Blu-ray Movie Reviews

In this whimsical, animated film, a lone unicorn seeks out others like herself through a mystical land of talking cats and spellbinding magicians. In her search for other unicorns, the last unicorn encounters a cast of delightful characters as well as dangers she never imagined. Throughout the fantastic adventure, she learns of friendship, love, and most importantly, her true self.

It has been years since I’ve seen this animated gem. The animation style is very similar to The Hobbit, which was released right around the same time period. This HD presentation doesn’t do much to improve on the DVD version I’ve already owned with only a slight improvement in overall resolution. Film grain and wear is quite evident throughout and may be distracting to many viewers. Color rendition is good, but this film has nowhere near the striking quality we’ve seen with Disney’s restorations. The new 5.1 lossless mix lacks dynamic range and sounds a bit flat. The soundstage is a bit front heavy but the dialogue sounds natural enough. Overall this is a decent presentation given the production, but most will probably be put off a bit with the video.

This 2-disc set includes both the Blu-ray of the film plus the DVD presentation as well. The Blu-ray features some audio commentaries plus a look at the works of the film’s author. You also get some insight into the production, art galleries and some trailers. The DVD’s features include a game and most of the same insights as the Blu-ray.

This was one of the darker and more magical animated films of my youth and it’s great to see it brought to Blu-ray. I was hoping for a bit more restoration in the video department but this film may not have the draw to justify the expense. I still recommend it for the family looking for some magic though.