The Last Unicorn

 

The Last Unicorn, released in 1982, is an animated film based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Peter S. Beagle, who also wrote the screenplay for the film.  The film was directed and produced by Rankin/Bass, who were famous for their work on films such as The Hobbit, Return Of The King, Frosty The Snowman, and others.   Beagle however was not a fan of Rankin/Bass, and is said to have been disappointed when he found out that they would be doing the film, though in time he grudgingly admitted that they did well on the film and that it was a "bloody classic".   Beagle had previously written the script for Ralph Bakshi's Lord Of The Rings as well, giving this film many ties to the animated Tolkien films.   Much of the animation for the film was done by Top Craft in Japan, Top Craft would also be used by Hayao Miyazaki for his film Nausicaa Valley Of The Winds, and the core animators along with Miyazaki would form Studio Ghibli, which would go on to make some of the most beloved anime feature films.  

The Last Unicorn features an all-star cast with Mia Farrow as The Unicorn (Lady Amalthea), Alan Arkin as the bumbling magician Schmendrick, Jeff Bridges as the dashing Prince Lir, Tammy Grimes as Molly Grue, Angela Lansbury as Momma Fortuna, Robert Klein as The Butterfly, Rene Auberjonois as the talking skeleton, and of course the legendary Christopher Lee as King Haggard.   The film also stars many voice actors that also appeared in the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and Return of the King, such as, Paul Frees, and Brother Theodore.   The voice acting talents of the film are nearly perfect.  The way that they captured the voices was interesting, as the typical way is to call in the actors one at a time to record their parts, but with The Last Unicorn, the actors that shared screen would be brought in together and actually interact with each other as their characters do on screen, and I feel like this helps to create a more natural dialogue and interactions between the characters.   On top of the amazing voice acting, the film also features a beautiful soundtrack written by Jimmy Webb, and performed by America. 

I know that not everyone is a fan of the style of art that Rankin/Bass has in their films, but I find the artwork beautiful and breath-taking.   I honestly love their art, and rank them up there with Ralph Bakshi as being some of the my favourite animated films.  This film has made a huge impact on many people's lives, even though it originally saw mixed reviews by critics.  This film is a childhood favourite of mine, and it still holds up as one of my favourite animated classics even now.   The Last Unicorn was made on a low budget but ultimately grossed over $6 million in the box office. 

I feel that this is one of the great animated films, and one that everyone should make it a point to see.  This film is as magical now as it was to watch as a kid for me.   This is not a film with a traditional fairy tale happy ending, but honestly I feel that is one of the things about the film that works so well, along with the beautiful animation, and great writing.   So please go find a copy of this film to add to your collection.