. The trio must free the unicorns and find a way to turn Amalthea back into one before she remains human forever.This film has a lot going for it. The animation is pretty good, especially on the unicorn and Red Bull. And the all star voice cast seem to fit perfectly with their respective roles. This cast includes Mia Farrow as the titular unicorn, Alan Arkin as Schmendrick, and Tammy Grimes as Molly. In supporting roles are Jeff Bridges as Prince Lír, Angela Lansbury as Mommy Fortuna, Christopher Lee as King Haggard and many famous voice actors like Paul Frees, Don Messick, Brother Theodore and more. These talents really give the characters a sense of weight and relateability. One thing more that I liked is that there is no real villain in the story. There are plenty of people who act on selfish notions but none of them are deemed as outright evil. Even the Red Bull is only doing its job herding the unicorns and isn't classified as just an evil being on its own. However there are certain parts of the film that seem to drag on a bit long. Like when they arrive at Haggard's castle it seems like it takes awhile before the plot becomes interesting again. It more or less sidetracks into a love subplot between Amalthea and Lír which is fine but it seems more like a forced romance because it happens so fast.The parts that are most interesting to me is just seeing the Unicorn wandering down the road. Those parts really fill you with the right atmosphere that the world is ancient and vast and the Unicorn is really alone. So while I did like this movie I will admit it's a movie that you may or may not end up liking. It has a great cast, animation and atmosphere but it lags a lot in timing and even with all the fantastical elements like magic, and mythical creatures some of those elements aren't really built upon or explored further. The Last Unicorn is a different kind of fantasy film. It relies more on characterization then action scenes involving evil creatures and a driven good vs. evil plot. If that sounds like your sort of film, I recommend this one to you. If not, give it a miss.
gregorygaugau I loved this film. It is, at its essence, the story of someone who thought she knew her place in the world, went beyond her normal boundaries and discovered something new about herself.The difference is that the someone is a unicorn. Even though I saw this movie in my youth, it still resonates not only with me, but even with children today because it is about the human condition. The voice work is powerful and touching. The animation is clearly inspired by tapestries, relying more on the flatness of tapestries than attempting to create a true 3 dimensional reality. And yet it works. The only weak point in this movie is some of the singing. Mia Farrow and Jeff Bridges do not have singing careers for a reason. The story, though, is what stands out the most about this movie. The bittersweet ending is so real and so touching because we have all known that feeling after a life changing event of returning home to find that though it has not changed, we have and so our life can never be the same. But most importantly, watch it for yourself and decide.