A while back, i retraced the steps i took years ago, some things had changed. Even the concrete had changed. Only memory holds everything in place. But even that will go, eventually.
@@fi6795 aw this comment hit me hard. I recently had a similar experience. It makes all the times I spent in those locations and interactions seem so surreal. Pathways that get filled in or blocked off, places reconstructed, people no longer in our lives.
I noticed that she actually sounds very different when she speaks as a unicorn and Amalthea. The unicorn has a very calm and wise voice, while Amalthea's sounds full of emotion.
As she’s a Unicorn she’s stabled as she is to live forever so there’s no need for emotion. When she was a human, she was vulnerable as we have mixed emotions and feelings so she felt vulnerable.
FandomTrashStalker666 You're right. I noticed that as well. The unicorn has this regal voice full of ancient wisdom that's so composed. While she's Amalthea it's more like a young woman who's battling all these new emotions. She's more expressive and emotional. It's so interesting to see how she was able to play the same character and change their personalities like that to fit the new forms
It’s because she’s not selfish anymore, unicorns come to be magical creatures but only for their own benefit. Once she realized what true emotion is , it’s like being an empathic person who now realizes I’m immortal and can take care of the forest. She’s different and gifted now .
It would have been a powerful statement, but on the other hand, this scene says the same thing. That's why I had a love hate relationship with the movie. It was erratic and in a way too short. But it didn't talk down to you. It trusted that you could understand what was happening. Even as a kid, I understood what she meant about regret, and how she'd have to carry that sorrow with her forever. It was a very sad revelation that stuck with me.
@@pattonramming1988 She may feel some semblance of sadness, but she has seen every deer, crow, ant, or wolf, meet their end in her forest. It's just a part of nature. When we die, our bodies become part of the earth and help other things to grow and live.
@@pattonramming1988 Even so, she knows in some way they're still alive. His body will become food for the animals and plants, and then those animals and plants will meet the same fate. It's just the circle of life.
This entire scene is so powerful. The book really goes into more detail on it but in short, Haggard’s castle collapsing was only possible because an immortal creature learned love and loss. The movie gives the impression it was the unicorns trampling it but the book was quite clear-it was the unicorn’s cry when Lir died, before she charges the bull. “It was a stark, ugly sound. The likes of which no immortal creature had ever made.” As an immortal, she didn’t understand loss but now she does. You can’t understand loss until you understand love. The unicorn even comments earlier that she can feel sorrow but it’s not the same thing as regret. For me, she regrets a lot of things but most notably, she regrets knowing what love and loss is yet she is grateful for it as well. This conflict of emotion is something entirely human. The book implies that Lir will continue to look for her but if you think about it...how horrible is that? Even if she is reunited with him, he will grow old and die and she will not. That’s why unicorns do not regret. Forever is a long time to long for something you cannot have or change. Hence the magician’s words “I have done you evil and I cannot undo it.”
This is a sophisticated adult drama.. when I saw it at 6 years it was moving. At 43 , it is probably the most influential movie of my life by magnitudes
Very well explained Disney Barbie, I have as of yet to see the movie, just bit and pieces off utube, no matter I thank you and may good always fare thee well❤️🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
There are so many books that were made into movies; movies do not go into the true detail of what the books teach. I have not read the book but reading your detailed comment explains much more than what the movie does. Your comment about "Forever being a long time", instantly reminded me of a quote that I remind people of. We often hear friends, family and even children speaking of being friends forever. "Forever is a long time. And time has a way of changing". You never know whether the change is good or bad and it all depends on how you view it. The quote being from Disney's classic "The Fox & the Hound". There are some powerful quotes and lessons from some of these older films.
That's why it's 'fore' ever, and not 'back' ever. That's what drives the whole universe. The difference between things being done and things not. The energy to do them. The weight holding back.
In the book, she disappears without a word and everything the characters say to her is something they dreamed at the end. They never see her leave and she doesn’t say goodbye. This is the one change I like better in the movie. It’s just a tiny bit of closure
@@QarleyQuark The movie is shockingly faithful to the book. All the movie left out was Hagsgate and a little bit of Schmendrick’s past and how he even knew the transformation spell was possible. That’s pretty much it
@@emmawieson2121 They also left out one or two small details, like the spider that thought it was the goddess Arachne and the mention of a unicorn being turned human in the past (by Schmendrick's former wizarding tutor). It's a shame though - I've heard some people theory-crafting that King Haggard could have been that unicorn-turned-human in the past (and to explain why he only feels joy when he captures unicorns).
It's interesting though that often people blame Schmendrick for making the Unicorn mortal when it's established that magic is this wild, untamed force that can only be suggested to will and not fully controlled. So when he uses his magic and it "takes on the form" of turning her human, I think in some cosmic way it was destined/needed to happen. It's hard to wrap around the concept of what it's like to have your immortality stripped from you, but her becoming human gave her the humanity she needed. She was alienated by the world around her, not just being the last unicorn but failing to connect to the "lesser" lifeforms like humans and the butterfly. Her leaving the forest despite the warnings was akin to losing her innocence and her ability o be above basic tenants of life. After all, does immortality really mean anything when you're not truly "living"? I dunno, just rambles. All I gotta say is Schmendrick did nothing wrong lol
The bull was a symbol of the fear from refusing to accept death. Immortal unicorns were in defiance of death so it hunted them. Schmendrick willed the magic to protect her, so it chose to turn her into a mortal form. Since her human form "accepted" mortality ("I can feel this body rotting"), she was no longer a target to the bull.
That triumphant cry of “I’m alive!” kicking in as the unicorn turns and begins to run home will NEVER not hit me in the soul. I actually cried the first time I watched it.
Yes but had reduced what happens the faster she had would be and she was unicorn before becoming a person.what leader was you cannot have what was what life is heard .and sometimes have grateful for we have ever if that be alone .
It actually makes sense that one of my favorite films growing up was a melancholic, existential movie about a unicorn having to face loneliness, mortality, and regret.
I saw the story as being a metaphor for the pain of growing up. The Unicorn represents the innocence and ignorance of childhood, but also the self-centredness. She is often aloof and detatched from those around her, until she gains her humanity and a sense of how cruel and scary the world truly is. Even on changing back, she can never go back to the innocence and sheltered nature of childhood. She's seen the world for what it is beyond the mystical and has experienced the pain of growing up.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn Yeah, like for example the scene where she frees the Harpy, despite being warned by it (and Schmendrick) that it will kill her if she does. As children we often are ignorant of the dangers around us, we're more trusting, but also more reckless. We think we know best and often don't consider our actions before we take them. I like how the book and movie capture the detatched essence of the Unicorn, she really does not think or feel Human. She feels almost alien, wise yet innocent at the same time. Making her character development all the more meaningful, even on changing back, she, as she puts it, is changed too. She's grown to appreciate people, and what it's like to have emotions, even if being separated from her own kind, and having felt pain and loss, still haunt her. Such is the way with becoming an adult, you are going to experience pain, sadness, loss, but you cannot let that break you. Those experiences make you stronger, and allow you to appreciate the good things in life when they come.
@@PlanetZoidstar yeah, I especially resonate with what you said about the feelings she's now aware of and carries. She never had to deal with that level of complexity of feelings, sorrow, pain, love, good and bad emotions colliding and co-existing. And once exposed to that there's no going back. I never pictured the harpy situation as an example of "disobedience" or lack of good judgement but you've given me something new to think about.
@@PlanetZoidstarand later when she was human and had a nightmare about freeing the harpy and killing mommy fortuna she was horrified cause it symbolises growing up we feel regret of things we did in our childhood like the unicorn said she feels sorrow but not the same cause children don't feel shame of doing bad things but then growing up they do
As a woman she got a taste of human mortality, weakness, identity issues, confusing emotions. She expressed she could feel the death in her body and it frightened her. This is alluding to biblical concept of the fall of man in Genesis. She also fell in love with Lir but had to choose between him and saving the other unicorns. She stuck to her mission to save the other unicorns. That was a painful but selfless sacrifice on her part especially because she alienated herself from other unicorns in the process because she was no longer like the others. Being a hero can be lonely but pays off in the end.
This speech from the Unicorn is cool and extremely sweet. She doesn't blame Schmendrick for turning her human, but she admits that she'll never be the same, even though she's back to being a unicorn; and when she says "I regret" I think she means she knows she has to leave her new friends behind, and it hurts, as she never thought she'd really feel friendship as humans do, but now she has, and she's found it enjoyable, if painful at times. She wants Schmendrick to know that she's grateful for the time she spent with him and Molly and Prince Lir, and she'll always treasure the memories of them. Even so, as she's a unicorn, she knows she has to get back to her duties of watching over the forest and all the creatures there, and that's what makes her regret. Being a human might have been unpleasant for her, but there were good things that came of it, and she wouldn't change that experience for anything. The bottom line? Life, no matter how short, is worth living.
