The Grisly Cartoon Movie Ending That Lingers Audiences
Among all the mature cartoon movies I have ever watched, no other has lingered in my mind as much as the terror-laced ending of the explicitly bloody as well as deeply subversive film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
Back in the year 2015, this Spain-based writer-director created a dark, melancholy , frequently brutal universe that included a few small , desolate hints of hope.
While The Unicorn Wars seems like it came from an impulse to advance animation even more, the filmmaker explained that it was rather a try to convey a universal, cross-cultural message concerning “the shared root of every conflict.”
That message is communicated by means of a squad of vividly colored bears , openly inspired by a well-known line of cuddly figures.
Being raised in a community built around militarism as well as the defense industry, numerous these animals are consumed by killing unicorns, because of a religious scripture that claims them they previously were masters of the woodland, before the unicorns drove them out.
Some have not completely accepted the propaganda, , choose to experiment with narcotics or fornicate in the woods.
Unlike their friendly counterparts, these colorful critters have visible sexual organs , clear sex drives.
For one especially vicious, skeptical animal, Bluey, the conflict with unicorns transforms into a route to control — and specifically to dominance over his gentler, nicer brother the character Tubby.
This bear is a bully and a seeming antisocial figure , and while terror dominates his squad and claims his comrades individually, he seizes increasingly influence personally, through ever more violent, harmful methods.
Meanwhile, the unicorns are enduring their own horror, as a spreading, harmful creature in their forest.
“At the beginning, it feels like a comedy,” the director stated. “However it turns into a more dramatic and sad film. And by the end, it’s a scary feature.”
The Unicorn Wars begins similar to one of the most quirky features from an iconic animator, that uncover a mischievous joy in letting drawn beings swear, engage in violence, or engage sexually.
Afterward it becomes closer to a more grim movie by that same creator, featuring progressively explicit brutality and a tangible connection to the real horror of war.
In the finale, it is a complete theatrical horror massacre.
The horror that turns this an ideal spooky-season watch kicks in much sooner than that description suggests.
Unicorn Wars is ideal for the hardcore fans of gore, for enthusiasts of extreme cinema who desire to view a movie they haven’t ever viewed until now, and can endure a story which delivers unflinching brutality.
View it in a dimly lit space free from interruptions, and that ending will dig under your skin and take up residence there.
Where to watch: Available for rental or purchase on several digital platforms.
