The Grisly Animated Film Ending That Stays With Viewers

Out of every adult-oriented animated films I’ve ever viewed, no other has stuck with me as much as the dread-soaked conclusion of a viscerally violent and deeply subversive film from 2022 Unicorn Wars.

In 2015’s, this Spanish writer-director created a dark, melancholy , often savage world that included several minor , forlorn glimmers of hope.

Although Unicorn Wars seems like it stemmed from a desire to advance animation further, the filmmaker clarified that it was actually an attempt to communicate a widespread, cross-cultural theme about “the mutual source of every conflict.”

That idea is expressed through a squad of colorful pastel bears , obviously inspired by a famous series of cuddly characters.

Growing up in a society focused on militarism and the defense industry, a lot of these creatures are obsessed with slaughtering the mythical beasts, due to a holy book that tells the bears they previously were rulers of the forest, until the unicorns drove them out.

Others haven’t fully accepted the brainwashing, , choose to try out substances or engage sexually in the forest.

In contrast to their gentle equivalents, these vivid animals display genitals and definite sex drives.

For one notably brutal, pessimistic creature, the character Bluey, the battle with unicorns turns into a route to power — and particularly to dominance above his more tender, kinder brother the bear Tubby.

The character is a bully , an obvious psychopath , and when fear dominates his squad and kills his fellow soldiers individually, he grabs progressively influence for himself, via progressively gory, damaging approaches.

Meanwhile, these mythical beings are enduring their own nightmare, through a growing, destructive monster in their habitat.

The Unicorn Wars begins feeling a bit like among the whimsical movies from an iconic filmmaker, which find a mischievous joy in allowing animated figures swear, shoot each other, or engage sexually.

Subsequently it evolves into more akin to a bleaker film from the same artist, including ever more explicit brutality , a tangible relation to the real suffering of conflict.

Ultimately, it’s a full-on extreme drama massacre.

The horror that makes this an ideal spooky-season viewing starts much sooner than that description suggests.

The Unicorn Wars is suited for the most dedicated lovers of violence, for enthusiasts of graphic films who desire to view something they have not viewed until now, and who can handle a narrative that pulls absolutely no punches.

See it with the lights off with no disturbances, and the finale will crawl into your mind and linger.

Availability: Offered for streaming or buying on several online services.