"Wellll, men don't always know when they're happy, but I... I THINK so." That line always confused me as a little one watching this movie. Now as a single adult male living in isolation, I totally get it.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn 😊 Speaking primarily from my own experience and to a lesser degree from that of other men ages 18 to 69..? Most of us start off being told what we need to do to be happy. Societal standards which usually involve making a name for ourselves, making lots of money, making a life or a reputation with women, and so forth. So we typically spend most or all of our lives fretting and toiling and chasing, only to end up sitting around halfway disappointed and halfway confused once we finally achieve one or more of these ultimately superficial goals. There is a frightful emptiness and a profoundly overwhelming sense of doubt that comes with not understanding your purpose for living. What have I accomplished really? What is it all for nothing? Am I even really happy? The nagging notion that something really important yet nonetheless unknown is left undone hangs over you like a cloud. It follows you everywhere, even into your dreams. Most of us reach a point in our lives where we flail about helplessly, spending time and money and effort, trying all kinds of things to fill a void that even we ourselves don’t quite understand. Every man is different though. So what finally worked for me and those close enough to share their feelings with me may or may not work for the next… Happiness is possible. I find it in giving as much as can whenever I can. My Creator Jehovah has granted me the gift of life along with free will. So it makes me happy to look for ways to give to my fellow man anonymously. To be there physically, emotionally and spiritually for those dearest to me. And at times even for those who are not. Make no mistake, the revelation of how simple an achievement happiness can be comes out of nowhere, but its clarity is unmistakable. You begin to see all the time, the years of searching and struggling as ridiculous and regrettable in retrospect, no matter how sincere you may have been. And maybe you were happy for those few fleeting moments in the past. It doesn’t matter. Because this happiness is the kind that persists even when times become difficult, dark and tiresome. This happiness is the real deal. Literally nothing or no one can take it away from you. I hope that makes sense ❤️
Me either. I remember watership down being heavy to me. I felt alright at the end of this film. The lady getting eaten by the harpy was the scene that disturbed me the most. Lol
@@2nd2LastUnicorn So true about fiver. The acting was so great. Fivers shivers and moaning performance still gives me chills. The reason why it was so disturbing to me was because of my youth. I just didn't understand it. How animals were potrayed to me up to that point were like furry friends. To see these furry friends die and meet their demise was just too startling. I understood some things - like the origin story, but when hazel died at the end I found it sad. I actually cried as a kid. But as a adult it is a beautiful film. I see Hazel's death as a gift for an awesome old leader that brought his people to the promise land and got to lead a full life. I recently listened to audio book too. The book is a great accompanying piece to the animation. Richard Adams is awesome. Some beautiful scenes that were left out of the film - like the female rabbits depiction of sadness in effrarah ( sorry for the spelling) was cool. And I think Fiver had a moving speech in the land of the shining wires. Most disturbing scenes for me - the black rabbit leading fiver to hazel with that haunting song over top, the scene where a rabbit tells the hero's what happened to their old home, hazel getting shot, and the dog at the end. Lol. What a film. As a child this film, the last unicorn and the death of Optimus Prime in transformers the movie brought me fast to the realm of adult hood with tears in my eyes. Hahaha. Wouldn't unsee it tho. Something's you just have to be exposed to. Thank you 80s! Lol
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I think I mostly liked it for the artstyle and aesthetic, I wasn’t disturbed by it pretty much at all, but I never remembered it as happy either. Mostly just melancholic
Remember the beginning where the hunters said it was always Spring in that forest. I always like to imagine that when she got back home, Autumn came for the first time.
That last conversation the Unicorn and Schmendrick have is so touching. He got his wish to be a true wizard, and the Unicorn herself completed her own quest to find and free the other unicorns, but like so many victories, there is always a price to pay for it. Schmendrick himself carries the regret of having given the Unicorn the experience of mortality and all the pains that came with it, and she must carry her own regret, that of the love she once had for Lir that cannot be given anymore. But with regret also comes the joy and satisfaction of what was accomplished for the greater good.
I also think she has the added joy of having fallen in love. Feeling love and be loved. Even if fleeting, she felt it for a while. That is wonderful in itself, regardless it doesnt last forever.
The ending of this movie was so happy, but yet it made me incredibly sad that the unicorn returns home very unlikely to see Schmendrick and Molly ever again. I probably would’ve cried my eyes out if I knew that I had to say goodbye forever to two such incredible human beings. But, of course, I’m human, whereas “Amalthea” was a powerful and mystical creature who had to be strong.
I always found this the most touching and emotional scene in the film. True, Lir was the one she was in love with, but Schmendrick was with her from almost the beginning; he was the first human friend she ever had. Both of them had been through much on their journey and had learned much. So in a way their parting seems much sadder, both because they carry regrets from their adventure, and because this is very likely the last time they'll see each other.
Almost everyone else gets sidetracked in some way but Shmendrick still keeps going with their mission and help the unicorn find what she was looking for.
@zakfett92, that is what has made me feel very sad. If I were “Amalthea” (the unicorn), I NEVER would have wanted to part forever from Schmendrick. I would want to be friends with him forever and ever, because of his kindness and wit, his eventual and courageous discovery of the true potential of his magical abilities, and for having, in this story, saved a unicorn’s life (by transforming her into a human which would enable her to enter and stay at Lir’s castle to find what she was searching for, without suspect by the Red Bell) and NEVER ONCE stopped helping her to find her people. Me personally, I would just be too filled with gratitude towards this man to simply say goodbye forever!
Schmendrick not only helped Amalthea find what she was looking for, but also helped Lir as well. He was willing to sacrifice himself for Amalthea, which helped her overcome the incarnate of fear (The Red Bull).@@rebajoe
Pretty much every character in the movie was about dealing with mortality and death. The magician wants to live on in legend. Molly is anguished the unicorn visits her after she's no longer young. The witch does not fear death because she'll live forever in the memory of the immortal harpy as the only human who captured her. The unicorn has immortality, but is unaware of what she has. Haggard wants immortality, and is aware of what he DOESN'T have. He thought having a son would be a form of living on, but he just reminded him of his mortality so he coveted the unicorns. The skeleton lives forever, but only as hollow memories of the past and never any new experiences. The talking cat is the only one who is fine with nearing the end of his satisfying life. The unicorn becomes mortal and can feel her body rotting, but knows love. She can go back to the other unicorns, but knows she'll never fit in again after losing the innocent ignorance that came with being immortal.
This blew my mind, love that you drew these connections. Any thoughts on the butterfly or red bull or are those characters N/A in the pattern in your opinion?
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I'm guessing the butterfly showed that she was entering the next stage of her life (pupa -> butterfly) as she metaphorically spread her wings and left the forest for the first time to go out into the world. Not positive on the bull. If I had to guess, that it's a fear of death and refusal to accept it. Created by a king who feared death, seeking out immortal unicorns that defy death, and ignoring "Amalthea" the instant mortality embraced her.
More precisely, the butterfly was the most obvious way to show the progression of life. Immortality was a stasis for the unicorn. The first thing she encountered after she left her woods (where nothing could die, not even by the hands of hunters) was the most obvious sign of a living thing progressing through different stages of aging, a way to foreshadow this new alien world she was entering.
@@fahbs interesting. Would the red bull be some kind of end point on the other side of that spectrum? I always paired the butterfly and red bull together as being opposite ends of a similar theme but haven't worked out the details. The way that the butterfly collects and recites poetry that expands knowledge & awareness, (in a way immortalizing those things) and instagates the journey the unicorn makes. While the red bull collects, compresses, & traps things that are immortal. Even the way the butterfly moves vs the red bulls kind of fixed path seems significant.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn The theme was immortality makes you live in a stasis without want or urgency. Mortality instilled a sense of urgency to experience, to love, to regret. Some feared death to such a degree that it consumed their limited life and they couldn't embrace the gifts of mortality. Haggard lorded over a decaying prison. The skeleton existed on nothing but (literally) empty memories. Molly went through a lesser degree of both where she wasn't aware during her youth and spent her later years in regret. So the butterfly introduced the new idea that mortal life changes. The bull was mortal life REFUSING to change out of fear, the worst of both worlds that knew no love yet still rotted. That's why the bull had power over the unicorns. It was a frightening concept they were never equipped to deal with. Amalthea was able to stand up when she saw Lir's body, realizing that love and joy is how mortals cope with and stare down the fear of death.
Unicorns in real folklore are badass. As iconic as the dragon, lion, and eagle. Description from Ancient Domains of Mystery: A large beast of the purest white, with a thick mane and a strange little beard under the chin, but the most astonishing feature is the long wound horn protruding from its forehead. Other than that, it looks pretty much like a horse, yet its beauty and sincerity almost make you break out in tears. It beholds you with soft dark eyes and you crave to touch it, but at the same time you feel too impure to approach this magnificent creature. Special abilities Immune to death rays Very often shrugs off bolts and other resistible magic Rapidly regenerates Teleporting And then there are the evil unicorns which are also as scary as the good unicorns are amazing.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn They're aimed at different audiences. The book is really well written with some unique stylistic choices, seems more mature. The movie is slightly more aimed at kids, fewer details and existential elements. I like both.
As a kid, I didn't fully understand the movie, but as an adult, you understand, and certain parts and songs hit me much more deeply now than ever before. Interesting note to this. Seth MacFarlane took the song "That's All I have to Say" and added it to one of the episodes in his TV series "The Orville".
