And Now For Something Completely Different.

If we may, let's take a little break from Disney movies. They didn't hog all the animation, you know! Our next review is of a somewhat lesser-known (but still known!) movie called:

The Last Unicorn
Theatrical release: November 19, 1982

This animated feature was created by Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc. through the animation studio Topcraft. It was released by ITC Entertainment. The story, based on Peter S. Beagle's novel--he was the main screenwriter, as a matter of fact, so the movie and the book are much more similar than Disney could ever manage--centers around a unicorn who learns that she is the last of her kind and sets out to find the others. Along the way she makes a few human friends, has a handful of misadventures, and learns what it means to be mortal. This movie has been described as one of the most mature, frank, and emotional of the G-rated movies. (Nowadays it would probably be re-rated to PG, due to very mild swearing and partial nudity. The uncensored version, that is. In my opinion, censoring stuff this mild in order to "keep it G" instead of just saying it's PG is stupid, but they did it anyway for the 25th anniversary DVD release! I find censoring bothersome and tacky anyway, but this is just sad. Luckily I own the original, untouched VHS.)

Okay. Censorship rant over.

I noticed right away that the animation was of a slightly lower caliber, but maybe that's just because I'm used to Disney. Most of the time it was fine, but several specific elements of animation kept grabbing my attention when I didn't need them to. One, the birds were animated poorly when in flight. Two, the water stood out like a sore thumb. Three: in several scenes the Unicorn moves her head around way more than she actually would, usually as a way to punctuate her thoughts or make a static shot look more "interesting." On the backgrounds: the occasional shot used extremely stylized scenery and shrubbery which kept distracting me, though this was mostly in the Unicorn's home forest. These were the only things that really bugged me, though. The way they drew long hair and manes was definitely unique and pleasing to look at. The opening credits, using the art from those old tapestries, were really clever.

Actually, I thought was interesting when I learned that Topcraft went on to get hired by Hayao Miyazaki and eventually morphed into Studio Ghibli. But I digress.

This film's weak point is most definitely the music. The score seems to receive undue emphasis in strange places and go unnoticed where it's needed. So the Butterfly's showcase of crazy memorization skills got a fancy score while the intense discourse in the Red Bull's cave went along without any interesting music? Tsk tsk. The songs were even more annoying. Here, I'll rank the songs from most annoying to relatively okay.

1. "Now That I'm A Woman"
2. "That's All I've Got To Say"
3. "In The Sea"
4. "The Last Unicorn"
5. "Man's Road"

There you go. Well, okay, they weren't totally horrible. They had meaningful lyrics and all. But still, "Now That I'm A Woman" was a torture to listen to, though perhaps not as bad as our old favorite "I'm Wishing."

All rightey, time for the character study! (I'll try to make it shorter this time.) Our Most Lifelike Character award this week goes to Molly Grue. I liked her gruff annoyance with Captain Cully, it loaned a lot of spunk to her character. Yet she's extremely kind to her friends, namely Schmendrick and the Unicorn, and her heart's in the right place. Schmendrick and Mommy Fortuna are about tied for second place. While Schmendrick's true desire is to become a real magician, Mommy Fortuna's wish is to leave a mark on the world through the Harpy's memory: "So there's my immortality, eh?" Schmendrick cares deeply about his friends. Mommy Fortuna has a sense of protection for the animals in her cages. The Unicorn/Lady Amalthea ranks near the top of the list as well. Sure, it's kind of hard to write down the thoughts of an immortal being since it's a little difficult to find one in real life, but I think Peter S. Beagle and the others did well. She doesn't have any problem with being friendly with those who deserve it. I could almost imagine her agony when she was first forced into a human shape. I even managed to catch an amazing quote: "I can feel this body dying all around me!" Her gradual confusion in her human body really touched me. The lesser characters of the skeleton and the cat each have their places as well; the skeleton is unusually funny and the cat is refreshingly witty. The Harpy and King Haggard are all right. Hey, they have their motives. Poor Haggard, he just can't make himself happy. :( Characters that could have done with some more work were the butterfly and Prince Lir.

I have noticed that the minority of people who are familiar with this movie seem to really like it. I must say that even though I was looking for flaws and imperfections, which I did find, this film has a deep collection of emotional and existential conflicts. What does it truly mean to love? Where is the dividing line between reality and illusion? Is immortality all it's cracked up to be? Is Disney really all that great? (Heh. Just kidding.) Though I've seen movies that I liked better overall, this one holds a special significance to me despite its flaws as a film. If you have never seen this film or haven't watched it in a while, it's most definitely worth a look.

And just so you know, before you worry, Mahewa didn't have much to say. I think she's a little groggy from this weekend.

Mahewa's rating: 3.4/5




New feature: here are a few other reviews of this movie, not done by us. The one from The New York Times is an original from 1982. The others are from The Unknown Movies and DanielThomas.org.

Into the Indian Rainforests...

Hello again, and welcome to our second dive into the depths of ancient animated films. This week we took a virtual trip to the jungles of India in a timeless Disney classic,

The Jungle Book
Theatrical release: October 18, 1967

This well-loved movie is based on some of the tales from Rudyard Kipling’s book of the same name, published in 1894. The movie focuses on the adventures of the feral child Mowgli, though the original book contained other sections devoted to different characters. Like any Disney film based on an already existing myth, fairy tale, or book, many character roles and timeline events were shuffled around to make a more appealing story. I was quite intrigued to discover in my research that the python Kaa, a minor antagonist/comic relief character in the film, was in fact Mowgli’s ally in the original stories. Apparently Baloo the bear was the wolves’ trainer, too. That one struck me as a little odd.

