That Gory Animated Movie Ending That Stays With Fans
Out of every mature cartoon movies I have ever viewed, no other has stuck with me quite like the dread-soaked ending of a viscerally violent as well as overwhelingly transgressive film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
In the year 2015, this Spanish writer-director crafted a grim, somber , often savage world that included some tiny , forlorn hints of optimism.
Although The Unicorn Wars feels like it originated from an impulse to advance animation even more, the director explained that it was more a try to communicate a widespread, cross-cultural theme regarding “the mutual source of each battle.”
That idea is conveyed via a group of brightly hued teddy bears , openly inspired by a popular line of cuddly figures.
Growing up in a society centered on aggression and the war machine, a lot of these animals are consumed by killing the mythical beasts, due to a holy book that tells the bears they were once kings of the woodland, before these creatures expelled them.
A few have not completely bought into the indoctrination, , choose to experiment with narcotics and mate in the forest.
In contrast to their cuddly equivalents, these vivid animals have visible sexual organs and obvious libidos.
For a certain particularly cruel, cynical bear, Bluey, the war with unicorns turns into a path toward dominance — and specifically to supremacy over his gentler, kinder brother the character Tubby.
Bluey is a bully and an obvious sociopath , and while terror takes over his group and kills his fellow soldiers sequentially, he seizes progressively control for himself, in increasingly violent, harmful methods.
At the same time, the horned creatures are enduring their own terror, as a growing, destructive monster in their woods.
“Initially, it feels like a humorous movie,” the filmmaker stated. “Yet it turns into a more dramatic and sorrowful movie. And ultimately, it’s a scary feature.”
Unicorn Wars starts out feeling a bit like one of the most quirky movies from a legendary animator, which find a naughty glee in permitting animated figures curse, fire weapons, or engage sexually.
Then it turns into something more like a more grim work from that director, including ever more visual gore , a noticeable link to the actual suffering of war.
Ultimately, it becomes an outright extreme drama bloodbath.
The fear which makes this an ideal spooky-season watch starts a lot earlier than indicated.
Unicorn Wars is one for the hardcore gorehounds, for lovers of extreme cinema who want to see a film they haven’t ever viewed until now, and can endure a narrative that pulls absolutely no punches.
View it in a dark room with no disturbances, and the conclusion will burrow under your skin and take up residence there.
Availability: Accessible via rental or purchase on several digital platforms.