It's a better ending than what the first book gave us, see the author had a first draft that was completely different from this movie, which was also based off another version of the book, i liked the first book but it didn't have a proper ending to it, here this story did good, it ends with her going back to the other unicorns, while the first book ends with the unicorn and her friends continuing to travel in search of the unicorns with no idea what the heck even drove them off in the first place
@@2nd2LastUnicorn the movie was based on a book, and the author (or his friend, i forget now) published the unfinished first draft of the book as well as the finished book
The Unicorn rearing along with the song always gives me chills and makes me so happy and glad to be alive despite everything. It's a scene full of emotion from start to end
this movie haunts me, it has always been a huge part of my life, and though i once could only feel abstract broad emotions from it, as i’ve grown up i can understand the story more, and i can see its metaphors and lessons. it’s so sad, like i love this movie but it fills me with an uncontrollable grief and remorse literally every time i think of it.
The words cannot describe how I adore, love and treasure this movie. Thanks to everyone who worked on this wonderful and meaningful tale. Nowadays we don't have something like this, and I think we never will.
I always hated this moment when I was a kid. I wanted their companionship to continue to thrive because of their shared trauma. I understand things a bit more, now that I'm a little older.
The title of this video describes this moment perfectly. I’ve been haunted by this movie and it’s dialogue for years making me question my own mortality and my life.
I'm glad the title was on point, was so hard trying to simplify and describe such a complex thing. Same experience here, didn't realise how deeply it affected other fans until I started hearing about it on this channel 😁
@@2nd2LastUnicorn my little sister watched this movie so many times, when we were kids, and even though i thought it was girly at first, overtime, the dialogue and the message really did have an affect on me.
@@AndreNitroX Yeah it definitely comes off that way at first glance. My Step Grandfather got it for me when I was like 7 years old, probably thinking the same thing. He had no idea what he was getting :'D One of the greatest gifts I've ever gotten.
«Unicorns are in the world again» That line gets me every time! Not because I'm into unicorns. But because it represents magic. And what is life without it? Love, friends, meaning, purpose. That's what it means to me.
Y’know what’s sad? By the end of the movie… she’s still the only one of her kind in the world. Before she was the only unicorn not trapped in the ocean. Now, she’s the only unicorn who knows what mortality feels like. The emotions she felt - love, regret, pain - no other unicorn has felt these. She’s been mortal, and it’s something she’ll never forget.
I think of this moment as being allegorical for the question of, "Is it better to have loved and to experience all the magical feelings of joy and wonder of it only to eventually have to experience all the feelings of sorrow, regret or sadness when it is gone? Or is better to have never loved?" Or another way to look at it is asking, "Is a life without experiencing living, worth living?". I feel like they purposely made her line ambiguous but resolved things nicely to leave it open to the viewer to see if they think the journey was good or bad for her, which is really a reflection of how they feel about these question based on their own experiences and journeys. The viewer could walk away from this part with feelings of hope and joy, feelings of despair or sadness, or a mixture of both. It really wraps the movie up very in a way that can be very personalized and self-reflective. And help people answer these important question that can help them find their purpose and destiny in their own lives. It's great stuff like that gets us to ask important questions of ourselves of what we value most in life. Also this movies, and especially this scene, takes on even deeper meaning as one gets older and more experienced at life and living in it. Such a beautiful and deep movie.
Being an immortal being, she never knew what it was to fall in love and experience grief and pain of losing that love. She regrets learning it, but also grateful she experienced it as it brought her closer to understanding her friends and mortals. She's afraid to go home because she knows her world will never be the same again. She's an immortal who had a taste of mortality and it has left an eternal mark upon her.
I first saw this movie in 1983 when it came on cable TV, and I've always thought the acting in this movie is the best I've witnessed in any animated film. Both Mia Farrow and Alan Arkin knock this scene out of the park. Arkin's "Well, men don't always know when they're happy, but I . . . I think so" is delivered with the right amount of pathos and sober realism, and Farrow's speech about being mortal is heartrending. You can feel the unicorn's regret, giving this film a rich adult resonance, and the story's parallels with the Christian incarnation provide additional deep touchstones for some.
While people will assoaicate Mia Farrow for her role in Rosemary's Baby. She will always be The Unicorn/Amalthea. Farrow's voice has a warmth with a mixture of beauty and very majestic. It perfectly embodies the purness of unicorns. Can't picture anyone else who would fit the role as Farrow did.
I got the chance to meet Peter Beagle at a meet n greet in a cafe in Chico. He was such a sweet old man and told us many cool stories. He told us of how his mother was a teacher and let him present at her class for fun when he was a child. And the presentation was his first little story that included a female unicorn. He said before that unicorns were mostly depicted as male which we didn't even know. It was cool to meet him and I hope he's still living well.
That's amazing! Thanks for sharing, I would have loved to have met him. What was being in his presence like? Were you a big fan of the book & movie at the time?
@@2nd2LastUnicorn Oh yes! I loved the movie so much as a kid (and read the book too later which was amazing) but I mainly went for my mother who grew up with the movie. I surprised her with an autographed DVD and she absolutely loved it. His presence was like talking to a kind grandfather who enjoyed the fact others enjoyed his work. Just very very wholesome and humble. I wish someday you meet him too because he's is very memorable.
I just watched this last night with my mother, who had seen it on TV as a child. I think she had the VHS because I remember it, but I sadly replaced the ending in my head. The actual ending was very sad, but I get the whole message. She was the first unicorn to have human feelings, she learned something like the rest of the characters. This movie basically tells you, that it's not your typical Disney happy ending deal. XD
Her words made me think of that old saying: "It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all" The fact she feels regret emphasizes that despite giving up and losing the chance for true love she is still grateful for having experienced it, brief though it was. She could have chosen Lir and remained human but then Unicorns would truly have been gone from the world and so she put her fellow unicorns before her personal happiness. She understands mortality now, and that has made her wiser and more empathetic to humanity, having experienced what it is like to be human. We are not immortal; we change and we grow and we make mistakes. And eventually we die. But the ways we see and feel and experience, I think, are far more meaningful than the perspective of an immortal. Though we die, I believe that is not the end. What comes next however unknown... is but the next great adventure!
Maybe a part of her is mortal, and maybe she isn't like the rest. But the journey and what she experienced and what she learned- those were they important things. Perhaps some connotations are negative, but she still got the chance to experience it, and without those experiences, are you truly living, or just endlessly existing? The unicorn understood that. That's why she thanks Schmendrick.
Unicorn: "No unicorn was ever born who could regret, but now I do." Schmendrik: "I'm sorry, I have done you evil and I cannot undo it." Unicorn: "No, unicorns are in the world again. No sorrow with live in me as long as that joy... ... except for the fact you destroyed me mentally and made me feel like a mortal for the rest of my immortal life." Good job dude, good job.
In Remembrance to..... - Alan Arkin voice role as Schmendrick (Born: March 26, 1934 - Died: June 29, 2023) - Tammy Lee Grimes voice role as Molly Grue (Born: January 30, 1934 - Died: October 30, 2016) - Angela Lansbury voice role as Mommy Fortuna (Born: October 16, 1925 - Died: October 11, 2022) - Christopher Lee voice role as King Haggard (Born: 27 May 1922 - Died: 7 June 2015) - Keenan Wynn voice role as Captain Cully (Born: July 27, 1916 - Died: October 14, 1986) - Paul Frees voice role as Mabruk (Born: June 22, 1920 - Died: November 2, 1986) - Don Messick as Additional Voices (Born: September 7, 1926 - Died: October 24, 1997) - René Auberjonois voice role as Skull (Born: June 1, 1940 - Died: December 8, 2019) - Brother Theodore voice role as Ruhk (Born: November 11, 1906 - Died: April 5, 2001) - Ed Peck voice role as Jack Jingly, Cully's Men (Born: March 26, 1917 - Died: September 12, 1992)
Every time I watch this movie, I always wander afterwards how the unicorn is going to adjust to her new life after being a human full of regret and emotions
@@2nd2LastUnicorn God, she probably has a very lonely existence after the movie. The other unicorns can never relate to her, and she would outlive any mortal friends she might make.
And yet, Amalthea comforts him. He did what was necessary to defeat the Red Bull and Haggard, and to return unicorns to the world--even though she is now somewhat apart from them.
“Then what is magic for?” Prince Lír demanded wildly. “What use is wizardry if it cannot save a unicorn?” He gripped the magician's shoulder hard, to keep from falling. Schmendrick did not turn his head. With a touch of sad mockery in his voice, he said, “That's what heroes are for.”
Same. Exactly. But a child can FEEL them and feel the complexity, which is what makes it so special, I think. Other more simple childhood movies don't provide that kind of challenge and it feels very respectful somehow to present something so real to young audiences.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I agree! These types of movies have more to offer in learning life lessons that children could use later in life, which is why I love older kids movies with darker themes.
Nick p It’s not technically a “happy ending”. After all, before being human, she felt no regrets but after her transformation she felt deep regret. Regret of her decision, for leaving her friends, for not seeing Lir again etc. Which is kinda sad. Since she’s also immortal and cannot die of age, she will live with this deep, morbid emotion for the rest of her life. That’s actually very heartbreaking. Sure the movie plays it like it was meant to be happy, but some endings have a much deeper undertone than most. Am I saying this is a sad ending? Nope, but it leaves you with a deep feeling at the end.