Anyway, back to the movie. One again I was very impressed with the animated water, and the background art looks quite nice. I noticed that the animation in this movie has a rough, almost sketchlike quality which I thought lent the characters a more earthy look. What stood out almost immediately to me, though, was Bagheera’s animation. I mean, wow. Looks just like a real big cat! The fluidity, stealth, and power… but I’m getting carried away. I love big cats too much for my own good.

Mahewa just poked me, saying, “Go on, go on! More big cats!” Heh heh.

So, it looks like it’s time to assess the respective credibilities of the different characters. Here I would rank Baloo on top. He strikes me as a fun-loving, rough-and-tumble father type, enjoying life but caring about his “child.” Even though he seems at first glance a mainly comedic character, he has a much more caring and well-meaning side that is tapped into in several scenes. He clearly will do anything to get Mowgli away from the monkeys. After Mowgli’s retrieval, the conversation between Baloo and Bagheera about Mowgli’s future is very deep, and Baloo’s emotional distress is heart-wrenching. I was touched when Baloo tried desperately to talk to Mowgli about it later. Then after Mowgli ran away and Bagheera and Baloo split up to look for him, what did Baloo say to himself? “Oh, if anything happens to that little guy, I’ll NEVER forgive myself. I’ve gotta find him!” He puts himself in danger to save Mowgli during the climax, and he can’t bear to see his son leave in the end. All in all, I think Baloo is a really touching character. (Phil Harris’ voice really helped.)

Bagheera is most likely the next most complex and lifelike character after Baloo. He’s very practical-minded and down to earth, as well as very watchful of Mowgli and his safety. He definitely knows what’s best for the little man-cub. Yet he has his comical moments, too. Take the scene near the beginning when he’s trying to get Mowgli up a tree, or when he pathetically resists Kaa’s hypnosis. Or after the climax, when he gives Baloo a grand eulogy but is quickly infuriated when he realizes that Baloo is still alive. It’s rewarding to see how Baloo and Bagheera progress from being acquaintances to friends throughout the course of the movie.

I was surprised to note that most of the minor characters are very genuine. The wolves could do with more screentime, but from what I saw, they (the mother Raksha, the father Rama, and the councilor Akela) are all unique characters with unique yet easily understandable opinions about Mowgli. Now, Kaa is an annoyable, frightenable, self-helping predator. I could understand his motives very well: “I need food to live, and I’m taking care of myself and myself only.” He’s also a very good subject to be placed on the receiving end of physical gags. Sterling Holloway’s voice acting made the character that much more memorable. Colonel Hathi really surprised me, actually. This time around watching the movie, I picked up so many more military jokes. I thought his character was really funny! I also found I rather liked his sassy wife (named Winifred, I might add) and innocent son Junior. King Louie, another minor villain, acts very strangely for a villain, but then again he’s supposed to be a bit off his rocker, right? And the vultures! I forgot how much I liked the vultures. So friendly, such good singers. I just wish they’d been introduced a bit earlier in the story.

Now, Mowgli is a little less appealing. I really sympathized with his wishes to stay in the jungle with Baloo. His animation is pretty nice, too. But the voice acting came across as a bit sloppy. The nuances and phrasings sound too much as if multiple takes were taken of short, successive lines. He also sounds a smidgen too old. His best bit is when he gets mad at Baloo about breaking his promise.

Shere Khan, though he has a cool voice and some distinguishing mannerisms, leaves something to be desired. Though mentioned quite early on in the movie, he doesn’t actually appear until three-quarters of the way through or so. He could have done with much more screentime, if only to give the viewers more time to get used to his pompous manner and quirky sayings. As a villain with a motive, he seems far too happy about hunting down Mowgli. Wasn’t he supposed to hate man with a vengeance, fearing guns and fire? I’d think he’d be furious to learn of a man cub in his jungle! His interruption of the vultures’ song is just plain weird. In the final battle, his animation seems somewhat tacky. Not to mention when he says to Baloo, “I’ll kill you for this!” (for what, exactly?) and makes a series of very silly-looking off-camera swipes at Baloo. Baloo is only shown being hit once. Sure, it’s supposed to be a low-violence kids’ movie, but a static camera right there just does NOT work. I will say, however, that the opening shot of Shere Khan stalking a deer is really cool and amazingly realistic. (“YES!” says Mahewa.)

And what’s with the girl? You’ve already had the climax, don’t introduce a whole new major plot point! If you’re going to think of a way to get Mowgli to go live with humans, maybe make him realize after Baloo’s near death that the jungle isn’t the place for him. Or maybe he stays in the jungle for many more happy years. Or something! The girl’s song is dated and somewhat dull, and her singing voice sounds far too old for her. And she’s not at all surprised, let alone shocked, to see a wild boy in a loincloth watching her from the trees? She just looks at him flirtingly, as if she knew he was there the whole time. I think she’s just a screenwriter’s tool to have Mowgli conveniently end up in the man village at the end.

Now that we’ve gone through the characters, I’d like to talk a bit more about the movie’s wildlife. Most of the Indian animals are accurate, as expected. The only questionable characters are Baloo and the wolves. Baloo is most likely a Sloth Bear, since he has the approximate colors as well as the very long, sloth-like claws and the pale muzzle. However, it’s clear that he was modeled on a more “Western” bear, and the trademark gold patches on the chest are absent. Funnily enough, Rudyard Kipling’s original Baloo was a Eurasian Brown Bear. Now, the wolves have always bothered me. I think they’re supposed to be Indian Wolves, a species recently determined to be separate from the Grey Wolf. Real Indian Wolves are thin and reddish, like jackals. But the movie’s wolves are clearly modeled after the more recognizable Grey Wolf. Perhaps they’re actually the Himalayan subspecies of Grey?

So, what rating do we give this movie? Any movie has its flaws but this one’s respectable, touching, and pretty darn funny.

Mahewa’s rating: 3.7/5