That Grisly Cartoon Movie Ending That Haunts Fans
Out of all the adult-oriented cartoon movies I have ever watched, no other has stuck with me quite like the fear-filled ending of the viscerally violent as well as deeply subversive film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
Back in the year 2015, this Spain-based writer-director crafted a grim, somber , frequently brutal universe that included a few small , desolate glimmers of optimism.
Although The Unicorn Wars feels like it originated from a desire to advance the medium further, the filmmaker explained that it was actually an effort to convey a widespread, cross-cultural message concerning “the common origin of every conflict.”
That message is conveyed via a band of colorful pastel bears , openly modeled after a famous series of lovable figures.
Growing up in a community built around warmongering and the war machine, numerous these animals are obsessed with exterminating unicorns, because of a holy book that tells them they used to be masters of the woods, until these creatures drove them out.
Others haven’t fully bought into the brainwashing, and prefer to sample substances and mate in the woods.
In contrast to their friendly counterparts, these colorful critters have visible genitals , definite libidos.
For one especially vicious, pessimistic creature, the bear named Bluey, the conflict with unicorns transforms into a path toward dominance — and specifically to dominance above his softer, more compassionate sibling Tubby.
Bluey acts as a tormentor , a seeming antisocial figure , and as horror takes over his unit and claims his fellow soldiers sequentially, he grabs progressively power personally, via progressively gory, destructive ways.
Simultaneously, the horned creatures are suffering their own nightmare, through a growing, destructive monster in their forest.
“In the early stages, it feels like a comedy,” the director said. “However it becomes a more dramatic and melancholic film. And by the end, it’s a terrifying movie.”
The Unicorn Wars begins similar to one of the most whimsical features by an iconic animator, that discover a mischievous joy in allowing animated figures swear, engage in violence, or engage sexually.
Subsequently it becomes more akin to a darker work by that same artist, including ever more visual gore , a noticeable relation to genuine suffering of conflict.
Ultimately, it’s a full-on Grand Guignol massacre.
The horror that makes the film an ideal spooky-season watch kicks in well before than one might expect.
Unicorn Wars is suited for the hardcore lovers of violence, for enthusiasts of extreme cinema who desire to see something they haven’t ever seen on-screen before, and who can handle a narrative that pulls no restraint.
See it in a dark room with no disturbances, and the finale will burrow into your mind and stay with you.
Where to watch: Offered for streaming or buying on several streaming sites.
