Welcome to The Queue — your day by day distraction of curated video content material sourced from throughout the net. At this time, we’re watching a video essay that appears at Rankin & Bass’ brilliantly creative cult animated movie The Final Unicorn.
Once I take into consideration Rankin/Bass, the New York Metropolis-based manufacturing firm, the very first thing I consider isn’t 2-D animation. Like lots of you — the primary photographs that pop into my head once I see that blobby, soothing blue title card are stop-motion vacation specials: Rudolph the Pink-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Comin’ To City. You understand: round-edged, utlra tactile Animagic.
A few of you could be yelling “hey, what about 1977’s The Hobbit? That was achieved with conventional cel animation!” You might be proper. However right this moment I’m right here to proselytize a couple of completely different Rankin/Bass fantasy characteristic: 1982’s The Final Unicorn. That includes a frankly sarcastically proficient voice solid (Alan Arkin! Jeff Bridges! Christopher Lee! Mia Farrow!), the movie adapts Peter S. Beagle’s insanely common 1968 novel of the identical title (Beagle additionally wrote the movie’s screenplay). Should you’ve by no means heard of the movie earlier than — otherwise you’ve solely glimpsed passing stills in your on-line travels — the movie follows the titular legendary creature, who units out to find why she is the final of her species.
The movie is notable for being one of many extra clearly “made in Japan” merchandise to return out of Rankin/Bass. Toei Animation — which had beforehand labored on The Hobbit, amongst different Rankin/Bass cel-based initiatives — was employed to animate The Final Unicorn, and their home fashion undoubtedly bleeds by (and is glimpsed extra vibrantly two years later in Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind).
The video essay beneath sings the movie’s praises and underlines the core thematic attraction of the story: a life-affirming message that doubles down on progress and perseverance.
Watch “The Final Unicorn – Creating Common Fantasy”
Who made this?
This video essay on why The Final Unicorn guidelines is by You Have Been Watching Movies. United Kingdom-based author Oliver Bagshaw produces the channel, creating video essays on an assortment of flicks, from cult to basic strains of cinema historical past. You possibly can subscribe to their YouTube channel right here.
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