Beat The Heat: THE LAST UNICORN

Watch Trailer Director: Arthur Rankin Jr, Jules Bass
Cast: Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Christopher Lee

From Rankin/Bass Productions comes this classic 1982 animated fantasy film that tells the story of the Last Unicorn. One day, our equine heroine learns of The Red Bull’s villainous efforts to chase all unicorns to the ends of Earth and embarks on a quest in search of the rest of her kind. Along the way, she is taken into captivity by an evil witch who makes her a carnival sideshow attraction. However, she escapes with the help of Schmendrick, a bumbling magician, and they continue the quest together. The two end up crossing paths with The Red Bull and nearly meet defeat, but Schmendrick transforms The Unicorn into a human woman to save her from the terrors of the bull. When they later arrive at a castle, the now-human Unicorn is beginning to forget her true identity and falls in love with a prince named Lir. The prince eventually learns of The Unicorn’s true self, and he also discovers how desperately he’ll need The Unicorn’s help as the final confrontation with The Red Bull reaches its thrilling climax.

Based on the novel by Hugo Award-winning fantasy author Peter S Beagle (who also wrote the screenplay), and featuring the voice talents of A-list stars of the era including Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin, and Jeff Bridges, The Last Unicorn is an amazing journey through fantasy and myth artfully rendered by a production studio that raised the bar for animated feature films throughout the 1970s and 80s. It is unquestionable a classic of the fantasy genre – a wonderful movie that deserves to be remembered as a touchstone in the history of hand-drawn movie-making.

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This series is made possible thanks to support from the following sponsors: OUCU Financial, Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, Brenen’s Cafe and Deli, Athens County Children Services, Ohio Arts Council, and Arts for Ohio