I'm so glad you did this video for her.. As a child, this film was introduced to me as my mother's favorite. I could tell she liked Molly the most. It always suck to me when she cried, "why Now? Why now when I'm old and have lost my innocence?? Why did you not come to me when I needed you back then?!" and then calms down and forgives her. I loved that scene, lots of life lessons.
I don't really think she was a princess or Hagard's daughter. I think she was just some common peasant girl that was going to get hitched to another family because her family were barely getting by and Hagard was taxing up through the nose. So, Molly was offered to another family but she got raped before her wedding day. The guy threw off the wedding and Molly was stuck with Culley as he was seen as just as pathetic as she was. Being a pariah has its quirks sometimes, you aren't expected to act your position in your society. You aren't as expected to be a farmer's wife if you're a prostitute. Heck, nobody will miss you so why should you miss them?
@@Neku628 There is a difference between rape and prostitution. Rape is a form of violent torture. Prostitution is a form of slavery in which many rapes are done to the slave and money is paid to the slave owner. People who get raped are rape victims, not slaves. But often 1 rape can lead to more rapes which leads to the person being enslaved with all the bloodshed and torture and terror. I'm a human trafficking survivor, which is the rape slavery of children. I can tell you that I did not miss people who wanted me to be in a forced marriage with anyone, because I was focusing on surviving torture and trying to escape from violence and slavery. But I did miss having positive interaction with other humans. Being in a forced marriage means that you will get violently raped by your husband. This is bad. It's better to be celibate. Or marry a man you actually love.
Hi fun fact Molly as a name means bitter and can be short for Mallory which means unfortunate Sounds like a name haggard would give an ill fated unwanted child and would explain her tragic fate
You know, this may be more of a conspiracy theory, but maybe the reason why the king locked up the unicorns on the sea was because of Molly! Think about it, he was upset with his daughter because a Unicorn didn’t show up to prove she was a virgin. When her soon to be husband found out this, he called off the wedding and Molly’s father disowned her. Perhaps this hatred towards her daughter turned towards the unicorns. After all, he needed to rely on the presence of one to start the marriage and when one didn’t show up, he was so angry he wanted them to pay. So he banished them, thinking that if they couldn’t bring him happiness then no one should be happy because of the unicorns.
Oooh, I love it when viewers help prove me right! I didn't even think to tie it in that way, but you are right! Haggard actually says that his only time of happiness was when he saw a unicorn in his youth - which was probably related to his wife (Princess Whatever) when she performed the ceremony and a unicorn came to her! If he was hopeful for the prospect of marriage, seeing the unicorn would not only be a sigh of relief for young Haggard, it would tie in with his feeling of romance. And who know? Maybe he did love his wife very much, but she died and gave him such pain that he doesn't associate her memory with joy at all, and it all get directed back to the greatest feeling of happiness when the unicorn appeared. And it all got whipped up into another unicorns-are-awesome frenzy after knowing the pain and embarrassment when a unicorn does NOT appear!
@@TheFangirlWatches love your theory and agree with Cosmo. Also add the brokenness men feel when those they objectify don't live up to expectations. Three in one. Thanks for the unique prospective.
That's a valid way of looking at Haggard's fascination with unicorns. Yet I find that Haggard's fascination with unicorns and his attempt to capture them is because he wants to recapture the innocence and strength of youth, perhaps even immortality. Unicorns aren't mortal. The journey of the last unicorn in being transformed into a woman and realizing that she is alone in the world is one of the immortal personification of innocence realising mortality, frailty, change. Molly Grue gets broken down because the unicorn arrives far beyond the years of her innocence. Certainly within surface level of story logic the reason is because she couldn't call the unicorn to prove her innocence, but what has more impact, the loss of innocence or the loss of face? Haggard is old. He knows that death is coming for him. Death is all around him and his kingdom. But in the same way that we can never quite recapture the innocent days of our childhood, Haggard cannot gain what he is looking for by imprisoning the unicorns. He will perish, and so will his kingdom. The unicorn, much like the viewer, is changed by the events of the movie, and while we return into our respective worlds in our original forms, we are irrevocably transformed by the experience. This is why The Last Unicorn is great cinema and one of my favourite movies of all time. Not because it's a kid's animated movie, but because the metaphor at the heart of the story describes the human soul.
