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1!![[WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn The film]]
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3!!!FridgeBrilliance
4* For many, ''many'' viewers, Molly's rant when she first meets the unicorn flew over their heads as kids. Coming back to it after having learned [[NatureAdoresAVirgin the mythology of unicorns]], though, can break someone into tears quite quickly (as evidenced by its presence on the [[TearJerker/TheLastUnicorn Tearjerker]] page).
5** A group of unicorns is called a blessing.
6* The book never makes it explicit, but Hagsgate "sharing Haggard's feast and sharing his fall" meant the unicorns. The townspeople didn't try to stop the Red Bull from driving the unicorns to Haggard because every time the Bull caught one they were able to see it pass through their town. Is it any surprise that the unicorns trampled Hagsgate on their way out?
7* The reason Haggard's land was so barren was because there were no unicorns to keep it verdant; they were all trapped in the sea.
8* The Red Bull's defeat is more than just being scared of the Unicorn. It obeys a being without fear, and she no longer has any at that moment. Thus, it now obeys ''her'', and her order is to go away and never return.
9* The unicorn-calling ceremony Lir undertook with his then-fiancee was almost certainly originally devised as ''proof that the bride-to-be was a virgin'' (of vital importance where royal lineages are concerned), since folklore has it that unicorns only respond to virgins. In-universe, of course, this is not true--unicorns respond to those who believe in and love them. On the other hand, they were never common, so it was probably up for grabs whether the ceremony ever "worked." Over time, especially as the unicorn population dwindled and people stopped expecting to see them at all, it devolved into a mere formality with the parties just going through the motions.
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11!!!FridgeHorror
12* The Harpy's cage was hardly sturdy. Just imagine her getting prematurely released and killing all the helpless people in the Midnight Carnival.
13** Actually, it was probably a perfectly good cage before the harpy started working her magic on it; by the time the unicorn came, the only thing keeping the cage together was Mommy Fortuna's magic and [[ColdIron the fact that it was iron.]]
14* Also, Lir always talked to Molly and Schmendrick about his feelings for Amalthea, but he [[CannotSpitItOut never told Amalthea]] ''herself.'' It's a [[FridgeBrilliance brilliant]] and utterly depressing instance of FridgeHorror, and it makes everything that much worse.
15** To be fair though, their duet and his HeroicSacrifice to save her probably made that pretty clear. Actions speak louder than words, after all.
16* "[[WesternAnimation/PeaceOnEarth She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in books written by rabbits.]]"
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18!!!FridgeLogic
19* Much ado is made about turning Amalthea back into a unicorn which would make her incapable of loving Lir and being together with him since she would outlive but why does the option of turning her back into a human never come up. Turning Amalthea back into a unicorn when the characters couldn’t be sure they could find the rest of the unicorns was understandable, since they’d be no more unicorns in the world otherwise. But after the rest of the unicorns are rescued and Amalthea has been turned back into a unicorn, why doesn’t Schmendrick try to turn her back into a human since Amalthea wanted to remain a human and only turned back to defeat the Red Bull and with unicorns back in the world it’s not like one less unicorn would be noticed. Perhaps it could’ve been impossible or not, but the point is, Schmendrick didn’t even try.
20** Because she didn't actually want to be a human. Her only regret is that she had to choose between BeYourself and HappilyEverAfter.
21** The book seems to suggest that magic works on its own and only comes at times, rather than Schmendrick having full control of it. Besides, the more time she passed as a human, it was suggested that she would forget her true identity completely. Even with all the unicorns back into the world, it would still be sad for her to forget herself.
22** "Amalthea" wanted to remain human, to remain "alive". The Unicorn only wished to find/free the other unicorns and then return home.
23** It's entirely possible Schmendrick ''couldn't'' turn her into a human again. He seems to think the magic has a long term plan in mind. "Magic, do as you will" turned the unicorn into a human because it was the only way to protect her from the Red Bull and get her safely to King Haggard - discovering what happened to the others in the process. But she had to become a unicorn again to stop the Red Bull, and she only did that because of her love for Lir and outrage over his death. So the magic only allowed her to become human because it would give her the tools to stop the bull. As a unicorn she also has responsibilities to her forest etc. so that's her natural state.
