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‘The Last Unicorn’ Gallops Onto 4K

THE BIG PICTURE The Last Unicorn will be released on 4K Blu-ray for the first time by Shout Factory on August 20, 2024. Special features included in the set: a profile of author Peter S. Beagle, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and more. Preorder now on ShoutFactory.com for $29.99 and get a double-sided poster while supplies last. The Last Unicorn is outracing the Red Bull and headed for 4K Blu-ray. Shout Factory is releasing the cult classic animated fantasy on 4K for the first time. The two-disc set will be released on August 20, 2024. The set will include an all-new Dolby Vision 4K Transfer of the film’s 35mm interpositive, letting viewers see the film’s gorgeous animation in greater detail than ever before. The set will also include a number of special features, including a new profile of author Peter S. Beagle, who wrote the 1968 fantasy novel the film is adapted from, as well as the behind-the-scenes documentary True Magic (Redux): The Story Of The Last Unicorn, a Beagle Q&A, animated storyboards, and the film’s original theatrical trailer. While supplies last, orders from ShoutFactory.com will also come with a double-sided poster, with the film’s original poster art on one side and newly-commissioned artwork on the other. The set will retail for $29.99, and can be preordered now on ShoutFactory.com. What is ‘The Last Unicorn’ About? The Last Unicorn concerns the titular creature (Mia Farrow), who seeks to find her fellow unicorns. Learning from a scatterbrained butterfly (Robert Klein) that they have been driven into the sea by the monstrous Red Bull, she allies with an incompetent magician, Schmendrick (Alan Arkin) and Molly Grue, an aging “Maid Marian” (Tammy Grimes). To hide her from the Bull, Schmendrick turns the unicorn into a human woman, Lady Amalthea – who unexpectedly falls in love with Prince Lir (Jeff Bridges). Unfortunately, Lir’s father, the grim King Haggard (Christopher Lee), is also the master of the Red Bull. Other notable voice actors in the film include Angela Lansbury as Mommy Fortuna, the cruel mistress of a traveling menagerie; Keenan Wynn as Captain Cully, a dissolute bandit; and Rene Auberjonois as an alcoholic skeleton. Although the film features songs written by songwriter Jimmy Webb and recorded by the band America, it is a far cry from the animated musicals of its day; a mournful tone pervades the film, interspersed with moments of brutal terror.The Last Unicorn was not a financial success upon its release, and was a rare foray into theatrical release from venerable animation studio Rankin/Bass Productions. Many of the film’s animators were later recruited to form Studio Ghibli by Hayao Miyazaki. The film did eventually find its audience on TV and home video, and is now acknowledged as an animated classic. The Last Unicorn will be released on 4K Blu-ray on August 20, 2024. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates. The Last Unicorn A beautiful unicorn sets out to learn if she truly is the last of her kind in this sparkling animated musical. Original post by Rob London | Jun 3, 2024

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Best science fiction and fantasy books of 2024 so far, as chosen by the Amazon Editors