I actually feel much better about Molly’s character with this theory. I feel like if I took his as her past,, she makes more sense, her presence has more depth and meaning. And her attitude is even more justified. Thank you such an awesome theory!
Made it to the end. This theory makes So much sense! Like I had figured that Molly had tried to call a unicorn some time in her youth but her pained reaction makes way more sense if she was a princess.
Yeah no. It doesn't make any sense at all. Otherwise where would the "ten years ago" line come from? She was angry because she used to be young and beautiful, but now she's old and has lost hope. The line Haggard says was because, like him, Molly is a deeply unhappy person, the face of someone weighed down with the burden of an unhappy life.
@@WobblesandBean yeah... This comment is from three years ago and I don't feel like rewatching the theory video or the movie. So based on what I said three years ago I disagree with you on this 👍
I first saw The Last Unicorn when I was five. Thus began my obsession with Unicorns and their mythology. We would rent the video from a Scottish video chain called "Kingsway Video". There was only one copy, and it got to the point that the manager gave me the video to keep. I watched that VHS until the tape snapped when I was 11. I used sellotape to repair it, but it got lost when we moved. I spent YEARS trying to track down another copy. This was pre-internet access, so I had to do a lot of writing to video companies etc. I managed to source it from the USA only to find my VHS was a different format. I then spent money having a specialist transfer it over into the UK format. When they released it on DVD, I was the first person at the shop to buy it. I have the book, and know it word for word. I cry every single time. For Molly's lost innocence; for Schmendrick's lack of self esteem; for Lear and Amalthea's unrequited love; and for the return of the unicorns. I know it's daft, but the "cutesy" unicorns that are all the rage today don't have the elegance or strength of the classical style.
This is one of the most interesting theories, I've heard in my lifetime. Even if it's not canon, it still adds up. When you mentioned the line where it said that Molly had a face like Haggard's, I actually said, "hmm" right before you did.
Great theory! I've always cried at Molly's breakdown and seen it as Beagle really empathetically showing how patriarchal societies treat older women, especially those who are unmarried and living lives outside of the stereotypes of maid, mother and crone: intelligent, brave women with so much potential are ignored or belittled. I saw only Mollygrue's sadness at her aging, which is one of the themes of the book. I absolutely love your idea though and it's now firmly in my head cannon. Subscribed! Xxx
Molly's 38. Lir's 21. 17/18 years apart? Gosh, that adds up! What if Molly is Lir's mother, and she's the one who left him to be found? Think of that ... in light of the unicorn not showing up, only to show up later to fall in love with Lir! Great video! Made Molly's character much less "random" in a story about inescapable fate (Jungian archetypes playing their respective parts and all). ;)
I would love to know her official backstory from the author, but it seems like Molly is there to keep the party grounded, because she WAS a dream chaser and has to live with the reality that dreams can fail.
I think there was a spin-off short story in a book I had as a kid. I still have it somewhere. It's a book filled with short stories by various authors called "A Glory of Unicorns". Can't remember the credited main author but I know the book is Scholastic.
My personal interpretation is that Molly isn't a daughter to Haggard. I think her fantasies of magical romance suggest a young woman who never really had a lot of prospects for that kind of life and she grew up poor and trying to better her situation, but this theory is really good and interesting! I love the idea that it could be another layer to Haggard's story.
Yeah I Don't think he's her daughter (not a bad theory). Only because I believe he says he had never been a father and thought a son would make him happy implying he had no children before Lyr.
@@littlesongbird1 Another point is that with a son, he has a chance to have his line continue. Also, Peter Beagle never even hinted that Haggard was ever married.
Love this theory... even the pieces of it has a depth Molly has been such an important character in the story. The character Molly speaks and reflects of personal regret, but also the cruelty of humans and how some we view as lower, are victims of others’ greed and status
I was a bit confused about the bit you mentioned about Cully saving Molly from a forced marriage, since I'd just re-read the book and I didn't remember anything along those lines. I just looked through the book again and I think I found the passage that you were referring to. The thing is, that part was just Schmendrick rattling off tropes from the kind of folk hero that Cully styles himself after; there was no implication that any of it had actually happened. It does say that Molly had lived with Cully for seventeen years, and implies that she ran off with him because she was won over by his poetry. That's about all we get for Molly's backstory, though, unless I've missed something.
