The Gruesome Cartoon Film Ending That Haunts Viewers
Out of every mature cartoon movies I have personally watched, nothing has lingered in my mind quite like the dread-soaked conclusion of a viscerally violent and deeply subversive film from 2022 Unicorn Wars.
Back in 2015’s, this Spain-based writer-director crafted a grim, melancholy , frequently brutal universe with some tiny , desolate glimmers of optimism.
Although Unicorn Wars seems like it came from a drive to expand animation further, the director stated that it was rather a try to convey a global, cross-cultural message regarding “the common origin of all wars.”
That message is conveyed by means of a band of vividly colored bears , openly inspired by a famous line of lovable figures.
Growing up in a society built around warmongering as well as the defense industry, numerous the bears are fixated on killing unicorns, due to a religious scripture that tells them they previously were masters of the woods, until the unicorns expelled them.
Some haven’t fully accepted the indoctrination, , prefer to try out drugs or engage sexually in the forest.
Unlike their gentle equivalents, these vivid animals show sexual organs and clear urges.
For a particular particularly cruel, skeptical animal, the character Bluey, the conflict against the unicorns transforms into a route toward dominance — and particularly to authority over his softer, kinder brother the character Tubby.
This bear acts as a tormentor , an apparent psychopath , and as horror dominates his group and claims his teammates individually, he grabs more and more influence for himself, through ever more bloody, damaging approaches.
Meanwhile, the horned creatures are enduring their own horror, through a growing, harmful creature in their woods.
“Initially, it feels like a lighthearted film,” the director commented. “Yet it turns into a more serious and melancholic film. And in the finale, it’s a scary feature.”
Unicorn Wars begins resembling one of the most quirky features from a legendary filmmaker, which find a mischievous joy in permitting animated figures swear, fire weapons, or sex each other up.
Afterward it becomes something more like a darker work from the same creator, including ever more graphic violence , a palpable connection to the real tragedy of war.
Ultimately, it is an outright Grand Guignol carnage.
The terror that turns the film an ideal spooky-season viewing starts well before than indicated.
The Unicorn Wars is one for the devoted gorehounds, for lovers of extreme cinema who wish to see a movie they haven’t ever seen on-screen before, and can endure a plot that pulls unflinching brutality.
Watch it with the lights off without any distractions, and that ending will burrow under your skin and linger.
Availability: Available for rental or purchase on several online services.