The Gory Cartoon Film Ending That Haunts Viewers
Among every mature cartoon movies I have personally viewed, no other has stuck with me as much as the terror-laced finale of the viscerally violent as well as highly provocative film from 2022 The Unicorn Wars.
Back in the year 2015, this Spanish writer-director created a grim, somber and frequently brutal universe that included a few small , forlorn twinges of hope.
Although Unicorn Wars seems like it originated from a drive to push the medium further, the director clarified that it was rather an attempt to express a widespread, cross-cultural message regarding “the common origin of all wars.”
This theme is conveyed via a squad of colorful pastel bears , openly based on a famous series of cuddly characters.
Being raised in a culture focused on militarism as well as the war machine, a lot of the bears are obsessed with exterminating the mythical beasts, thanks to a sacred text that tells the bears they were once masters of the forest, before these creatures forced them out.
Some have not completely bought into the indoctrination, and would rather sample substances or fornicate in the woods.
Unlike their friendly equivalents, these bright beings show sexual organs and obvious sex drives.
For a particular especially vicious, skeptical animal, the bear named Bluey, the battle with the unicorns transforms into a route to power — and especially to dominance above his softer, more compassionate sibling the character Tubby.
The character is a bully , an apparent antisocial figure , and as terror dominates his unit and kills his comrades sequentially, he grabs increasingly influence on his own behalf, in increasingly violent, damaging approaches.
Simultaneously, the horned creatures are enduring their own nightmare, through a spreading, deadly beast in their woods.
“Initially, it feels like a comedy,” the director said. “But then it becomes a more dramatic and sad film. And in the finale, it becomes a horror film.”
Unicorn Wars starts out resembling one of the most quirky features from an iconic animator, that discover a naughty glee in permitting drawn beings curse, engage in violence, or engage sexually.
Subsequently it becomes more akin to a darker work from the same creator, including ever more visual gore and a tangible link to the real horror of war.
In the finale, it is a complete Grand Guignol massacre.
The fear that turns this a Halloween-friendly watch kicks in well before than one might expect.
The Unicorn Wars is ideal for the most dedicated fans of gore, for lovers of graphic films who want to watch something they have not watched previously, and who can handle a narrative which delivers absolutely no punches.
Watch it in a dimly lit space free from interruptions, and the finale will dig into your mind and stay with you.
Where to watch: Available for digital rental or sale on several digital platforms.
