The Last Unicorn

The Last Unicorn is an animated movie released in 1982 about a young unicorn who is searching for more of her kind, but is told by all that she is the last. It is based on a book written by Peter S. Beagle with the same title.

---

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

---

Relation to the Furry Fandom

The Last Unicorn was one of the earliest animated fantasy features with a furry element to be targeted at higher age groups. Thus it had special appeal for the fandom and has remained an often referenced title. It features talking animals, mainly a morphing unicorn.

Voice talent

• The Last Unicorn/Amalthea..............Mia Farrow
• Schmendrick..................................Alan Arkin
• King Haggard.................................Christopher Lee
• Molly Grue.....................................Tammy Grimes
• Lir.................................................Jeff Bridges
• Mommy Fortuna.............................Angela Lansbury
• The Butterfly..................................Robert Klein
• Cully.............................................Keenan Wynn
• The Skull.......................................Rene Auberjonois
• Mabruk..........................................Paul Frees
• Ruhk the hunchback.......................Brother Theodore
• The Cat..........................................Don Messick
• The Tree........................................Nellie Bellflower

Trivia

• The riddle that Schmendrick used to distract Ruhk while freeing the Unicorn is the same unanswerable riddle that the Mad-Hatter gives Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The riddle is, "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
• The movie's soundtrack was a German best-selling album in 1983.
• The Last Unicorn was animated by Topcraft, the same company that helped anime director Hayao Miyazaki gain his fame.
• James Earl Jones, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame were all considered for voicing characters in this film.
• In Greek mythology, Amalthea is the name of the goat the nursed baby Zeus.
• A remake is planned for release in 2006 with some of the original actors reprising their roles.

See also

• The Last Unicorn at Wikipedia

Bibliography

• "The Last Unicorn" on the IMDb
• Frequently Asked Questions about "The Last Unicorn"