by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
I’ve always had a soft spot for animation. More years than not, at least a couple of animated features find their way onto my top 10 list. So with Animation Celebration, I’m setting out to shine a light on some films that may have passed you by. The idea here is to take a look at some underseen gems—so no Toy Story or Frozen here.
Let’s get started.
It’s not hyperbolic to say Genndy Tartakovsky is one of the most influential animators of the past 30 years. He’s the creative force behind some of the most beloved animated projects of the era during this time in his partnership with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming.
Particularly with Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: The Clone Wars micro series, and Primal, a new Tartakovsky project is always worth highlighting. I even enjoy his Hotel Transylvania series more than most, though it does lack his unique style. So even though Fixed isn’t really hitting its mark on Netflix, it felt like a good time to examine another one of his projects that I hadn’t even heard of before diving into his filmography.
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is a 10-episode miniseries that follows a team of heroes, the titular Unicorns, charged with protecting the world from an ominous force. These magically powered heroes are Melinda (Hazel Doupe), Edred (Tom Milligan), and Seng (Demari Hunte), under the leadership of the wizard Merlin (Jeremy Crutchley), and with the help of the futuristic robot Copernicus.
As a lover of fantasy storytelling, this series was always going to grab my attention. The story of heroes whose souls are sent into different bodies across history when there is an evil that needs defeating. That premise isn’t exactly new (though the fact that Copernicus houses their souls until called to reinsert them into their hosts was a nice twist), the intro of the premiere was a great setup, and gave me all I needed to know about the group dynamics. When they are needed again in a steampunk version of Victorian England, not everything goes according to plan. Through the struggles each of our heroes have in their new bodies, the show’s able to weave in character development and the history of our characters as they struggle to find their way in this period. While the characters and the storylines are pretty stock (they’re literally fighting “the evil” and the dialogue is pretty standard fantasy fare), it provides enough to keep you invested. Plus, there’s just something about the way that the characters’ faces are animated that adds something to how they’re realized and the delivery.
Though Tartakovsky is the show’s co-writer and creator, it’s in the visuals that he really shines. Ever since the days of Samurai Jack and Clone Wars, he’s really thrived in fantastical worlds where he can make the action sing. The same’s true here. In particular, the cosmic colors of the finale are stunning, but there’s always a next battle around the corner for the Unicorn team, and it always looks incredible. I mean, there’s a talking tiger that shoots fireballs out of its freaking hands. Need I say more? The steampunk setting just adds to that cool factor when paired with the fantastical and makes for a match made in heaven. When telling a fantasy story, the world building is key, and Unicorn creates an environment I can’t help but enjoy, something that the cliffhanger finale only intensifies.
While certainly not peak Tartakovsky, Unicorn: Warriors Eternals still excels at the fantastical action and world building that he does best.
I’m excited to continue to geek out on some great animated work you may not have had a chance to catch. Next month, I’m feeling in a sci-fi mood.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd