Customer Reviews

Voyage of the Unicorn [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The 'Voyage of the Unicorn' is the story of the Aisling family - Professor Alan Aisling and his two daughters - the skeptical, bad-tempered Miranda and the dreamy, absent-minded Cassie. The girls weren't always like this though - they were once happy, sweet-natured girls - till their mother dies that is. Now the family live separate lives though they live in the same house - Alan who devotes his time to preaching his 'cresendo vides' (in believing one sees) philosophy at the university, which does not go down well with the Dean; Cassie who looses herself for days in her mother's portfolio and artwork, neglecting school, food and the real world in general; and Miranda, who has lost most of her faith in the human race and leds an unhappy, discontented life.

All this is about to change however, when their home is attacked one night by a violent group of trolls, who are out to stop a prophesy concerning the Aisling family from coming true. While Miranda and Mr Aisling attempt to ward them off, Cassie is whisked off by an elf - Sebastian, and a dwarf - Malachi, down to the docks where their ship, The Unicorn waits. Followed closely by Miranda and Professor Aisling, all of them are spirited away to the Landscape of the Imagination on board the magical, beautiful ship which has been specially prepared for them.

It is there that they discover their destiny from King Oberon and Queen Titania on the Isle of Faerie - it has been prophesied that 'a man of learning, and two maidens gentle of spirit' will enter the realm to free the land of the evil scourge of trolls by finding and summoning the great dragon - and at the same time freeing heroes of old.

And so they're off on their journey - with Malachi and Sebastian, who is smitten with Miranda, and on the way they have run-ins with legendary creatures such as a sea serpent, trolls, mermaids, fairies, Medusa, the Sphinx, the Minotaur, ogres, unicorns and more.

It is this voyage that the movie excells in - great costumes, set design, special effects, a beautiful soundtrack that includes the song - 'Faith precedes a Miracle', and good acting and story telling. Watch out for my favourite scenes - when Miranda subdues the sea serpent, when Cassie tames the unicorn and when Titania gives each member of the family special gifts, and special advice that only they can hear.

This is a very good movie - it's interesting, bright, colourful, well directed and acted throughout. Traditional creatures such as fairies are given a whole new look and it's a great family movie to all watch together. If you love fantasy and adventure then this movies for you.

**Spoilers below**

However, one fault is that it ended rather abruptedly, and with far too many unanswered questions and loose ends. My queries include:

How did they get home? - they all just seemed to wake up the next day with no real recollections of the entire voyage!
What happened to the Sphinx? - she saves Cassie and then disappears.
Was Lily (the girls' mother) really a 'spiritual guide'? How did she know about the Unicorn and the Landscape of Imagination?
What happened to the disgraced Oberon?
Did Sebastian and Miranda really get together?
Why did Professor Aisling pick up all those rocks from the different islands? - it looked like it would be an evolving story line but nothing came of it.
Too many unanswered questions!!!

Despite this however, this is a great fantasy in a world of generic and regurgitated "Lord of the Rings" stories - this one stands on its own and is *finally* on DVD!

The 'Voyage of the Unicorn' is the story of the Aisling family - Professor Alan Aisling and his two daughters - the skeptical, bad-tempered Miranda and the dreamy, absent-minded Cassie. The girls weren't always like this though - they were once happy, sweet-natured girls - till their mother dies that is. Now the family live separate lives though they live in the same house - Alan who devotes his time to preaching his 'cresendo vides' (in believing one sees) philosophy at the university, which does not go down well with the Dean; Cassie who looses herself for days in her mother's portfolio and artwork, neglecting school, food and the real world in general; and Miranda, who has lost most of her faith in the human race and leds an unhappy, discontented life. All this is about to change however, when their home is attacked one night by a violent group of trolls, who are out to stop a prophesy concerning the Aisling family from coming true. While Miranda and Mr Aisling attempt to ward them off, Cassie is whisked off by an elf - Sebastian, and a dwarf - Malachi, down to the docks where their ship, The Unicorn waits. Followed closely by Miranda and Professor Aisling, all of them are spirited away to the Landscape of the Imagination on board the magical, beautiful ship which has been specially prepared for them.
It is there that they discover their destiny from King Oberon and Queen Titania on the Isle of Faerie - it has been prophesied that 'a man of learning, and two maidens gentle of spirit' will enter the realm to free the land of the evil scourge of trolls by finding and summoning the great dragon - and at the same time freeing heroes of old.
And so they're off on their journey - with Malachi and Sebastian, who is smitten with Miranda, and on the way they have run-ins with legendary creatures such as a sea serpent, trolls, mermaids, fairies, Medusa, the Sphinx, the Minotaur, ogres, unicorns and more. It is this voyage that the movie excells in - great costumes, set design, special effects, a beautiful soundtrack that includes the song - 'Faith precedes a Miracle', and good acting and story telling. Watch out for my favourite scenes - when Miranda subdues the sea serpent, when Cassie tames the unicorn and when Titania gives each member of the family special gifts, and special advice that only they can hear.
This is a very good movie - it's interesting, bright, colourful, well directed and acted throughout. Traditional creatures such as fairies are given a whole new look and it's a great family movie to all watch together. If you love fantasy and adventure then this movies for you.
However, one fault is that it ended rather abruptedly, and with far too many unanswered questions and loose ends. I wonder if perhaps I watched a cut version of this movie, as when I watched 'The Making of the Voyage of the Unicorn' there was a scene being filmed that featured the Sphinx in the interior of the ship which was definitly not on the movie I watched. I picked up on inconsistencies that - although they don't totally destroy viewing-pleasure - nag in your mind as though you've missed out on something. And cutting bits out of this movie which is about the individual's internal voyage as much as the physical journey is not doing it justice. My queries include -
How did they get home? - they all just seemed to wake up the next day with no real recollections of the entire voyage!
What happened to the Sphinx? - she saves Cassie and then disappears.
Was Lily (the girls' mother) really a 'spiritual guide'? How did she know about the Unicorn and the Landscape of Imagination?
What happened to the disgraced Oberon?
Did Sebastian and Miranda really get together?
Why did Professor Aisling pick up all those rocks from the different islands? - it looked like it would be an evolving story line but nothing came of it.
Too many unanswered questions!!!