I think in the book it was said that there are no happy endings for nothing ever truly ends, and I love that, the unicorn sacrificed her personal happiness for her self impossed mission so it was no happy nor an ending, she will live on and be both happy at her sucess and regretful of her lost love
To me it was bittersweet. She got her wish to be among her own kind but because she was mortal it changed her outlook forever. Sorrow and regret are as she cited are not the same thing. She know both now knowing she will be always be alone.
Ah it just kills me every time. What an interesting plot. So unique and so human. The character growth being something outside the human experience and yet somehow still deeply relatable?? How did they manage that? She’s a creature that doesn’t regret and then transforms into something that does and the perspective she gains. Just amazing.
I know, I wish I knew. You're right. Maybe even though it's expressed through something outside of human experience, it still captures our feelings which are so transcendent and beyond what's actually happening, it translates well still.
This freaking movie, man. I've always loved it, and I think I always will. It is part of mine, and many other childhoods, along with many other Rankin-Bass films, like The Hobbit and Return of The King. The music, the voice-acting, the visual style, it's all amazing and culminated in one of the greatest animated films ever produced. Fun fact: The Rankin-Bass Studio would go on to be bought and the artists brought into the fold of Studio Ghibli.
Everyone's comments here are amazing!!! Anyone else see this in the theater at in 1982 at 12? I'm rereading this at 52 and I'm learning so much about myself, that innocent 12 year old I was, and this old woman I am now.
I WISH I saw it in theaters. What was that like? and yes I'm amazed too at how people have come together to share their thoughts and feelings about this movie.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I came out of the theater (I saw it with my Gramma - another unicorn horse lover girl who never grew out of it lol) and was so blown away, so, overwhelmed by it all. Nothing I'd ever seen in my 12 years had touched a place in me that resonated so much. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts as I relived it in my head. My entire family though was going out to dinner that night and my younger sibs were bugging me, my mother was mad at me for not taking care of them so they'd leave her alone, and I was getting snarky at everyone (I always got in trouble for being "in that kind of mood") when my Gramma gently "snapped" lol at my mother, saying, "Dorleen you've never enjoyed a movie as much as your Chrissy just did, leave her alone and let her keep enjoying it in her mind." My mother was so miffed but my Gramma's word was law so she backed off of me for the time being. That just drove home the message I'd gotten from the movie even more! I wanted to run away from everything so much at that moment! My life was a nightmare of epic proportions at 12, things were happening to me that make grown women tremble in fear and carry mace, only it was happening in my own home and I could tell no one.... So this movie was something else for me. I got home late that night and immediately wrote a Happily Ever After for Lir and Amalthea (I'd been writing "stories" since I was about 4). I still have it too. So yeah, I walked out of the theater in a tween's blissed out state of mind! LOL
Aw I appreciate that so much. I am in awe at the kind of thoughtful and compassionate community the fans create by interacting with each other about this movie. I wouldn't have thought throwing up a couple of clips on whim would lead to such a space. I am grateful for you being here and getting something out of the discussions :)
JaDangerz he’s mortal you can’t give inmortales to a mortal and also schmendricks magic has limits and it would be like her staying a human she would also lose her past and forget what she/he wince was
I can't get over those eyes! It's like the animators took ALL the performance-enhancing drugs if performance-enhancing drugs somehow also improoved your animation skills!
Just got around to watching this film on Amazon Prime and couldn’t believe how deep and moving it was. Loved the actors, animation, and music. Turns 40 also this year 😱
I will never forget renting this movie from the video store when I was 12. At frist I wasn’t too impressed by it, the more I watched it, the more it grew on me. Todays films don’t hit as hard as this one.
The whole movies point seems to be how the loss of innocence can he transformative--or even just a natural part of aging--as with Molly. You lose it but you gain something else--wisdom. You start seeing little pieces of what the world really is...for better or worse.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I've asked the same in the past. At the conceptual level the artists don't know what the projects are or what characters will actually be used. They are given inspiration boards and go ftom there. It's still fun for them especially when their specific designs are used. I imagine it also allows confidentiality
The bitter lesson every wanderer learns: you can never go back. It isn't there anymore.
Love how you said this.
Whenever you find something that hasn't changed its because you have
A while back, i retraced the steps i took years ago, some things had changed. Even the concrete had changed. Only memory holds everything in place. But even that will go, eventually.
@@fi6795 aw this comment hit me hard. I recently had a similar experience. It makes all the times I spent in those locations and interactions seem so surreal. Pathways that get filled in or blocked off, places reconstructed, people no longer in our lives.
As another famous author once wrote: _"The road goes ever on and on."_
I noticed that she actually sounds very different when she speaks as a unicorn and Amalthea. The unicorn has a very calm and wise voice, while Amalthea's sounds full of emotion.
As she’s a Unicorn she’s stabled as she is to live forever so there’s no need for emotion.
When she was a human, she was vulnerable as we have mixed emotions and feelings so she felt vulnerable.
FandomTrashStalker666 You're right. I noticed that as well. The unicorn has this regal voice full of ancient wisdom that's so composed. While she's Amalthea it's more like a young woman who's battling all these new emotions. She's more expressive and emotional. It's so interesting to see how she was able to play the same character and change their personalities like that to fit the new forms
It’s because she’s not selfish anymore, unicorns come to be magical creatures but only for their own benefit. Once she realized what true emotion is , it’s like being an empathic person who now realizes I’m immortal and can take care of the forest. She’s different and gifted now .
I've noticed that too Mia Farrow is a talented voice actress
@@pattonramming1988 her singing sucks but she has a beautiful talking voice.
"I am full of tears and hunger and the fear of death, though I cannot weep, and I want nothing, and I cannot die."
The part of the quote they removed from the movie, sadly.
is there a version of this movie with this quote?
@@BrookeAngelic Not that i know of
@@BrookeAngelic It's a quote from Beagle's original book.
It would have been a powerful statement, but on the other hand, this scene says the same thing. That's why I had a love hate relationship with the movie. It was erratic and in a way too short. But it didn't talk down to you. It trusted that you could understand what was happening. Even as a kid, I understood what she meant about regret, and how she'd have to carry that sorrow with her forever. It was a very sad revelation that stuck with me.
she is not just the unicorn who knows what love and regret is
she is also the only unicorn with a name, Amalthea.
I wonder if she will grieve for Schmendrik and Molly after they die as she grew to love them deeply
@@pattonramming1988 She may feel some semblance of sadness, but she has seen every deer, crow, ant, or wolf, meet their end in her forest. It's just a part of nature. When we die, our bodies become part of the earth and help other things to grow and live.
@@shaobues that was before she knew what love and friendship were
@@pattonramming1988 Even so, she knows in some way they're still alive. His body will become food for the animals and plants, and then those animals and plants will meet the same fate. It's just the circle of life.
@@pattonramming1988 I think she would go through the stages of grief and eventually be at peace again
This entire scene is so powerful. The book really goes into more detail on it but in short, Haggard’s castle collapsing was only possible because an immortal creature learned love and loss. The movie gives the impression it was the unicorns trampling it but the book was quite clear-it was the unicorn’s cry when Lir died, before she charges the bull. “It was a stark, ugly sound. The likes of which no immortal creature had ever made.” As an immortal, she didn’t understand loss but now she does. You can’t understand loss until you understand love. The unicorn even comments earlier that she can feel sorrow but it’s not the same thing as regret. For me, she regrets a lot of things but most notably, she regrets knowing what love and loss is yet she is grateful for it as well. This conflict of emotion is something entirely human. The book implies that Lir will continue to look for her but if you think about it...how horrible is that? Even if she is reunited with him, he will grow old and die and she will not. That’s why unicorns do not regret. Forever is a long time to long for something you cannot have or change. Hence the magician’s words “I have done you evil and I cannot undo it.”
If you read the sequel novelette Mr. Beagle published "Two Hearts", they do see each other again, one last time.
This is a sophisticated adult drama.. when I saw it at 6 years it was moving. At 43 , it is probably the most influential movie of my life by magnitudes
Very well explained Disney Barbie, I have as of yet to see the movie, just bit and pieces off utube, no matter I thank you and may good always fare thee well❤️🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
There are so many books that were made into movies; movies do not go into the true detail of what the books teach. I have not read the book but reading your detailed comment explains much more than what the movie does.
Your comment about "Forever being a long time", instantly reminded me of a quote that I remind people of. We often hear friends, family and even children speaking of being friends forever.
"Forever is a long time. And time has a way of changing". You never know whether the change is good or bad and it all depends on how you view it.
The quote being from Disney's classic "The Fox & the Hound". There are some powerful quotes and lessons from some of these older films.
That's why it's 'fore' ever, and not 'back' ever. That's what drives the whole universe. The difference between things being done and things not. The energy to do them. The weight holding back.
In the book, she disappears without a word and everything the characters say to her is something they dreamed at the end. They never see her leave and she doesn’t say goodbye. This is the one change I like better in the movie. It’s just a tiny bit of closure
I need to read this book...I haven't watched the movie in full since I was a wee thing!
@@QarleyQuark The movie is shockingly faithful to the book. All the movie left out was Hagsgate and a little bit of Schmendrick’s past and how he even knew the transformation spell was possible. That’s pretty much it
@@emmawieson2121 Guy who wrote the book wrote the screenplay, that's probably why.
