The Last Unicorn (film)
| The Last Unicorn | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | |
| Produced by | |
| Screenplay by | Peter S. Beagle |
| Based on |
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Jimmy Webb |
| Edited by | Arthur Rankin Jr. |
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| Distributed by | Jensen Farley Pictures (Sunn Classic Pictures) |
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Release date
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Running time
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84 minutes |
| Country | United States Japan United Kingdom West Germany |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6,455,330 (US) |
The Last Unicorn is a 1982 animated fantasy film directed and produced by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass. It was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions for ITC Entertainment and animated by Topcraft. Based on the novel The Last Unicorn written by Peter S. Beagle, who also wrote the film's screenplay, the film is about a unicorn who, upon learning that she is the last of her species in the world, goes on a quest to find out what has happened to the others of her kind.
The film includes the voices of Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, and Christopher Lee. The musical score and the songs were composed and arranged by Jimmy Webb, and performed by the group America and the London Symphony Orchestra, with additional vocals provided by Lucy Mitchell. The film earned $2,250,000 on its opening weekend and grossed $6,455,330 domestically.
In an enchanted forest, a talking unicorn learns she is the very last of her kind. A butterfly reveals that a monstrous animal called the Red Bull herded her kind to the ends of the earth. Venturing into unfamiliar territory beyond the safety of her home, the Unicorn journeys to find them and bring them all back.
Upon her journey, the Unicorn is captured by the evil witch Mommy Fortuna and is put on display in Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival. As most of the attractions are normal animals with a spell of illusion placed on them (to wit, a toothless lion for a Manticore, a crippled chimpanzee for a Satyr, and a mere snake for the "Midgard Serpent"), Fortuna uses a spell to create another horn on the unicorn's head that the non-magical carnival visitors can see, as they are unable to see her real form. Fortuna keeps the immortal harpy Celaeno captive as well and acknowledges the dangers of caging such a monster, but deems the risk secondary to the deed's recognition and prestige. While held captive, the unicorn is befriended by Schmendrick, an incompetent magician in the service of Mommy Fortuna. With the help of Schmendrick, the Unicorn escapes, in the process freeing Celaeno, who kills Fortuna and her henchman Ruhk. The Unicorn and Schmendrick later gain a second traveling companion Molly Grue, the careworn lover of Captain Cully (the disappointing "reality" behind the Robin Hood legend).
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