Unicorn Wars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Unicorn Wars Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 6, 2023

“Unicorn Wars” is a Spanish-French animated production about the eternal battle between teddy bears and their archenemies, unicorns. It sounds like a comedy, or perhaps a ready-made cult cinema title, but writer/director Alberto Vázquez takes the premise seriously, endeavoring to understand the price of war and the corruption of conflict with the picture, which is not intended for younger viewers. These teddy bears are ready to kill, amputate limps, expose their genitals, and curse, offering R-rated experiences for an audience ready to process the extremity found in the movie. “Unicorn Wars” isn’t a particularly commanding viewing experience, but it does register with creative visuals, strong voice work, and commitment to the concept, with Vázquez marching forward with this decidedly violent and wholly bizarre feature.

At Love Camp, a team of teddy bears are preparing for battle, with Sgt. Ironstroke in charge of training the creatures during boot camp, getting them ready to survive their time in the magic forest and kill everything they encounter. The soldiers are subjected to intense physical challenges, with siblings Bluey and Tubby caught up in the hysteria, though the latter isn’t feeling the urge to fight. The teddy bear target are unicorns, going after the magical beasts, who long ago stole the sacred forest from the bears, living among the strange animals of the land. The teddy bears claim a divine superiority to the unicorns, ready to reclaim what’s been taken, with Sgt. Ironstroke leading a platoon into the heart of enemy territory. During the mission, Bluey and Tubby deal with their complicated relationship, with Bluey trying to make sense of his childhood, jealous of his mother’s focus on Tubby, feeling left out of love due to his bitter father’s influence. This conflict rises as the unicorn threat increases, putting pressure on the bears to deal with their personal issues as war breaks out in the magic forest.

There’s a “Full Metal Jacket”-style boot camp experience for the teddy bears, with the opening act of “Unicorn Wars” exploring the pressures of performance for the cuddly creatures, who’ve been drafted into duty. Sgt. Ironstroke is in charge of turning fluff into steel, overseeing work on endurance and weapons handling, including bow and arrow accuracy. Competition is fierce, with Bluey aiming to be the best of the best, only to repeatedly encounter his shortcomings, with top shot belonging to rival Coco, making things difficult for the bear. “Unicorn Wars” establishes its tone early to help viewers ease into the picture, keeping the characters rough around the edges, with their cuteness challenged by abrasiveness, with the exception of Tubby, a pure-hearted soul looking to Bluey for companionship, only to encounter a profoundly troubled animal with a deep-seated hatred for his sibling.

There’s nudity and rough language, with Vázquez trying to make an adult-minded animated film about the manipulation of war and the slow, painful death of innocence found in military service. The idea has potential, with Bluey pulled into the cause via ancient history, believing in the legend of the unicorns and their evil presence in the magical forest, severing contact between the bears and their deity. Bluey is part of a greater manipulation orchestrated by his superiors, and “Unicorn Wars” offers an interesting study of the pitiless war machine, even with all this oddity swarming around the effort. There’s time with the unicorns as well, with young María searching for her mother, meeting a dark presence along the way, but the writing favors the bears, getting into the particulars of the journey. Mistakes are encountered, with one character bit by a dangerous creature, and the bears feast on rainbow worms, experiencing a psychedelic trip that goes wrong for a few, adding to the body count as personal control is lost.

Unicorn Wars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.90:1 aspect ratio) presentation is working with the highly colorful world of "Unicorn Wars," which primarily focuses on the teddy bear army and their odyssey into a dangerous forest. Primaries are bright and inviting throughout the viewing experience, capturing the personal hues of these don't care bears, who offer distinct candied appearances (with rich greens, blues, and purples) while also bleeding deep red blood, which becomes a supporting character as the horrors of war are studied. Greenery is alive, including events with creatures, with the worms offering a sharp blast of glowing rainbow colors. Forest violence is also commanding, securing fiery reds and yellows as battles break out in the finale. Unicorns remain subtle black and white creations. Animated detail is appreciable, with a sharp sense of location and character appearances. Delineation is satisfactory. Compression issues are common, with banding mostly mild, but periodically flares up.

Unicorn Wars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track comes alive almost immediately, delivering crisp dialogue exchanges from a variety of voice actors, capturing a community feel with a strange collection of nervous and argumentative screen characters. Scoring cues are sharp, with a cool synth presence and clear instrumentation with more militaristic moods, highlighting drums and horns. Surrounds are active throughout, dealing with heavy atmospherics, ghostly calls, and music selections, including a closing synthpop tune that fills the soundstage. Some separation is also encountered along the way. Low-end makes its presence known, handling the thunderous movement of the unicorns as they gallop around the frame, but also disaster elements in the forest, such as raging fires, and battle zone engagement hits harder with booming cannons and explosions. Sound effects are also fresh, creating an immersive understanding of violence with gunplay and clanging metal.

Unicorn Wars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (2:33, HD) is a brief chat with director Alberto Vázquez, which began life as a comedic idea in 2010, eventually graduating to a short film, "Unicorn Blood." The opportunity to make feature-length version of the idea presented itself, with Vázquez working to pay tribute to the war movies of his youth. During the conversation, some BTS footage is included, watching the animators at work.

• "Working in Blender" (2:08, HD) is an interview with animation director Khris Cembe, who detail his time on "Unicorn Wars" and use of the Blender system to bring the feature's animation to life, preferring to stick with a single option to keep the art and work consistent.

• Feature-Length Animatic (80:08, HD) is a chance to view "Unicorn Wars" in its unfinished state.

• And a U.S. Trailer (1:40, HD) and an International Trailer (2:12, HD) are included.

Unicorn Wars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Unicorn Wars" seems suited for an animated short, but Vazquez is committed to making an epic, and follows through with large-scale visuals and character challenges. He's also not shy when it comes to the harshness of this world, including flashbacks with Bluey that detail exactly what he's capable of when feeling wronged by the world. It's rough stuff, and it doesn't sustain dramatic hold for a full 90-minute run time, but the material has potent moments with expressive performances and lively animation. Vazquez has a vision, and he's sticking to it with the endeavor, which isn't always as compelling as needed, but retains plenty of oddity and intensity to carry the viewing experience all the way to its severe and uncompromising conclusion.