The Book Was Better (But The Movie Was Still Great): The Last Unicorn

As I said in my review of the book, I loved The Last Unicorn movie as a kid. I watched it repeatedly, and I remember thinking it was sooo pretty and had a wonderful story, though it was sad and kinda strange in places. Upon rewatching it as an adult, I discovered that not much has changed - it's still pretty, still wonderful, still sad and, yes, still a little strange.


Having read the book this time around, I was surprised by how faithful the movie adaptation was - though I guess I shouldn't have been, considering that author Peter S. Beagle also wrote the screenplay. Some things - such as Schmendrick's immortality, and the town of Hagsgate - were cut out, simplifying the plot slightly, but ultimately not damaging it. The only thing I did kinda miss was the Hagsgate prophecy and Lir's connection to the town, because I liked how it added another layer to his character. However, I can see that it might not have fit within time constraints, and it's not a major issue - the removal of this subplot still leaves a strong and lovely story.

As for the movie itself, while the animation doesn't flow the greatest in places (it's not exactly high-tech), the imagery is beautiful and a pleasure to watch. But it was the voices that really spoke to me (no pun intended) - Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Christopher Lee... they brought the characters to life and greeted my ears like old friends. The only thing that made me cringe a little - and I remember that I didn't like it much as a kid, either - was the music. To me, it made the film seem more dated than it would otherwise. But with that being said, it's still a classic.

Rating:  4/5