Unico in the Island of Magic

1983 1h 31m JA

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 14

AnimationFantasyDramaAdventureFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young unicorn named Unico must fight an evil magician and save everyone who's trapped under his spell.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Katsue Miwa
Unico (voice)
Chieko Baisho
The West Wind (voice)
Sumi Shimamoto
Sheri (voice)
Fujio Tokita
Lord Kuruku (voice)
Shuichi Ikeda
Tolby (voice)
Ichiro Nagai
Yamaneko / Melvin the Magnificat (voice)
Noriko Tsukase
Marusu (voice)
Ryuji Saikachi
Trojan Horse (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Moribi Murano
Writers: Osamu Tezuka
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Unico Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Moribi Murano, shot by Iwao Yamaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nozomi Aoki. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Katsue Miwa and Chieko Baisho and Sumi Shimamoto carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0086515 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 14 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Moribi Murano directs. Iwao Yamaki behind the camera. Nozomi Aoki scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "Unico Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Moribi Murano, shot by Iwao Yamaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nozomi Aoki. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Katsue Miwa and Chieko Baisho and Sumi Shimamoto carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0086515 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 14 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Iwao Yamaki
Original score: Nozomi Aoki
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Unico in the Island of Magic (1983)

Part of

Unico Collection

A story about how joy and happiness can be the most powerful weapon ever. A young unicorn is ordered to be taken from his home by the gods. They are envious of little Unico's power to bring joy and happiness everywhere he goes. Come see the power of friendship triumph over all, in Unico.