I am so thrilled that this movie has finally come out on DVD. It is such a nice movie. Especially for a 'made for TV movie'. Now, I haven't read the book, so I wouldn't know how close the screenplay as got, but all in all, I was pleased with the movie. I have it on VHS, but it cuts out an incredible amount. On the DVD, there is an extra 48 mins! The quality should be better as well.

The effects aren't the greatest and neither are some of the sets (as well as some other things) but you have to keep in mind that this is a made for TV movie, with a low budget. But the story is extrodinary, and I believe that it's a wonderful family movie that all who love fantasy can enjoy.
(If you want to know more about the movie, you should try looking at some of the reviews on the VHS copy)

This is probably one of the best book-turned-movies in existence!

The story is of the Aislings...

Alan is a professor at the local university, who teaches a mythology class. He teaches the class about 'Credendo Vides'--By believing one sees--much to the dislike of the soon-to-be Dean.

Miranda is a high-schooler who gave up on the world and the human race intirely when her mother died.

Cassie is the youngest, a ten-year-old girl who intently studies her recently deceased mother's majikal drawings.

One night a group of trolls attack them, and then a dwarf and an elf--Malachai and Sebastian--come to rescue them by taking them on board the majikal ship the Unicorn.

When they arrive on Faerie Isle--Avalon--the King and Queen--Oberon and Titania--greet them and tell them of a prophecy that stated 'a man of wisdom and two maidens fair' should find the lost SkyDragon that protected the land of imagination. So the crew of the Unicorn goes on a quest, finding other majikal creatures that also become crewmembers.

The end of the film ends in a battle in which the crew of the Unicorn battle with the King of Troll Island. After they defeat the King Skultom and return the SkyDragon to the skies, they all wake up. But was it really a dream?

A wonderful movie, it doesn't deserve to be canceled. TRY TO BUY THIS USED! If you liked this read the book! -- The Voyage of the Basset --

Or the series! -- 1)Islands in the Sky 2)The Raven Queen 3)Journey to Otherwhere 4)Thor's Hammer 5)Fire Bird --

When I first saw this mini-series to the Odyssey channel I fell in love with it. Please understand that the low rating not because of the full mini-series, but it is because of removal of 40 to 60 minutes plot. On top of which they add insult to injury they record it on extended play (EP) to fit the 132 min. ABRIDGED version (the original was over 180 min. long) on a 30 min. tape. None of which I might add is explained in the description of the product. So what I bought and what thought I was getting where two different things. I hope in the future the will correct this because as it currently stands you are not getting the full enjoyment of "Voyage Of The Unicorn".

I'm the kind of girl who like fantasy movies(The Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Legend, etc.) , books (Lord of the Rings, The Ancient One, etc.), and games (Final Fantasy)....but when i saw this movie on the odyssey channal, I knew i had to see it again. Being the kind of person that dreams about stuff like fairies, dragons, unicorns, elves, and all of the others every since i can remember, the thought of me have this movie wasn't a want, it was a need. Most ppl bresth air but I fantasy and fictional characters. My favorite character in this movie was Miranda; she was such a real person. As skeptical as she was she finally figured out that all she had to do to get home was to believe in herself. As fictional as this movie is, there are also many thing in the movie that pertain to some of our real-life situations. Most truly great fantasy movie are like that. Take it from the expert. What I love most about fantasy is that it's so much greater than in the real-world, I mean the imagination of its limits reach higher than the sky and the sky is definately not the limit for this movie. If you haven't seen this movie I deeply recommend it.
~Just Another Standout in the Crowd ;)

Voyage of the unicorn is a family movie for all ages!The story takes place in a mystical setting where everything doesn't seem to be what it is. The characters include Proffesor aisling and his two daughters Miranda and Cassie and two adorible elf's named Sebastian and Malichi who guide them on their way to fairy island where they discover their help is needed to find a magical dragon head and from there their journey builds up!

I first saw this mini-series on Odyssey last Saturday, and I loved it! It is a truly imaginative story about Cassie Aisling, a young girl who is swept away with her father and her sister Miranda on a magical adventure aboard the ship the Unicorn. The ship's motto is "Credendo Vides", meaning "by believing, one sees." The family realizes that the trolls have been ravaging the Faerie islands, hoping to take them over for themselves. The Aislings' only hope is a magical dragon skull, which the trolls want for themselves. This story is about believing the unbelievable, and keeping your imagination alive. I would recommend it to anyone who needs an adventure, or just a few hours away from reality.

I happened to catch this movie about 3 years ago and taped it the next time it came out. I think it is a wonderful story and even though the girls' father is a main part, it shows that girls can battle off trolls and other unsavory characters. This is an excellant movie.

...Great movie, if you like fantasy and paralell dimensions's and stuff like that. I love tha fact that two of the heroes are young girls. It's about time! Finally, an adventuremovie girls can identify with...

memeroble scenes:

When cassie and miranda tame the unicorn
when miranda calls for the mermaid and tames the sea serpent
the duell in the end between skotos and professor aisling
when cassie unleashes the dragon
and when cassie and miranda try out their new wardrobe and check out their rooms .... hehe...