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The Last Unicorn

The Last Unicorn

Fantasy · Animation · Family · 1982

A unicorn learns from a riddle-speaking butterfly that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all the others having been herded away by the monstrous Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly's words. She is eventually joined on her quest by Schmendrick, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.

Movie details

The Last Unicorn

“There's magic in believing!”

1982 Fantasy · Animation · Family 1h 33m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

A unicorn learns from a riddle-speaking butterfly that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all the others having been herded away by the monstrous Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly's words. She is eventually joined on her quest by Schmendrick, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Last Unicorn?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Arthur Rankin, Jr. · Jules Bass

Written by

Peter S. Beagle

Mia Farrow

Mia Farrow

Unicorn / Amalthea (voice)

Alan Arkin

Alan Arkin

Schmendrick (voice)

Tammy Grimes

Tammy Grimes

Molly Grue (voice)

Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges

Prince Lir (voice)

Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee

King Haggard (voice)

Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury

Mommy Fortuna (voice)

Robert Klein

Robert Klein

The Butterfly (voice)

Court is in session

Put The Last Unicorn on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.