Directors Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass’s classic adaptation of Peter S. Beagle’s novel The Last Unicorn gets an all-new 4K transfer and upgrade to 4K UHD from Shout Studios.
The Film
From the devout following of fandom for the now-animated classic The Last Unicorn one would think it was a true-blue blockbuster in its day. The Rankin/Bass-directed animated fantasy was not a hit but thanks to Cable and VHS, it became a cult classic. Though many a cult classic can be derided for its quality, The Last Unicorn is in fact a truly wonderful fantasy adventure with a gentle touch and huge heart.
The story is a simple one. The last Unicorn (Mia Farrow) in the world discovers that they are indeed the last of its kind. In disbelief travels outside the safety of its magical forest to find out what happened to the others. What the last Unicorn finds is a harsh world that would sooner cage or kill it than bask in its majesty. Eventually aided by a would-be magician (Alan Arkin) and a lowly bar maiden (Tammy Grimes) the unicorn does indeed find the fate of her kind at the hands of a menacing King (Christopher Lee) and the Red Bull. The Unicorn with the help of the magician, barmaid, and the King’s son (Jeff Bridges), they are able to find the others and fight the evil that holds them prisoners.
The Last Unicorn is a beautifully soft and wonderfully heartfelt fantasy. The kind you would expect about the last unicorn played by Mia Farrow. That is not a dig but rather the largest of compliments to the film and the source material written by Peter S Beagle. There is something adroitly feminine about this fantasy that never feels overly coy but rather the perfect balance of finding solutions that are not violent but altruistic. That balance in stark contrast to the rest of the 1980s fantasy that eschewed that heart and kindness for violence, rape, and masculine over-the-top nonsense elevating The Last Unicorn to the top tier of the genre in that era.
The voice work is uncommonly subtle and well done when considering the era when even the largest studios were not adept at the care and time it took with animation. Farrow is perfectly cast as the unicorn – having both strength and fragility in her performance. Both Arkin and Grimes are unexpected as the comic relief never plays like comic relief. Christopher Lee is appropriately menacing and sinister as the obsessive King. The only actor slightly out of place is Jeff Bridges bringing an almost Dude like quality to the King.
The Last Unicorn remains in the truly great fantasy epics of the 1980s (see The Dark Crystal, Conan: The Barbarian, Excalibur, Labyrinth, The Never-ending Story, and Legend).
The Transfer
The all-new 4K Transfer Of The 35mm Interpositive Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible) is a beautiful upgrade in every sense of the word. The new scan in 4K is worth the price of admission alone. The film has never looked better, even on prior Blu-ray Editions which looked great. The 4K UHD is just no match when doing a side-by-side comparison. The color density, the grain structure, and the contrast are leveled up here. One wonders if the film in its current iteration looked better than it did during its first run theatrically. Bravo to the folks at Shout for the continued impressive work here and beyond giving us true upgrades in picture.
The Extras
They include the following;
NEW Profile Of Peter S. Beagle
True Magic (Redux): The Story Of The Last Unicorn
Q&A With Peter S. Beagle
Animated Storyboards
Original Theatrical Trailer
Profile of Peter S. Beagle (14:46) – in this all-new interview with the author/screenwriter begins with his earliest memories of inventing stories and reading books. Some of the other details include the first book that he read and how it took him years to track down; the early start he got as a novelist – his first book was written when he was 19 and published by 21; his early days before writing and how heartbreak inspired to become a novelist; his time in Europe – how it shaped him; his writing of Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings; and much more.
True Magic (Redux): The Story of The Last Unicorn (27:28) – the archival featurette recounts the creation of the story that would eventually become the novel The Last Unicorn and what it took to bring the book to the big screen. The featurette covers a lot of ground from the creation of the book; the making of the film – all of the bumps in the road to get to eventually Rankin and Bass on; and much more. Featuring interviews with Beagle, associate producer Micheal Chase Walker, the casting and getting the names they did; how the band America and Art Garfunkel got involved with the score and songs; the issues with release after the film was completed; the release of the film; the rise as a cult classic; and much more.
Q&A With Peter S. Beagle (8:28) – taken from the Q&A screening tour of The Last Unicorn. With good humor and humility, Beagle discusses the film and book with the audience before the film begins. Some of the details include how old he was when began writing The Last Unicorn; his thoughts on Rankin and Bass and his terror about how good the film was; and much more.
Animated Storyboards (7:22) – an early version of animatics with storyboards recorded on video as the sound plays over. The musical number “That’s all I’ve got to say”, the enhanced clock sequence are the sections covered.
Original Theatrical Trailer (2:47)
The Final Thought
Shout Studios has given a new lease on life to The Last Unicorn with its 4K restoration in this 4K UHD release. Highest Recommendations!
