That Grisly Cartoon Movie Ending That Haunts Viewers
Out of every adult-oriented animated films I’ve ever watched, nothing has lingered in my mind as much as the terror-laced finale of a viscerally violent and deeply subversive film from 2022 Unicorn Wars.
Back in the year 2015, this Spain-based filmmaker created a grim, somber , frequently brutal world with a few small , forlorn hints of hope.
While The Unicorn Wars feels like it came from a drive to expand the medium further, the filmmaker stated that it was actually an attempt to express a universal, multicultural theme about “the shared root of all wars.”
That idea is expressed through a group of vividly colored bears , openly modeled after a famous series of lovable figures.
Maturing in a community focused on aggression and the military-industrial complex, a lot of these creatures are consumed by killing unicorns, due to a sacred text that tells them they used to be masters of the woods, before the horned beings expelled them.
Some did not entirely fallen for the propaganda, , prefer to try out narcotics and fornicate outdoors.
Unlike their friendly counterparts, these colorful critters display sexual organs , obvious libidos.
For a particular notably brutal, cynical bear, Bluey, the battle against the unicorns transforms into a path to power — and especially to authority above his softer, more compassionate sibling Tubby.
The character behaves aggressively , an obvious sociopath , and while horror dominates his unit and claims his fellow soldiers one by one, he takes more and more power on his own behalf, through ever more violent, damaging approaches.
Simultaneously, the unicorns are experiencing their own horror, through a spreading, deadly beast in their habitat.
“In the early stages, it feels like a lighthearted film,” the director said. “However it evolves into a more intense and sorrowful movie. And by the end, it’s a terrifying movie.”
Unicorn Wars begins similar to one of the most whimsical features from a renowned animator, that uncover a mischievous joy in allowing drawn beings curse, fire weapons, or sex each other up.
Then it turns into something more like a darker movie from that artist, featuring progressively explicit brutality and a noticeable link to the real horror of conflict.
In the finale, it becomes an outright Grand Guignol massacre.
The terror that makes the film an ideal spooky-season viewing begins a lot earlier than that description suggests.
Unicorn Wars is ideal for the most dedicated gorehounds, for fans of extreme cinema who desire to see something they have not watched previously, and are able to withstand a story which delivers unflinching brutality.
See it in a dimly lit space free from interruptions, and the conclusion will dig into your mind and linger.
Where to watch: Accessible via streaming or buying on various online services.
