That Gruesome Animated Movie Ending That Haunts Viewers
Among all the mature cartoon movies I’ve ever viewed, no other has lingered in my mind quite like the terror-laced conclusion of a graphically gory as well as deeply subversive 2022 movie Unicorn Wars.
In the year 2015, this Spain-based filmmaker developed a dark, somber , often savage universe with a few small , desolate twinges of optimism.
Although Unicorn Wars appears as it stemmed from an impulse to advance animation even more, the filmmaker explained that it was rather an effort to express a widespread, cross-cultural message concerning “the mutual source of all wars.”
That message is communicated through a band of colorful pastel bears , openly modeled after a well-known series of lovable characters.
Growing up in a society centered on aggression and the war machine, many of the bears are obsessed with killing unicorns, thanks to a religious scripture that claims them they used to be rulers of the forest, before the horned beings drove them out.
Others haven’t fully accepted the indoctrination, and prefer to sample substances and mate outdoors.
In contrast to their cuddly equivalents, these vivid animals have visible genitals , clear urges.
For a particular especially vicious, cynical bear, the character Bluey, the conflict against unicorns turns into a route to control — and especially to dominance above his softer, kinder brother the character Tubby.
Bluey acts as a tormentor and an obvious sociopath , and when horror takes over his squad and kills his fellow soldiers sequentially, he grabs progressively power personally, in increasingly gory, damaging approaches.
Meanwhile, these mythical beings are suffering their own horror, through a spreading, harmful creature in their woods.
“In the early stages, it appears as a humorous movie,” the director commented. “However it becomes a more serious and sorrowful film. And in the finale, it becomes a terrifying movie.”
Unicorn Wars begins similar to one of the more quirky films by a renowned filmmaker, that discover a wicked pleasure in letting drawn beings curse, shoot each other, or sex each other up.
Then it becomes closer to a darker work by that same creator, featuring progressively visual gore and a tangible link to the actual horror of war.
In the finale, it becomes a complete theatrical horror massacre.
The terror that turns this an ideal spooky-season movie starts well before than indicated.
The Unicorn Wars is one for the hardcore gorehounds, for enthusiasts of graphic films who want to see a movie they’ve never viewed until now, and can endure a story that offers no restraint.
Watch it in a dark room with no disturbances, and the conclusion will dig deep within you and take up residence there.
Where to watch: Accessible via rental or purchase on multiple streaming sites.