@@OriginalAkivara Peter S. Beagle? That’s awesome, sounds like he gave himself some leeway to try a different kind of ending 😊
@@emmawieson2121
They also left out one or two small details, like the spider that thought it was the goddess Arachne and the mention of a unicorn being turned human in the past (by Schmendrick's former wizarding tutor).
It's a shame though - I've heard some people theory-crafting that King Haggard could have been that unicorn-turned-human in the past (and to explain why he only feels joy when he captures unicorns).
It's interesting though that often people blame Schmendrick for making the Unicorn mortal when it's established that magic is this wild, untamed force that can only be suggested to will and not fully controlled. So when he uses his magic and it "takes on the form" of turning her human, I think in some cosmic way it was destined/needed to happen. It's hard to wrap around the concept of what it's like to have your immortality stripped from you, but her becoming human gave her the humanity she needed. She was alienated by the world around her, not just being the last unicorn but failing to connect to the "lesser" lifeforms like humans and the butterfly. Her leaving the forest despite the warnings was akin to losing her innocence and her ability o be above basic tenants of life. After all, does immortality really mean anything when you're not truly "living"?
I dunno, just rambles. All I gotta say is Schmendrick did nothing wrong lol
You’re absolutely right.
Exactly
And he apologized for it anyway despite how prideful he was about being a real wizard/magician
The bull was a symbol of the fear from refusing to accept death. Immortal unicorns were in defiance of death so it hunted them.
Schmendrick willed the magic to protect her, so it chose to turn her into a mortal form. Since her human form "accepted" mortality ("I can feel this body rotting"), she was no longer a target to the bull.
That's such an interesting point, thanks for sharing. I guess that's what he's saying when he's dancing around saying "I am a messenger!"
That triumphant cry of “I’m alive!” kicking in as the unicorn turns and begins to run home will NEVER not hit me in the soul. I actually cried the first time I watched it.
Same.
I have also cried a bit. 😢 A tear for every happy thought.
I totally agree! Also, the animation throughout the song is absolutely magic!
The way she says "I'm a little afraid to go home" has always resonated deeply with me
Kierra Reid yeah I can relate . Even as an adult I don’t like visiting home.
Yah something in the way she side's it for me
A more perfect metaphor for the shattering of one's ignorance can't be found
Yes but had reduced what happens the faster she had would be and she was unicorn before becoming a person.what leader was you cannot have what was what life is heard .and sometimes have grateful for we have ever if that be alone .
That's actually the true meaning of nostalgia i believe, the alien feeling you feel to what was once so familiar to you because YOU have changed
It actually makes sense that one of my favorite films growing up was a melancholic, existential movie about a unicorn having to face loneliness, mortality, and regret.
How so? I think a lot of us feel the same way here ♥️
Isn't it coincidental all 70s 80s dark fantasy films watership down plagued dogs secrets of the nimh have mature context and symbolism
*emotionally haunting scene*
*followed by sudden upbeat music*
LOl
It always sounded slightly melancholic to me.
@@Regenmacher175 agreed the ending is a happy one, but the message were left with makes me sad thinking about mortality and regret.
Wait that’s not a meme edit?!?!?!??? Thought that was the joke..
@@gingermaniac5484 it is as it was.
I saw the story as being a metaphor for the pain of growing up. The Unicorn represents the innocence and ignorance of childhood, but also the self-centredness. She is often aloof and detatched from those around her, until she gains her humanity and a sense of how cruel and scary the world truly is. Even on changing back, she can never go back to the innocence and sheltered nature of childhood. She's seen the world for what it is beyond the mystical and has experienced the pain of growing up.
I had a similar impression that the unicorn in unicorn form seems like a standoffish adolescent. In the book as well.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn Yeah, like for example the scene where she frees the Harpy, despite being warned by it (and Schmendrick) that it will kill her if she does. As children we often are ignorant of the dangers around us, we're more trusting, but also more reckless. We think we know best and often don't consider our actions before we take them.
I like how the book and movie capture the detatched essence of the Unicorn, she really does not think or feel Human. She feels almost alien, wise yet innocent at the same time. Making her character development all the more meaningful, even on changing back, she, as she puts it, is changed too. She's grown to appreciate people, and what it's like to have emotions, even if being separated from her own kind, and having felt pain and loss, still haunt her.
Such is the way with becoming an adult, you are going to experience pain, sadness, loss, but you cannot let that break you. Those experiences make you stronger, and allow you to appreciate the good things in life when they come.
@@PlanetZoidstar yeah, I especially resonate with what you said about the feelings she's now aware of and carries. She never had to deal with that level of complexity of feelings, sorrow, pain, love, good and bad emotions colliding and co-existing. And once exposed to that there's no going back.
I never pictured the harpy situation as an example of "disobedience" or lack of good judgement but you've given me something new to think about.
@@PlanetZoidstarand later when she was human and had a nightmare about freeing the harpy and killing mommy fortuna she was horrified cause it symbolises growing up we feel regret of things we did in our childhood like the unicorn said she feels sorrow but not the same cause children don't feel shame of doing bad things but then growing up they do
As a woman she got a taste of human mortality, weakness, identity issues, confusing emotions. She expressed she could feel the death in her body and it frightened her. This is alluding to biblical concept of the fall of man in Genesis. She also fell in love with Lir but had to choose between him and saving the other unicorns. She stuck to her mission to save the other unicorns. That was a painful but selfless sacrifice on her part especially because she alienated herself from other unicorns in the process because she was no longer like the others. Being a hero can be lonely but pays off in the end.
😭
Jesus Christ is your hero.
We'll said
Problem is, Lear had to convince her to stick to her mission. She was more than happy to abandon it until Lear told her not to.
@@PyroGothNerd yeah, sometimes we need that important Ally to help us stick to the mission
This speech from the Unicorn is cool and extremely sweet. She doesn't blame Schmendrick for turning her human, but she admits that she'll never be the same, even though she's back to being a unicorn; and when she says "I regret" I think she means she knows she has to leave her new friends behind, and it hurts, as she never thought she'd really feel friendship as humans do, but now she has, and she's found it enjoyable, if painful at times. She wants Schmendrick to know that she's grateful for the time she spent with him and Molly and Prince Lir, and she'll always treasure the memories of them. Even so, as she's a unicorn, she knows she has to get back to her duties of watching over the forest and all the creatures there, and that's what makes her regret. Being a human might have been unpleasant for her, but there were good things that came of it, and she wouldn't change that experience for anything.
The bottom line? Life, no matter how short, is worth living.
"Wellll, men don't always know when they're happy, but I... I THINK so."
That line always confused me as a little one watching this movie. Now as a single adult male living in isolation, I totally get it.
LOL can you explain how it makes sense to you now? I'm curious.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn 😊 Speaking primarily from my own experience and to a lesser degree from that of other men ages 18 to 69..?
Most of us start off being told what we need to do to be happy. Societal standards which usually involve making a name for ourselves, making lots of money, making a life or a reputation with women, and so forth. So we typically spend most or all of our lives fretting and toiling and chasing, only to end up sitting around halfway disappointed and halfway confused once we finally achieve one or more of these ultimately superficial goals.
There is a frightful emptiness and a profoundly overwhelming sense of doubt that comes with not understanding your purpose for living. What have I accomplished really? What is it all for nothing? Am I even really happy? The nagging notion that something really important yet nonetheless unknown is left undone hangs over you like a cloud. It follows you everywhere, even into your dreams.
Most of us reach a point in our lives where we flail about helplessly, spending time and money and effort, trying all kinds of things to fill a void that even we ourselves don’t quite understand.
Every man is different though. So what finally worked for me and those close enough to share their feelings with me may or may not work for the next…
Happiness is possible. I find it in giving as much as can whenever I can. My Creator Jehovah has granted me the gift of life along with free will. So it makes me happy to look for ways to give to my fellow man anonymously. To be there physically, emotionally and spiritually for those dearest to me. And at times even for those who are not.
Make no mistake, the revelation of how simple an achievement happiness can be comes out of nowhere, but its clarity is unmistakable. You begin to see all the time, the years of searching and struggling as ridiculous and regrettable in retrospect, no matter how sincere you may have been.
And maybe you were happy for those few fleeting moments in the past. It doesn’t matter. Because this happiness is the kind that persists even when times become difficult, dark and tiresome. This happiness is the real deal. Literally nothing or no one can take it away from you.
I hope that makes sense ❤️
I can relate to that line so hard.
I dont think I understand what happiness even really is lol
Id love to hear an expanded explanation on this. And I hope youre doing okay.