Directors Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass’s classic adaptation of Peter S. Beagle’s novel The Last Unicorn gets an all-new 4K transfer and upgrade to 4K UHD from Shout Studios.
The Film
From the devout following of fandom for the now-animated classic The Last Unicorn one would think it was a true-blue blockbuster in its day. The Rankin/Bass-directed animated fantasy was not a hit but thanks to Cable and VHS, it became a cult classic. Though many a cult classic can be derided for its quality, The Last Unicorn is in fact a truly wonderful fantasy adventure with a gentle touch and huge heart.
The story is a simple one. The last Unicorn (Mia Farrow) in the world discovers that they are indeed the last of its kind. In disbelief travels outside the safety of its magical forest to find out what happened to the others. What the last Unicorn finds is a harsh world that would sooner cage or kill it than bask in its majesty. Eventually aided by a would-be magician (Alan Arkin) and a lowly bar maiden (Tammy Grimes) the unicorn does indeed find the fate of her kind at the hands of a menacing King (Christopher Lee) and the Red Bull. The Unicorn with the help of the magician, barmaid, and the King’s son (Jeff Bridges), they are able to find the others and fight the evil that holds them prisoners.
The Last Unicorn is a beautifully soft and wonderfully heartfelt fantasy. The kind you would expect about the last unicorn played by Mia Farrow. That is not a dig but rather the largest of compliments to the film and the source material written by Peter S Beagle. There is something adroitly feminine about this fantasy that never feels overly coy but rather the perfect balance of finding solutions that are not violent but altruistic. That balance in stark contrast to the rest of the 1980s fantasy that eschewed that heart and kindness for violence, rape, and masculine over-the-top nonsense elevating The Last Unicorn to the top tier of the genre in that era.
The voice work is uncommonly subtle and well done when considering the era when even the largest studios were not adept at the care and time it took with animation. Farrow is perfectly cast as the unicorn – having both strength and fragility in her performance. Both Arkin and Grimes are unexpected as the comic relief never plays like comic relief. Christopher Lee is appropriately menacing and sinister as the obsessive King. The only actor slightly out of place is Jeff Bridges bringing an almost Dude like quality to the King.
The Last Unicorn remains in the truly great fantasy epics of the 1980s (see The Dark Crystal, Conan: The Barbarian, Excalibur, Labyrinth, The Never-ending Story, and Legend).
The Transfer
The all-new 4K Transfer Of The 35mm Interpositive Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible) is a beautiful upgrade in every sense of the word. The new scan in 4K is worth the price of admission alone. The film has never looked better, even on prior Blu-ray Editions which looked great. The 4K UHD is just no match when doing a side-by-side comparison. The color density, the grain structure, and the contrast are leveled up here. One wonders if the film in its current iteration looked better than it did during its first run theatrically. Bravo to the folks at Shout for the continued impressive work here and beyond giving us true upgrades in picture.
The Extras
They include the following;
Profile of Peter S. Beagle (14:46) – in this all-new interview with the author/screenwriter begins with his earliest memories of inventing stories and reading books. Some of the other details include the first book that he read and how it took him years to track down; the early start he got as a novelist – his first book was written when he was 19 and published by 21; his early days before writing and how heartbreak inspired to become a novelist; his time in Europe – how it shaped him; his writing of Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings; and much more.
True Magic (Redux): The Story of The Last Unicorn (27:28) – the archival featurette recounts the creation of the story that would eventually become the novel The Last Unicorn and what it took to bring the book to the big screen. The featurette covers a lot of ground from the creation of the book; the making of the film – all of the bumps in the road to get to eventually Rankin and Bass on; and much more. Featuring interviews with Beagle, associate producer Micheal Chase Walker, the casting and getting the names they did; how the band America and Art Garfunkel got involved with the score and songs; the issues with release after the film was completed; the release of the film; the rise as a cult classic; and much more.
Q&A With Peter S. Beagle (8:28) – taken from the Q&A screening tour of The Last Unicorn. With good humor and humility, Beagle discusses the film and book with the audience before the film begins. Some of the details include how old he was when began writing The Last Unicorn; his thoughts on Rankin and Bass and his terror about how good the film was; and much more.
Animated Storyboards (7:22) – an early version of animatics with storyboards recorded on video as the sound plays over. The musical number “That’s all I’ve got to say”, the enhanced clock sequence are the sections covered.
Original Theatrical Trailer (2:47)
The Final Thought
Shout Studios has given a new lease on life to The Last Unicorn with its 4K restoration in this 4K UHD release. Highest Recommendations!
Shout Studio’s Steel Book (A Walmart Exclusive) 4K UHD Edition of The Last Unicorn is out August 20th.
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