The Fantastic Adventures of Unico

Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing. I must have been about 4 or when I first saw this movie. I don't really remember all that much of it. Just bits in pieces here and there, but I was interested enough to watch it again. Of course it was a very different experience now that I'm grown. As an adult and a movie enthusiast I've become accustomed to looking at things like quality and composition; something that no one really looks for when they're 4. Back then I just enjoyed colorful animation.

As an adult I have to rate this movie on certain things. I think that by today's standard, the quality of the animation is just OK. Although I noticed that even though it's almost 30 years old, some of it was actually quite ascetic. Personally, my favorite characters were the west and night winds. I really liked how they had been designed visually. However, there was a sort of ridiculousness in the style sometimes. Devils, unicorns, and talking animals aside, I thought it was kinda weird that the old woman had a nose the size of her entire head. There was also an odd quality to the voice acting that made it a bit clumsy.

There really wasn't too much plot. The main character just kinda got moved around against his will and tried to improve things for people wherever he went. So as an adult, this movie was a bit difficult for me to sit through, but keeping in mind that it was geared towards little children (and apparently did a good job of entertaining them as most of the comments I've read have been about how they loved this film as a child) Id have to say that this is actually a successful movie. Though not really big on production value, I did end up giving it a higher score than I would have if I had not seen it when I was a little kid.

This was the beginning for anime's of today. I strongly believe that. But I first saw this movie when I was really young. I was fascinated on why the GODS were so angry with Unico for making people happy. A five year old child doesnt see anything wrong with people being happy. But I digress. Though I strongly detested Katie, I really like the Besil (I think) and when he was mistreating Unico I wasnt to angry at him.

I was awed by Unico's transformation scene, and angry at how silly he acted sometimes. I watched this for hour's on end, till the point where my parents were so sick of watching it that they would take it away and hide it.

Though when we moved I lost alot of the old classic movies, I magically held on to Unico, along with Sea Prince and The Fire Child. I recently sat down to watch it, and none of that magic was gone for me. I would laugh when I remembered a part from so long ago. But the magic was still there. I still wish, like I had when I was a kid, that Unico would have stayed the bigger version of himself.

A must see, just for the pure cuteness of this film.

Gorgeous animation and art design, super cute characters, courtesy of Osamu Tezuka. Owes a big debt to golden age Disney, such as Snow White. Never quite reaches the heights of a Disney picture so doesn't really get beyond being a homage. But a lovely film to watch regardless. Highly recommended.

I saw this film when I was only a boy, yet to this day I remember it with wonder and excitement. Fantasy helps us recapture our youth, and I highly recommend that this tale be seen by anyone who has ever dreamed of doing so. It truly is a story for all ages to cherish.

For the longest time, I've lived with the faintest memory of this movie and a deep emotional feeling attached to it, as I was totally moved by the movie when I saw it (at 3 or 4 years old). I was beginning to doubt it had actually been made (although my mother remembers it) as I never heard about it again. I'm glad to have found evidence of it finally! God bless the internet!