We’re nearly halfway through 2024, and it’s time to talk about the best sci-fi and fantasy books published this year. Topping our category for the best book of 2024 so far is The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, a thrilling time-travel novel set in a near-future London.  Discover the Amazon Editors’ picks for the best sci-fi and fantasy books of 2024 so far, as well as the top picks in every category. The Ministry of Time by Bradley, Kaliane 4.1 out of 5 stars 2,376 How do I even describe this awe-inducing debut? It’s a time travel-spy thriller-government conspiracy-love story, and it’s also so much more. I’ve never read anything like it, and I loved every second. It’s a near-future London, and a time travel device has been discovered by a top-secret government agency. They bring back “expats” from different times in history and pair them with “bridges”— people to help them acclimate to current times. The story follows Arctic explorer Graham Gore and his bridge over the course of a year as he does, and doesn’t, adjust to modern life (“I suggested the Brontës and I might as well have told him to pick up and read a pigeon.”). This genre-bending novel explores humanity in all its frailty and potential, the ripple effects of imperialism and displacement, and how love can alter the course of history in ways we never expect. It’s a fantastical novel that’s funny, riveting, heartbreaking, and unputdownable. I want everyone to read this book. — Abby Abell, Amazon Editor VIEW BOOK DETAILS >The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo 4.3 out of 5 stars 3,802 Like a gorgeous, glittering jewel, The Familiar catches your eye and holds you in its thrall. With this captivating new novel, Leigh Bardugo gives us a taste of something slightly different—and it’s a journey well worth taking. Rich with the atmosphere and intrigue of Renaissance Spain, this is the story of a lowly scullion, Luzia, who has kept her magical skills secret, and herself largely invisible, in order to avoid the ever-watchful gaze of the Inquisition. But Luzia wants more than this life, and while she doesn’t seek the spotlight, it finds her in an unintended way, and what follows is a story of power, politics, love, science, and magic. I loved the evolution of the women in this novel, but you also can’t beat the royal intrigue, an immortal tether, or the magnetic pull of two people meant for one another. The ending is perfection and Bardugo is, indeed, an author with many tricks up her sleeve—I can’t wait to see what’s next. — Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor VIEW BOOK DETAILS >A Fate Inked in Blood by Jensen, Danielle L. 4.3 out of 5 stars 6,728 This is your next romantasy obsession! In a world of Vikings with godly powers, Freya is trapped in a loveless marriage to a cruel “child of the gods.” But in a twist of rage and fate, Freya reveals a secret that is at the heart of a prophecy—she is also a child of the gods, the shield maiden, gifted with the power to unite Skaland under a single ruler. She immediately becomes the pawn of Jarl Snorri, who believes it is his destiny to rule, as long as he controls Freya. As he begins his bid to conquer, he demands that his son, Bjorn, protect Freya at all costs. Freya grapples with the depths of her powers and her forbidden feelings for Bjorn that grow harder to resist each day. I loved being immersed in this new world and following Freya as she battles to take control of her destiny. This book ended with so many threads unravelled, I will be excitedly and impatiently waiting for the next book in the series! — Abby Abell, Amazon Editor VIEW BOOK DETAILS >The Book of Doors by Brown, Gareth 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,749 What would you do if you had a book that could take you anywhere in the world? If you think about it, that’s the whole point of books, after all—words on a page that have the power to pull you into the story they tell. The best books pull you in and never let you go, and in the case of The Book of Doors, you will be enthralled. In a novel where the very source of magic is books themselves, Brown tells the riveting story of Cassie, a simple bookseller in New York City, who comes into the possession of a book that can take her anywhere in the world. Not only will it take her to places she never imagined she’d go, but it also forces her on an adventure that will span spacetime and confront the age-old ideas of good and evil. — Ben Grange, Amazon Editor VIEW BOOK DETAILS >Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland 4.4 out of 5 stars 534 A fast-paced and unrestrained story where the plot is thick and the stakes are clear: five of the most dangerous killers—all of them known for secrecy and lies—must band together and align on a single goal: to kill the God King. The killing is the easy part; the rest is where it gets interesting. Mai Corland manages to not only bring the reader on an exciting assassination attempt where the characters are all untrustworthy, unstable, and highly likeable, but also flawlessly executes the story from each character’s first-person point of view, which is a feat all on its own. — Ben Grange, Amazon Editor VIEW BOOK DETAILS >The Mars House by Pulley, Natasha 4.6 out of 5 stars 222 I absolutely love this book. From the very first chapter, we’re introduced to a future where Earth is becoming less and less habitable, and Mars is burgeoning with terraformed life. Pulley writes with a with wry and witty humor that eases the reader into the book, and delivers a story where two unlikely characters—a former London Ballet principal and a xenophobic politician—must enter into a marriage of convenience in the political scene on Mars. And unfortunately, it’s not as easy to hate the xenophobe as

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