The Gruesome Cartoon Film Conclusion That Haunts Audiences
Among every mature cartoon movies I’ve ever watched, no other has stuck with me quite like the dread-soaked ending of a viscerally violent and highly provocative film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
Back in 2015’s, the Spanish filmmaker developed a dark, somber , frequently brutal world with a few small , desolate twinges of optimism.
Although Unicorn Wars seems like it came from a drive to push the medium further, the filmmaker clarified that it was rather an attempt to express a global, cross-cultural theme concerning “the common origin of all wars.”
That message is conveyed by means of a squad of brightly hued teddy bears , clearly based on a popular series of lovable characters.
Being raised in a community built around warmongering and the defense industry, many of these creatures are fixated on slaughtering unicorns, due to a holy book which states the bears they used to be masters of the forest, before the unicorns expelled them.
Others haven’t fully bought into the propaganda, and would rather sample drugs and fornicate in the woods.
In contrast to their cuddly counterparts, these bright beings display sexual organs and clear sex drives.
For one especially vicious, skeptical animal, Bluey, the conflict with the unicorns turns into a path to power — and particularly to authority above his softer, nicer brother Tubby.
Bluey behaves aggressively and an apparent psychopath , and when horror dominates his unit and takes his comrades one by one, he grabs more and more influence for himself, in increasingly gory, harmful methods.
Meanwhile, these mythical beings are suffering their own horror, as a spreading, harmful creature in their habitat.
“At the beginning, it appears as a comedy,” the filmmaker commented. “But then it turns into a more dramatic and sorrowful film. And ultimately, it’s a horror film.”
The Unicorn Wars commences similar to one of the more quirky movies from an iconic animator, that discover a mischievous joy in letting cartoon characters swear, fire weapons, or engage sexually.
Subsequently it evolves into more akin to a darker film from the same artist, with increasingly graphic violence and a tangible connection to the real suffering of war.
By the end, it’s an outright extreme drama bloodbath.
The terror that turns this an ideal spooky-season movie kicks in much sooner than that description suggests.
Unicorn Wars is suited for the hardcore lovers of violence, for fans of graphic films who want to see a film they’ve never viewed until now, and can endure a narrative which delivers unflinching brutality.
View it in a dark room without any distractions, and the finale will crawl into your mind and take up residence there.
Where to watch: Accessible via streaming or buying on several online services.
