That Grisly Cartoon Movie Ending That Haunts Viewers
Among all the mature cartoon movies I’ve ever viewed, nothing has lingered in my mind quite like the terror-laced conclusion of a explicitly bloody and deeply subversive film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
Back in 2015’s, this Spain-based writer-director created a dark, melancholy and frequently brutal universe that included several minor , forlorn twinges of hope.
Although Unicorn Wars appears as it came from a desire to expand animation further, the director stated that it was actually a try to communicate a widespread, cross-cultural theme regarding “the shared root of all wars.”
This theme is expressed via a squad of colorful pastel bears , obviously inspired by a popular series of lovable characters.
Being raised in a society built around aggression as well as the war machine, numerous these animals are fixated on exterminating unicorns, due to a sacred text that tells the bears they used to be kings of the forest, until the horned beings forced them out.
A few haven’t fully bought into the brainwashing, , would rather experiment with substances or engage sexually in the woods.
In contrast to their friendly equivalents, these bright beings show sexual organs , obvious sex drives.
For one particularly cruel, cynical bear, the bear named Bluey, the war against unicorns turns into a path toward dominance — and particularly to dominance above his softer, nicer brother the character Tubby.
This bear acts as a tormentor , an apparent antisocial figure , and when horror overcomes his unit and claims his teammates individually, he takes increasingly power on his own behalf, through ever more bloody, destructive ways.
Simultaneously, these mythical beings are enduring their own terror, in the form of an expanding, harmful creature in their forest.
“At the beginning, it appears as a humorous movie,” the director said. “But then it turns into a more dramatic and melancholic film. And by the end, it becomes a scary feature.”
The Unicorn Wars commences feeling a bit like among the whimsical films from an iconic animator, that discover a wicked pleasure in letting animated figures swear, shoot each other, or engage sexually.
Subsequently it becomes closer to a more grim film from that creator, with increasingly visual gore , a tangible link to the real horror of battle.
In the finale, it becomes an outright Grand Guignol massacre.
The fear which makes the film a Halloween-friendly viewing begins well before than one might expect.
Unicorn Wars is ideal for the most dedicated fans of gore, for fans of extreme cinema who desire to see something they’ve never viewed until now, and can endure a plot which delivers no restraint.
Watch it in a dimly lit space without any distractions, and the conclusion will crawl into your mind and linger.
Availability: Available for digital rental or sale on multiple streaming sites.