In the book, there was a princess calling out for a unicorn to visit her. This was supposed to happen before she married a prince. But the unicorn ignored her. I think that princes was Molly and that's why she was mad at the unicorn for showing up too late.
The Last Unicorn has long been one of my favorite books with a movie that I also love (a VERY rare thing. Princess Bride, Star Dust, very few others) and Molly is one of the best characters in the book. This theory seems delightfully, and EXTREMELY, possible. I totally believe it. I think I am overdue for a rewatch/reread. Incidentally, you know what always made me sad? TLU is my favorite Peter S. Beagle book... but his LEAST favorite. I read an interview where he HATED it, and even said it was garbage he wished he'd never written. While I believe his stance on that softened later on, it still made me so sad, like he was dissing a friend of mine. Anyway, Fangirl, fantastic vid. 🤓💟🦄
I'd never heard that Beagle hates TLU! That's so sad to hear! Honestly, while I love that book, I've never heard of him as an author anywhere else, so TLU seems to be his most known work. I hope he has changed that mindset over the years, but maybe he doesn't like it because people always want more of the same, which effects his writing? Who knows?
I love this theory. Mine was always that she had a hard life and waiting to see a unicorn was what made her hold on through the hard times. But eventually as she got older she gave up hope and just settled in to life taking care of Cully and his men. She became complacent and jaded. That was why she was so angry when the unicorn finally showed up. She waited so long she lost her hope and the beauty in her life that unicorns represented. If the unicorn had visited her when she was young her life may have turned out very different. Instead she had lots of pain and trauma and probably went through hell. That’s why she said how dare you come to me now, when I am THIS. She wasn’t just talking about how she had physically aged, she was talking about her soul and how she lost her childlike joy and innocence she had when young and how not seeing a unicorn was a symbol of lifelong pain and loss. I love Molly. Even more so in the book than the movie. My garden witch statue is named Molly Grue. Haven’t found a unicorn for her yet through ❤
I dunno...it's an interesting and well-thought-out theory, but neither Molly nor Haggard show any sort of recognition, nor did Molly seem to know her way around the castle she would've grown up in. Nor did she seem to have come from royalty. (Besides, the book seems to indicate that Haggard had never married nor sired children--the folk of Hagsgate say something along the lines of "of course Lir had to be the abandoned baby from our town square--any woman who'd be willing to marry Haggard, even Haggard wouldn't have.") I think Molly's backstory went like this--she was a simple village girl in love with tales of romance and chivalry, which included unicorns. Her family hoped she'd marry someone else--maybe the son of a prosperous farmer--but something so practical didn't appeal to the girl, and when Captain Cully came along, she saw her chance of being the heroine of a romantic story--a Maid Marian. So she ran off with him, breaking her family's hearts. But after she'd lived with him a while, the nasty, grubby reality set in--these were no Robin Hood and his Merry Men, but a self-centered loser and a bunch of wannabes. I also speculate that she bore Cully a child--who died soon after birth. (Hence, her anger and venom towards the Hagsgate folk for abandoning a baby to freeze to death.) She was heartbroken, but Cully, though he tried to hide it, was secretly *relieved* not to have the extra responsibility. Molly saw his relief, and tried to return to her home and her village, but her father angrily rejected her and none of her old friends and neighbors would take her in: "You thought you were too good for us, didn't you? You made your bed and you can lie in it!" So there was nothing for her to do but return to Cully, and spend the next years as part of a pathetic, self-deluded band of outlaws...her dreams of beauty and romance long dead. Until, one day in her mid-to-late thirties, a unicorn came to her at last...and her first reaction was anger that it couldn't have happened back when she believed in romance and chivalry and magic with her whole heart.
