cutter (11/24/82)
THE LAST UNICORN is a wonderful movie. Admittedly, I thought I was in
for the standard G-rated slop that those intellectual eunuchs (sp?) in
Hollywood put out. I was wrong.
First off, the screenplay was written by the author of the book it's
based on, The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle. Therefore, it is at *least*
90% accurate to the book. Second, the music is down to minimum: there is
only one disgustingly sweet, dripping with sentimentality, totally useless
love song, and that is kept short. There are only two other songs, the credit
music, and another that floats in and out. Third, the animation is from all
those wonderful guys in Japan; the same folks who brought you SPACE CRUISER
YAMATO (aka StarBlazers), SPACE PIRATE CAPTAIN HARLOCK, GALAXY EXPRESS 999,
etc, so watch for those huge eyes. It is quite good animation, considering
the movie was produced by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, who brought us such
Saturday morning wonders as "Speed Buggy" and "The Jackson Five" (remember
that one??). And lastly, the cast. The voices are done by some really good
people, among them Angela Landsbury, Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow,
Tammy Grimes, and (of course) what animated would be complete without Paul
Frees.
The plot (if you have never read the book) concerns a unicorn who is
obsessed with finding out if she is truly the last unicorn in the world.
It's not a very big plot, but it makes for an enjoyable movie nevertheless.
TJust the butterfly is worth seeing it ten times over.
On the subject of animateds: do NOT see "Heidi's Song". It's a retelling
of the tired story, complete with flat, stereotypical characters, syrupy
songs, and an overall feeling of nausea. For 3 year olds only. (They're so
little and unknowing that they would just drink it up....)
-- Joe --
(p.s. ElfQuest animated: Fall, 1987/Spring, 1988 !!!!)