24** It's not well-developed, but the story has this theme of magic cannot change things into something they truly aren't, so no matter how many spells and enchantments one can make, the true essence of the person doesn't change. Schmendrick cannot be a true magician when his magic tricks are still rudimentary, Amalthea can't be a human when she has her memories of being a unicorn and remembering her forest, and the animals of Mommy Fortuna's carnival aren't dragons or manticores or satyrs, no matter how many spells she puts on them. It's a case of believing an illusion versus confronting the real deal. In a way, even Amalthea and Lir's romance is built on an illusion, since he projects onto her his thoughts of the perfect woman, and she loves him when she's forgetting her true identity. In the movie their romance is portrayed more ideal, but in the book there's a hidden dark side of Lir that you can pick up based on hints here and there.
25*** In particular, there's a dark moment toward the end where Schmendrick suggests that even without Almathea, Lir can find some fulfillment in being the sort of hero he became for her sake, doing good in her name. Lir snaps back, "But that's not what I want!" resulting in a stern look from Schmendrick and a unspoken MyGodWhatHaveIDone realization from Lir that [[IAmNotMyFather that's exactly the sort of thing his father would have said.]]
26** It's also worth noting that the unicorn and Amalthea are not the same being. Since TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody and the unicorn slowly developed IdentityAmnesia, Amalthea was the consciousness that developed as she slowly forgot ever being a unicorn. Amalthea developed enough of an [[LiteralSplitPersonality independent personality]] that she [[DeathOfPersonality "died"]] when returned to unicorn form. Even if Schmendrick could turn the unicorn back into a human, she wouldn't be the Lady Amalthea again; she wouldn't be the same woman who fell in love with Lyr. That's the tragedy of it. The unicorn cannot love him (since unicorns experience emotions differently from mortals), but she remembers loving him enough that she ''regrets'' that she can no longer love him, or be with him.
27** And conversely, if Lir had been at all inclined to have the Unicorn forfeit her true nature, forfeiting both her own identity and her immortality, simply so she can become his lady, then it wouldn't say much for ''his'' ability to genuinely love ''her'', whether as Amalthea or as her real self. We already know Lir was ready to ''die'' to save her, and giving up hope of them being together is a comparable measure of HeroicSacrifice; ultimately, considered from Lir's perspective, it came down to IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy ''And Herself''.
28** Another point to take into consideration is that her human form was purely incidental. The trio was running from the Red Bull, and Schmendrick was in panic trying to find a shape that wouldn't catch the Bull's attention anymore (the creature is blind in the book and can only find unicorns by their scent). The magic chose the form, not him; for Schmendrick it would've been the same if he had turned her into a platypus or a rhino.
29* Why was it necessary for Mommy Fortuna to disguise the lion, ape, and other unspecified zoo animals as creatures of fantasy? Sure, she needed to give the Unicorn a fake horn, so people wouldn't dismiss her as a horse - they see horses every day - but animals from the wilds of Africa or Asia would surely seem just as exotic to her customers as satyrs or manticores ... indeed, perhaps ''more'' so, as the audience members probably assume that dragons and their ilk actually live in neighboring parts of Britain. (Which, unless Lir took an off-camera sea voyage to become a hero by slaying one, they ''do''.)
30** That makes it easier for Fortuna's powers to work in the first place, as people have to ''believe'' what they're seeing for her spells to work, but also remember not everyone can see magical creatures as magical creatures. Just because people ''know'' dragons exist, doesn't mean they can just go see one. That's not how it works. Thus, why people couldn't actually see the Harpy or the Unicorn as they were if she wasn't casting an illusion on them of what they truly are. Also, another factor is Fortuna seems to take pride in her illusions and the fact the people can only tell the difference between the mundane and the supernatural if ''she'' wills it.
31** Also, who knows how this world truly works. Dodos live in the Unicorn's very European-like forest, despite real world history citing the birds as only living in small islands near Australia. Very common animals like dogs and spiders are a part of Mommy's menagerie as well. Perhaps in this world, it's more common to see lions and apes than in ours.
32* If Captain Cully and his men were reduced to eating watered-down rat soup, how were they able to offer Schmendrick a taco?

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