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[merylsilverburg]

Ah...I'm so glad they finally put this spectacular anime on DVD (though it was simply a transfer...so the quality is still terrible ). Has anyone seen it or heard of it? This anime is unappreciated and rarely known, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of you haven't.

The Last Unicorn is based on the novel by Peter S. Beagle. Maybe some of you have read the book. Anyway, this anime is actually an American-Japanese collaboration by Rankin-Bass Productions (Japanese drawn, American production) and was originally released around 1982 in theaters. The voice cast features a lot of well-known stars, such as Mia Farrow, Jeff Bridges, Angela Lansbury, and Christopher Lee (all did a fantastic job).

The story is about this Unicorn, who is actually the last unicorn in the world because the rest of her kind were driven into the sea by this mythical creature, the Red Bull. The Red Bull belongs to King Haggard, the guy who is obsessed with unicorns and must have them all. So, Unicorn goes on a journey/quest to rescue them (as you guys may know, unicorns are mythical creatures of nature and they are the ones who keep it alive...without them, all the animals and forests would die).

Alright, so my summary sounds terrible (the summary on the back of the DVD isn't better) and there is more to the story, but I don't want to spoil anything. However, this film is truly extraordinary. I saw this anime when I was around 8 or 9 and I loved it. The animation, while may not hold up to today's standards, was beautiful for its time. Even now, I think it's still quite gorgeous. The soundtrack isn't just an addition to the film, it's something terrific all on its own. The songs are performed by AMERICA (who sang the hit "Horse With No Name") and I can't believe how great they sound.

I can't say this anime is for everyone, but I think it's a classic that should be seen. It's not just about unicorns, wizards, magic and stuff like that, there's complexities about humans, nature, love, and just stuff you don't see nowadays.

The cover looks really crappy (it honestly makes people think it's a kid's film!) so don't be fooled. Just a warning to those who want to check it out.