The Last Unicorn

Thoughts

I’m keeping this relatively short and spoiler-free, because I want anyone who has not read The Last Unicorn to experience everything fully with new eyes. I do mention some characters by name, though.

The Last Unicorn is a cozy fantasy adventure that can be easily read in one sitting, with its light prose and simple plot. But Beagle’s dreamy writing is best read slowly to appreciate its beauty. It is poetic and romantic. I mean, the opening lines in the book are:

“The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam, but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea.” (p. 1)

There are some jokes scattered throughout the book, with slightly absurd humor that reminds me a little of Terry Pratchett. Like, one character was offered a taco lol. There are references to pop culture that some people find jarring, but I did not mind them. A few examples: The butterfly sings “Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?” (1908) and “I am a roving gambler” (1909); Schmendrick asks Rukh, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” a riddle that the Mad Hatter asks in Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (1865, later animated by Disney in 1951). There is no real setting time/place in The Last Unicorn, though, so I guess anything is possible.

One thing that got me thinking is King Haggard's persistent unhappiness. He had everything. Everything! And yet nothing made him happy.

"...A glance makes it plain that you are one of the great wizards of the world...But that also is nothing to me...In the past, you have performed whatever miracle I required of you, and all it has done has been to spoil my taste for miracles. No task is too vast for your powers--and yet, when the wonder is achieved, nothing has changed. It must be that great power cannot give me whatever it is that I really want. A master magician has not made me happy. I will see what an incompetent one can do. You may go..." (p. 165)

I dunno. This made me think about generative ai. We now have technologies that can throw together a pretty picture, a song, a poem, a website, with the click of a button. But now we are surrounded by slop. Pretty slop, in some cases, but without great depth or meaning. And it is so refreshing to see human-made works, especially work made by amateurs who are in it for love alone. It is refreshing to see someone pick up a pencil and learn how to draw for the sake of drawing. Maybe King Haggard should try learning how to juggle instead of watching a magician do it.

On the 1982 Film

My favorite fun fact about the film is that it was animated by Topcraft, a Japanese studio that later formed Studio Ghibli :)

The movie does follow the book quite well, although some plot points and details were omitted to fit the 1 hour 30 minute run time. Beagle himself wrote the screenplay, so I am not surprised by the consistency. Unfortunately, the movie does not capture the emotional subtleties in the book, and lacks the context and lore of this world and its characters (most notably Prince Lír’s backstory and the witch’s prophecy). So, although the film is stunning, I must say that the book is more powerful and enchanting. I highly recommend picking up a copy when you can.