Look up "Two Hearts"
Wow I don’t remember this movie being so heavy
Haha, i remember feeling deliciously emotionally crippled after watching it as a kid but not quite understanding why 😂
Me either. I remember watership down being heavy to me. I felt alright at the end of this film. The lady getting eaten by the harpy was the scene that disturbed me the most. Lol
@@dreal500 Haha her enthusiastic welcoming of her own demise was so scary. Watership down omg. Fiver's visions are bad trips.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn So true about fiver. The acting was so great. Fivers shivers and moaning performance still gives me chills. The reason why it was so disturbing to me was because of my youth. I just didn't understand it. How animals were potrayed to me up to that point were like furry friends. To see these furry friends die and meet their demise was just too startling. I understood some things - like the origin story, but when hazel died at the end I found it sad. I actually cried as a kid. But as a adult it is a beautiful film. I see Hazel's death as a gift for an awesome old leader that brought his people to the promise land and got to lead a full life. I recently listened to audio book too. The book is a great accompanying piece to the animation. Richard Adams is awesome. Some beautiful scenes that were left out of the film - like the female rabbits depiction of sadness in effrarah ( sorry for the spelling) was cool. And I think Fiver had a moving speech in the land of the shining wires. Most disturbing scenes for me - the black rabbit leading fiver to hazel with that haunting song over top, the scene where a rabbit tells the hero's what happened to their old home, hazel getting shot, and the dog at the end. Lol. What a film. As a child this film, the last unicorn and the death of Optimus Prime in transformers the movie brought me fast to the realm of adult hood with tears in my eyes. Hahaha. Wouldn't unsee it tho. Something's you just have to be exposed to. Thank you 80s! Lol
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I think I mostly liked it for the artstyle and aesthetic, I wasn’t disturbed by it pretty much at all, but I never remembered it as happy either. Mostly just melancholic
Mia Farrow's voice lifted this movie...The story is powerful but that voice...
Remember the beginning where the hunters said it was always Spring in that forest. I always like to imagine that when she got back home, Autumn came for the first time.
I love that 😍
That last conversation the Unicorn and Schmendrick have is so touching. He got his wish to be a true wizard, and the Unicorn herself completed her own quest to find and free the other unicorns, but like so many victories, there is always a price to pay for it. Schmendrick himself carries the regret of having given the Unicorn the experience of mortality and all the pains that came with it, and she must carry her own regret, that of the love she once had for Lir that cannot be given anymore. But with regret also comes the joy and satisfaction of what was accomplished for the greater good.
I also think she has the added joy of having fallen in love. Feeling love and be loved. Even if fleeting, she felt it for a while. That is wonderful in itself, regardless it doesnt last forever.
And now prince Lir screwed up everything now he’s not gonna see her anymore, so his loss which is a darn shame for they make a wonderful couple.
The ending of this movie was so happy, but yet it made me incredibly sad that the unicorn returns home very unlikely to see Schmendrick and Molly ever again. I probably would’ve cried my eyes out if I knew that I had to say goodbye forever to two such incredible human beings. But, of course, I’m human, whereas “Amalthea” was a powerful and mystical creature who had to be strong.
There’s a sequel novella that takes place years later called Two Hearts. I recommend it
Schmendrick and Molly's faces as they watch her go has always stayed with me.
There are two lives: the life you live before you see a unicorn, and the life you live after.
I always found this the most touching and emotional scene in the film. True, Lir was the one she was in love with, but Schmendrick was with her from almost the beginning; he was the first human friend she ever had. Both of them had been through much on their journey and had learned much. So in a way their parting seems much sadder, both because they carry regrets from their adventure, and because this is very likely the last time they'll see each other.
They do see each other again, Peter S. Beagle wrote a sequel novelette to this story, "Two Hearts"
@@EricSwordswinger Yeah, but they didn't know that would happen when they made this movie. As far as the movie is concerned, this is it.
Almost everyone else gets sidetracked in some way but Shmendrick still keeps going with their mission and help the unicorn find what she was looking for.
@zakfett92, that is what has made me feel very sad.
If I were “Amalthea” (the unicorn), I NEVER would have wanted to part forever from Schmendrick.
I would want to be friends with him forever and ever, because of his kindness and wit, his eventual and courageous discovery of the true potential of his magical abilities, and for having, in this story, saved a unicorn’s life (by transforming her into a human which would enable her to enter and stay at Lir’s castle to find what she was searching for, without suspect by the Red Bell) and NEVER ONCE stopped helping her to find her people.
Me personally, I would just be too filled with gratitude towards this man to simply say goodbye forever!
Schmendrick not only helped Amalthea find what she was looking for, but also helped Lir as well. He was willing to sacrifice himself for Amalthea, which helped her overcome the incarnate of fear (The Red Bull).@@rebajoe
Pretty much every character in the movie was about dealing with mortality and death.
The magician wants to live on in legend.
Molly is anguished the unicorn visits her after she's no longer young.
The witch does not fear death because she'll live forever in the memory of the immortal harpy as the only human who captured her.
The unicorn has immortality, but is unaware of what she has.
Haggard wants immortality, and is aware of what he DOESN'T have. He thought having a son would be a form of living on, but he just reminded him of his mortality so he coveted the unicorns.
The skeleton lives forever, but only as hollow memories of the past and never any new experiences.
The talking cat is the only one who is fine with nearing the end of his satisfying life.
The unicorn becomes mortal and can feel her body rotting, but knows love. She can go back to the other unicorns, but knows she'll never fit in again after losing the innocent ignorance that came with being immortal.
This blew my mind, love that you drew these connections.
Any thoughts on the butterfly or red bull or are those characters N/A in the pattern in your opinion?
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I'm guessing the butterfly showed that she was entering the next stage of her life (pupa -> butterfly) as she metaphorically spread her wings and left the forest for the first time to go out into the world.
Not positive on the bull. If I had to guess, that it's a fear of death and refusal to accept it. Created by a king who feared death, seeking out immortal unicorns that defy death, and ignoring "Amalthea" the instant mortality embraced her.
More precisely, the butterfly was the most obvious way to show the progression of life. Immortality was a stasis for the unicorn. The first thing she encountered after she left her woods (where nothing could die, not even by the hands of hunters) was the most obvious sign of a living thing progressing through different stages of aging, a way to foreshadow this new alien world she was entering.
@@fahbs interesting. Would the red bull be some kind of end point on the other side of that spectrum? I always paired the butterfly and red bull together as being opposite ends of a similar theme but haven't worked out the details. The way that the butterfly collects and recites poetry that expands knowledge & awareness, (in a way immortalizing those things) and instagates the journey the unicorn makes. While the red bull collects, compresses, & traps things that are immortal. Even the way the butterfly moves vs the red bulls kind of fixed path seems significant.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn The theme was immortality makes you live in a stasis without want or urgency. Mortality instilled a sense of urgency to experience, to love, to regret.
Some feared death to such a degree that it consumed their limited life and they couldn't embrace the gifts of mortality. Haggard lorded over a decaying prison. The skeleton existed on nothing but (literally) empty memories. Molly went through a lesser degree of both where she wasn't aware during her youth and spent her later years in regret.
So the butterfly introduced the new idea that mortal life changes. The bull was mortal life REFUSING to change out of fear, the worst of both worlds that knew no love yet still rotted.
That's why the bull had power over the unicorns. It was a frightening concept they were never equipped to deal with. Amalthea was able to stand up when she saw Lir's body, realizing that love and joy is how mortals cope with and stare down the fear of death.
Rest in peace Alan Arkin. Thank you for the childhood memories and for bringing to life one of my favorite Wizard characters.
Who knew that a film involving unicorns could have so much depth.
Lol unicorns aren't just for kids.
Unicorns in real folklore are badass. As iconic as the dragon, lion, and eagle.
Description from Ancient Domains of Mystery:
A large beast of the purest white, with a thick mane and a strange little beard under the chin, but the most astonishing feature is the long wound horn protruding from its forehead. Other than that, it looks pretty much like a horse, yet its beauty and sincerity almost make you break out in tears. It beholds you with soft dark eyes and you crave to touch it, but at the same time you feel too impure to approach this magnificent creature.
Special abilities
Immune to death rays
Very often shrugs off bolts and other resistible magic
Rapidly regenerates
Teleporting
And then there are the evil unicorns which are also as scary as the good unicorns are amazing.
Amalthea is the only unicorn that knows love and regret but does not regret love.
Recently read the book and am rewatching the film. When I saw this as a kid I didn't anticipate how much depth and literary quality it had.
What did you think of the book? Did you have a preference for one over the other?
@@2nd2LastUnicorn They're aimed at different audiences. The book is really well written with some unique stylistic choices, seems more mature. The movie is slightly more aimed at kids, fewer details and existential elements. I like both.
As a kid, I didn't fully understand the movie, but as an adult, you understand, and certain parts and songs hit me much more deeply now than ever before.
Interesting note to this. Seth MacFarlane took the song "That's All I have to Say" and added it to one of the episodes in his TV series "The Orville".
It's a better ending than what the first book gave us, see the author had a first draft that was completely different from this movie, which was also based off another version of the book, i liked the first book but it didn't have a proper ending to it, here this story did good, it ends with her going back to the other unicorns, while the first book ends with the unicorn and her friends continuing to travel in search of the unicorns with no idea what the heck even drove them off in the first place
The first book? 🤔 Maybe I'm missing out on some history
@@2nd2LastUnicorn the movie was based on a book, and the author (or his friend, i forget now) published the unfinished first draft of the book as well as the finished book
Right, I am aware of the book and a huge fan but didn't know of any unfinished drafts. Is it very different from the finished book?
@@2nd2LastUnicorn Yes, stead of a wizard and Mama Fortuna, the unicorn is partnered with a demon with a second head
@@jareththegoblinking3191 Interesting 0.0 I wanna read it and nerd out on what could have been
The Unicorn rearing along with the song always gives me chills and makes me so happy and glad to be alive despite everything. It's a scene full of emotion from start to end
Same 😭
this movie haunts me, it has always been a huge part of my life, and though i once could only feel abstract broad emotions from it, as i’ve grown up i can understand the story more, and i can see its metaphors and lessons. it’s so sad, like i love this movie but it fills me with an uncontrollable grief and remorse literally every time i think of it.
