Last Unicorn, The DVD: Review By Mushy

The Last Unicorn is a family friendly tale featuring adventures of a Unicorn called Amalthea. What makes this story so unique is that Amalthea's quest is to find other beings like herself. As she travels this wondrous land she encounters magicians, talking cats, and all manner of things that make her learn more about herself in the process. Amalthea's journey is not without danger as she and Schmendrick the magician fight against an evil King who wishes to do harm to all unicorns.

This film is voiced by the likes of Jeff Bridges, Alan Arkin, Mia Farrow and even the great Christopher Lee. These actor's bring a depth and richness to their voice roles that really work well within the context of this film. There is an airy quality to The Last Unicorn, a feeling that something magical is around every corner. It is very easy to root for Amalthea because she is so lovable and likable. She has an earnestness and belief in herself, and other people, that makes The Last Unicorn the kind of film parents will certainly want to show to their kids and enjoy themselves.

The Tail Of The Last Unicorn

This minidoc*mentary chronicles the making of this film, it looks at the characters, and explains the overall themes. While I didn't find there to be anything that special about this segment, I don't think that I wasted my time watching it. My only real complaint is that I wish there had been a look at how the animation for this movie was created. I love seeing that process broken down, and I have yet to find a DVD that does it in a way that makes it seem simple and accessible.

Escape the Red Bull - Set Top Game

Schmendrick's Magical Gallery

Schmendrick's gallery is on display here and it allows kids to learn more about the character. Sadly, I didn't have all the time in the world to really get into this, but I think that kids will enjoy getting to check this out. Schmendrick, by his very nature, is bound to stand out for a lot of people. He has a whimsical nature that goes hand in hand with the medium of animation.

Newly Remastered 16x9 Widescreen Version. They have bumped up this movie as much as they could it seems. The colors certainly seem like they have gotten a jolt since they were created in 1982, but at the same time this movie doesn't seem like it got overly slicked up in the remastering process. Amalthea covers a lot of ground in the film, and the animators really seemed to do their best to make all the surrounding scenery and characters stand out.

5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital Audio. The audio was really sharp but that it was aided by the solid voice cast. All the actors did a really wonderful job of making these characters stand out, and I honestly think that Alan Arkin is a great voice actor. This film also really utilizes the music of America well. It allows us to get inside the character's heads and it compliments the scenes quite nicely. The audio is quite solid on this release.

Amalthea bursts out of this front cover which has a magical blue all around it. The are various characters from this movie spread out on the bottom portion of this cover. The back offers up three pictures from this movie, as well as one big picture of Amalthea. There is a description, a Special Features/Technical Specs listing, and a cast list. Each DVD comes with a vinyl, cardboard cover that is identical to the case of this DVD packaging. I think the color scheme will very much grab people's attention.

I really enjoyed this film. At first I was a little nervous because the animation, being from 1982, sometimes has a bit too much going on for my tastes. The lines are too curvy, the stories that go with them are muddled and that probably explains why I didn't watch too many animated titles from the 1980s. Well, because of that mindset I missed the gem that is The Last Unicorn. I found this film to be fun, with honest characterizations, and best of all I think it has a great message for kids. The idea that we should be accepting of everyone and love ourselves is very easy to say, but in this film we are treated to Amalthea putting that idea into practice.

As I said above, The Last Unicorn is a film for all ages.