The words cannot describe how I adore, love and treasure this movie. Thanks to everyone who worked on this wonderful and meaningful tale. Nowadays we don't have something like this, and I think we never will.
The animation studio, Topcraft films lives on as Studio Ghibli.
Hello Darya, and greetings from Switzerland to Ukraine! I still have hopes some day we get another movie of this class and level. Purrfection! ~ Matt
I think we will. We just have to wait and see.
I saw it in the cinema last week. I cried. It was just so beautiful and amazing to see and hear it on the big screen.
@@Catherine-yy5ut this was shown in theaters recently? 😲
I always hated this moment when I was a kid. I wanted their companionship to continue to thrive because of their shared trauma. I understand things a bit more, now that I'm a little older.
I felt the same way. It leaves off on such unresolved emotions
The title of this video describes this moment perfectly. I’ve been haunted by this movie and it’s dialogue for years making me question my own mortality and my life.
I'm glad the title was on point, was so hard trying to simplify and describe such a complex thing. Same experience here, didn't realise how deeply it affected other fans until I started hearing about it on this channel 😁
@@2nd2LastUnicorn my little sister watched this movie so many times, when we were kids, and even though i thought it was girly at first, overtime, the dialogue and the message really did have an affect on me.
@@AndreNitroX Yeah it definitely comes off that way at first glance. My Step Grandfather got it for me when I was like 7 years old, probably thinking the same thing. He had no idea what he was getting :'D One of the greatest gifts I've ever gotten.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn my parents did the same thing with watership down, thinking it was a cute cartoon about bunnies.LOL
@@AndreNitroX hahahahaha
«Unicorns are in the world again» That line gets me every time! Not because I'm into unicorns. But because it represents magic. And what is life without it? Love, friends, meaning, purpose. That's what it means to me.
Y’know what’s sad? By the end of the movie… she’s still the only one of her kind in the world. Before she was the only unicorn not trapped in the ocean. Now, she’s the only unicorn who knows what mortality feels like. The emotions she felt - love, regret, pain - no other unicorn has felt these. She’s been mortal, and it’s something she’ll never forget.
I have seen and cannot unsee.
The most painful concept
@@2nd2LastUnicorn beautifully painful - painful in a good way
@@thehistoryandbooknerd8979 definitely, the kind that creates meaning
Lady Almathea as a unicorn is perhaps the most beautifully animated character I have ever seen. She is absolutely GORGEOUS! 😍🦄
I COMPLETELY agree.
She is! I've always thought she was the most beautiful creature in all of animation - both in her unicorn form and human form
I think of this moment as being allegorical for the question of, "Is it better to have loved and to experience all the magical feelings of joy and wonder of it only to eventually have to experience all the feelings of sorrow, regret or sadness when it is gone? Or is better to have never loved?" Or another way to look at it is asking, "Is a life without experiencing living, worth living?".
I feel like they purposely made her line ambiguous but resolved things nicely to leave it open to the viewer to see if they think the journey was good or bad for her, which is really a reflection of how they feel about these question based on their own experiences and journeys. The viewer could walk away from this part with feelings of hope and joy, feelings of despair or sadness, or a mixture of both. It really wraps the movie up very in a way that can be very personalized and self-reflective. And help people answer these important question that can help them find their purpose and destiny in their own lives. It's great stuff like that gets us to ask important questions of ourselves of what we value most in life.
Also this movies, and especially this scene, takes on even deeper meaning as one gets older and more experienced at life and living in it. Such a beautiful and deep movie.
One of the greatest VA performances ever
Mia Farrow understood the assignment
"You are a true wizard now as you always wished. Does that make you happy?"
"Well, men don't always know when they are happy."
Being an immortal being, she never knew what it was to fall in love and experience grief and pain of losing that love. She regrets learning it, but also grateful she experienced it as it brought her closer to understanding her friends and mortals. She's afraid to go home because she knows her world will never be the same again. She's an immortal who had a taste of mortality and it has left an eternal mark upon her.
Never understood these words back when I was a little girl but now that I'm older I do understand and it makes me cry
I first saw this movie in 1983 when it came on cable TV, and I've always thought the acting in this movie is the best I've witnessed in any animated film. Both Mia Farrow and Alan Arkin knock this scene out of the park. Arkin's "Well, men don't always know when they're happy, but I . . . I think so" is delivered with the right amount of pathos and sober realism, and Farrow's speech about being mortal is heartrending. You can feel the unicorn's regret, giving this film a rich adult resonance, and the story's parallels with the Christian incarnation provide additional deep touchstones for some.
While people will assoaicate Mia Farrow for her role in Rosemary's Baby. She will always be The Unicorn/Amalthea. Farrow's voice has a warmth with a mixture of beauty and very majestic. It perfectly embodies the purness of unicorns. Can't picture anyone else who would fit the role as Farrow did.
I got the chance to meet Peter Beagle at a meet n greet in a cafe in Chico. He was such a sweet old man and told us many cool stories. He told us of how his mother was a teacher and let him present at her class for fun when he was a child. And the presentation was his first little story that included a female unicorn. He said before that unicorns were mostly depicted as male which we didn't even know. It was cool to meet him and I hope he's still living well.
That's amazing! Thanks for sharing, I would have loved to have met him. What was being in his presence like? Were you a big fan of the book & movie at the time?
@@2nd2LastUnicorn Oh yes! I loved the movie so much as a kid (and read the book too later which was amazing) but I mainly went for my mother who grew up with the movie. I surprised her with an autographed DVD and she absolutely loved it. His presence was like talking to a kind grandfather who enjoyed the fact others enjoyed his work. Just very very wholesome and humble. I wish someday you meet him too because he's is very memorable.
She made a personal sacrifice for her kind.
I just watched this last night with my mother, who had seen it on TV as a child. I think she had the VHS because I remember it, but I sadly replaced the ending in my head. The actual ending was very sad, but I get the whole message. She was the first unicorn to have human feelings, she learned something like the rest of the characters. This movie basically tells you, that it's not your typical Disney happy ending deal. XD
Her words made me think of that old saying: "It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all"
The fact she feels regret emphasizes that despite giving up and losing the chance for true love she is still grateful for having experienced it, brief though it was. She could have chosen Lir and remained human but then Unicorns would truly have been gone from the world and so she put her fellow unicorns before her personal happiness. She understands mortality now, and that has made her wiser and more empathetic to humanity, having experienced what it is like to be human. We are not immortal; we change and we grow and we make mistakes. And eventually we die. But the ways we see and feel and experience, I think, are far more meaningful than the perspective of an immortal.
Though we die, I believe that is not the end. What comes next however unknown... is but the next great adventure!
Maybe a part of her is mortal, and maybe she isn't like the rest. But the journey and what she experienced and what she learned- those were they important things. Perhaps some connotations are negative, but she still got the chance to experience it, and without those experiences, are you truly living, or just endlessly existing?
The unicorn understood that. That's why she thanks Schmendrick.
Unicorn: "No unicorn was ever born who could regret, but now I do."
Schmendrik: "I'm sorry, I have done you evil and I cannot undo it."
Unicorn: "No, unicorns are in the world again. No sorrow with live in me as long as that joy...
... except for the fact you destroyed me mentally and made me feel like a mortal for the rest of my immortal life."
Good job dude, good job.
you know i really thought she would forgive him
She got to feel the depth of love that a mortal feels, though
@@zehlua yes, but also all the pain that comes with it. Would an immortal creature really want that?
@@WitnesstoLyssa I would
@@zehlua fair enough.
I'm not sure why, but i love the line "i have done you evil and i cannot undo it".
@@SeverinHawkland7855 I do too. There's an elegance to it. And something beautiful about him stating a sincere truth he feels.
was literally obsessed with this moive when I was like 6
*still am*
Same
Same girl! 🥺
In Remembrance to.....
- Alan Arkin voice role as Schmendrick
(Born: March 26, 1934 - Died: June 29, 2023)
- Tammy Lee Grimes voice role as Molly Grue
(Born: January 30, 1934 - Died: October 30, 2016)
- Angela Lansbury voice role as Mommy Fortuna
(Born: October 16, 1925 - Died: October 11, 2022)
- Christopher Lee voice role as King Haggard
(Born: 27 May 1922 - Died: 7 June 2015)
- Keenan Wynn voice role as Captain Cully
(Born: July 27, 1916 - Died: October 14, 1986)
- Paul Frees voice role as Mabruk
(Born: June 22, 1920 - Died: November 2, 1986)
- Don Messick as Additional Voices
(Born: September 7, 1926 - Died: October 24, 1997)
- René Auberjonois voice role as Skull
(Born: June 1, 1940 - Died: December 8, 2019)
- Brother Theodore voice role as Ruhk
(Born: November 11, 1906 - Died: April 5, 2001)
- Ed Peck voice role as Jack Jingly, Cully's Men
(Born: March 26, 1917 - Died: September 12, 1992)
Thank you for sharing this list.
How this movie never won a award is shameful
Every time I watch this movie, I always wander afterwards how the unicorn is going to adjust to her new life after being a human full of regret and emotions
Same. I picture her on the outskirts of the forest or finding a more reclusive place since she doesn't really belong with the others anymore
@@2nd2LastUnicorn God, she probably has a very lonely existence after the movie. The other unicorns can never relate to her, and she would outlive any mortal friends she might make.
Nothing I've ever read or watched has ever captured the otherworldly emotion of immortality like The Last Unicorn managed to do.
One of the most honest lines in all of filmmaking, I'm sorry I have done you evil and could not undo it. if only Society could learn
Amen
And yet, Amalthea comforts him. He did what was necessary to defeat the Red Bull and Haggard, and to return unicorns to the world--even though she is now somewhat apart from them.
Every time that song kicks in, chills man
Ik 🥺 so bittersweet
“Then what is magic for?” Prince Lír demanded wildly. “What use is wizardry if it cannot save a unicorn?”
He gripped the magician's shoulder hard, to keep from falling. Schmendrick did not turn his head. With a touch of sad mockery in his voice, he said, “That's what heroes are for.”
The more l re-watch my childhood`s movies, the more l realize they are too complex for a child to understand the depth of them.
Same. Exactly. But a child can FEEL them and feel the complexity, which is what makes it so special, I think. Other more simple childhood movies don't provide that kind of challenge and it feels very respectful somehow to present something so real to young audiences.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I agree! These types of movies have more to offer in learning life lessons that children could use later in life, which is why I love older kids movies with darker themes.
If we can learn to regret, we can surely learn to love.
This fucked me up as a kid. Truly a brush with the complex I wasn’t prepared for
“I will try to go home.” Heartbreakingly beautiful.
It is always possible to go home, but you will be different when you do.
Shmendric a wizard? 0:08 He never studied a book and he doesn't seem to have control of his magic. I would think he's a wild magic sorcerer.
She is the only one to feel loved and regret
Talk about a bittersweet ending.
Yeah... doesn't get more bittersweet than this.
Lol "the 2nd 2 last unicorn" whata great handle.
I love it when things have a happy ending.
I felt bad for Lir
Nick p It’s not technically a “happy ending”. After all, before being human, she felt no regrets but after her transformation she felt deep regret. Regret of her decision, for leaving her friends, for not seeing Lir again etc. Which is kinda sad. Since she’s also immortal and cannot die of age, she will live with this deep, morbid emotion for the rest of her life. That’s actually very heartbreaking. Sure the movie plays it like it was meant to be happy, but some endings have a much deeper undertone than most. Am I saying this is a sad ending? Nope, but it leaves you with a deep feeling at the end.
I think in the book it was said that there are no happy endings for nothing ever truly ends, and I love that, the unicorn sacrificed her personal happiness for her self impossed mission so it was no happy nor an ending, she will live on and be both happy at her sucess and regretful of her lost love
To me it was bittersweet. She got her wish to be among her own kind but because she was mortal it changed her outlook forever. Sorrow and regret are as she cited are not the same thing. She know both now knowing she will be always be alone.
"There are no happy endings because nothing ever ends."
Ah it just kills me every time. What an interesting plot. So unique and so human. The character growth being something outside the human experience and yet somehow still deeply relatable?? How did they manage that? She’s a creature that doesn’t regret and then transforms into something that does and the perspective she gains. Just amazing.
I know, I wish I knew. You're right. Maybe even though it's expressed through something outside of human experience, it still captures our feelings which are so transcendent and beyond what's actually happening, it translates well still.
This freaking movie, man. I've always loved it, and I think I always will. It is part of mine, and many other childhoods, along with many other Rankin-Bass films, like The Hobbit and Return of The King.
The music, the voice-acting, the visual style, it's all amazing and culminated in one of the greatest animated films ever produced.
Fun fact: The Rankin-Bass Studio would go on to be bought and the artists brought into the fold of Studio Ghibli.
Everyone's comments here are amazing!!! Anyone else see this in the theater at in 1982 at 12? I'm rereading this at 52 and I'm learning so much about myself, that innocent 12 year old I was, and this old woman I am now.
I WISH I saw it in theaters. What was that like? and yes I'm amazed too at how people have come together to share their thoughts and feelings about this movie.
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I came out of the theater (I saw it with my Gramma - another unicorn horse lover girl who never grew out of it lol) and was so blown away, so, overwhelmed by it all. Nothing I'd ever seen in my 12 years had touched a place in me that resonated so much.
I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts as I relived it in my head. My entire family though was going out to dinner that night and my younger sibs were bugging me, my mother was mad at me for not taking care of them so they'd leave her alone, and I was getting snarky at everyone (I always got in trouble for being "in that kind of mood") when my Gramma gently "snapped" lol at my mother, saying, "Dorleen you've never enjoyed a movie as much as your Chrissy just did, leave her alone and let her keep enjoying it in her mind."
My mother was so miffed but my Gramma's word was law so she backed off of me for the time being.
That just drove home the message I'd gotten from the movie even more! I wanted to run away from everything so much at that moment! My life was a nightmare of epic proportions at 12, things were happening to me that make grown women tremble in fear and carry mace, only it was happening in my own home and I could tell no one.... So this movie was something else for me.
I got home late that night and immediately wrote a Happily Ever After for Lir and Amalthea (I'd been writing "stories" since I was about 4). I still have it too.
So yeah, I walked out of the theater in a tween's blissed out state of mind! LOL
@@christaverduren690 Wow, your story moved me.
To know and have lost joy is far greater than to have never known it at all.
I love coming here and reading the comments filled with analysis and deconstruction of this and the other lines/scenes of this amazing film.
Aw I appreciate that so much. I am in awe at the kind of thoughtful and compassionate community the fans create by interacting with each other about this movie. I wouldn't have thought throwing up a couple of clips on whim would lead to such a space. I am grateful for you being here and getting something out of the discussions :)
"I am sorry. I have done you evil and i cannot undo it" hits hard.
It does. It's so permanent and at the time it was also a moment Schmendrick actually felt like he did real magic.
I wonder if Schmendrick could've turned Lir into a unicorn so he could be with Amalthea? Like Fiona gave up her human life to stay with Shrek?
I recommend the novel. It explains why Schmendrick can and can't do certain things.
The Unicorn is with Lir when he dies fighting a griffin
@@Avellania Correct. There are limits and all magical entities know that is a balance to it.
JaDangerz he’s mortal you can’t give inmortales to a mortal and also schmendricks magic has limits and it would be like her staying a human she would also lose her past and forget what she/he wince was
Also, sadly, he's just not innocent enough... humans pretty much can't be.
I love the friendship between Amalthea and Schmendrick and Molly Grue 🩵🩵🩵🩵🦄
I can't get over those eyes! It's like the animators took ALL the performance-enhancing drugs if performance-enhancing drugs somehow also improoved your animation skills!
I know, aren't they beautiful? I think some would argue that they do improve animation skills haha.
My mother played this on repeat for me and my sis when we were kids because we loved it that much. Still watch it to this day. I don't regret it.
😭☺️
I didn’t want Amalthea to leave; I cried a lot at that ending
1:18 spirit vibes
100%
Just got around to watching this film on Amazon Prime and couldn’t believe how deep and moving it was.
Loved the actors, animation, and music.
Turns 40 also this year 😱
a wonderful movie
What a great ending. Just like "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"
RIP Alan Arkin
Watching this in your memory after I heard of your passing. This ending hits harder now 😢
RIP Alan Arkin (1934-2023).
I will never forget renting this movie from the video store when I was 12. At frist I wasn’t too impressed by it, the more I watched it, the more it grew on me. Todays films don’t hit as hard as this one.
The whole movies point seems to be how the loss of innocence can he transformative--or even just a natural part of aging--as with Molly.
You lose it but you gain something else--wisdom. You start seeing little pieces of what the world really is...for better or worse.
Love your take on this
Ah, the 80's. A much happier, adventurous and magical time. Unlike today.
Why does this video only have 3 comments?!
Ooof probably because of me being a bad channel host honestly 🤣
not anymore
At 1:08 I was half expecting her to get hit by a car 🚘
As soon as that music 🎵 started to play
Mean Girls ending
This movie makes me feel such raw emotion
moral of the story Is understanding and learning the value of Human life and seeing things in a new light
I remember it as a young “kid and she made me cry when she was captured by the red bull “
Nothing can hurt THE BLOB
"No sorrow will live in my heart, save one, and I thank you for that too"
ONE THING can hurt THE BLOB
Hey unicorn lovers ill never regret my love of those beasts
I have never actually seen this show but my sister worked on the production as an conceptual artist. I have a picture of this guy
Omg that's so cool. I'd love to hear about her experience on that
@@2nd2LastUnicorn I've asked the same in the past. At the conceptual level the artists don't know what the projects are or what characters will actually be used. They are given inspiration boards and go ftom there. It's still fun for them especially when their specific designs are used. I imagine it also allows confidentiality
I cried alot with this movie so awesome. Watched it when I was 9.
@@briancartwright7 😭🫂
Every time I have ever watched thus movie, it makes me cry. It's a powerful movie on many levels.
I think a hug was called for.
Yes, or even a little nuzzle 😢