Hey, fangirl, you know about the theory on Rapunzel and Elsa's power? I kinda have bumped around the fact that Rapunzel, who has golden hair and a glad, "sunny" and optimistic personality, like the sun/day, was the one that received the powers from a sun drop. I also can't ignore the fact that her rejuvenating powers works for the skin and age similar to a healthy exposion to the sunlight. While about Elsa, she's pale, beautiful and bright, just like the moon, but when she's emotionally unstable, she becomes dark and cold, just like the night, and i guess i don't have to point out that her powers can be similar to a dark fantasy version of a desease or even death to long exposure to the cold So basically, what i'm trying to say is, what if their main personality traits seen in the movies are similar/based on the celestial bodies that "gifted" them? Also, they both have freckles, wich, to me, is some kind of parallel to the "spots" we see on sun and moon illustrations Does that make sense to you?
Oh yeah I think the writers definitely took that notion into account during development. Honestly, I’m surprised Rapunzel isn’t more mentally messed up over being kidnapped, so maybe the flower influence helps to explain that too?
I'm late to this amazing video, but I want to add my tidbit that I feel adds to this theory: In the book, during the side show, Mommy Fortuna herself pretends to be death in one of the cages and sings a song which scares the audience if I remember correctly. When we meet Molly, and she decides to come along with Schmendrick and the unicorn, she sings the exact same song absent mindedly. When asked how she knows that tune, she says something along the lines of, "oh I heard it when I was young." King Haggard never paid a powerful witch that made the castle for him, AND he clearly did try everything to make himself happy. So, I think Mommy Fortuna was not just the witch he never paid, but she was also the woman he married at most, or the woman he had a kid with at the very least. And I think that kid was Molly.
Have not read the book or seen the movie but I enjoyed this theory. Molly sounds very complex and it's interesting that you created a backstory for her based on clues and scraps of information. You impressed me yet again. Great job.
Hey, I made it to the end! Idea that links into this theory: What if Haggard didn't get to have a kid, because he didn't get to get married because...Molly, the princess he was supposed to marry, ran off with some ragamuffin called Captain Cully? That could fill in some gaps too, I suppose. :)
Interesting theory. I don't agree (I just think Molly would've shown more familiarity with Haggard if it were true), but it is interesting. I've always wondered more if she wasn't the one that secretly left Lir behind - being young and recently run away from home, or maybe just because Cully reminded her that outlaw life was no place for a child. She could be *familiar* with Hagsgate without being from it...hence why she was able to have a kid. She ran away from her wealthy family and ended up on the outskirts of the town that couldn't have kids...swolled with one herself. She does tend to provide Lir with that...motherly direction, supportive guidance.
I thought you were angling to theorize that Lir is Molly's son. If she's 38 when he is 21, the timeline matches, and if she returned home as you say to marry the rich kid, then at the ceremony, the unicorn could well have refused her by because she was pregnant with Cully's child and therefore impure. Furious, Haggard disowns her and she is forced to return to Cully, but when she has the baby, she can't bring herself to raise the child in a bandit camp, so she abandons Lir in Hagsgate, where Haggard finds and adopts him. If that's true, when she says, "It would be the last unicorn in the world that would come to Molly Grue," it is all the more heart-wrenching. Love your stuff, keep it up! ~Fake
That would definitely work as a movie theory, but the book names his father. He's one of the people of Hagsgate and almost brags about dumping the baby to die, but that Haggard finds instead.
It explains Molly's familiarity with Hag's Gate and Haggard's castle. You could say her lack of fear of Haggard is just her personality, though. She acts the same way towards Schmendrick and the unicorn. She always speaks her mind. You'd think that means she must have been raised a peasant, not a woman of noble birth. But 'The Last Unicorn' mocks fantasy tropes. It fits the story's style if they used Molly's story as a way of mocking the "classic princess" tropes.
Now here is the thing with me. I was young when I saw this movie, at that age you don't think the way you think 30 years later. Now after thinking about it as an adult. You have a completely different interpretation. That feeling hit me most with you bringing up how bold Molly was with king Leer. I always wrote it off as just her dont hold back personality. After all I only saw the movie. You bring up little details and hints in the book that support your interpretation. And yes I think leer is also senile and has memory issues. even in the movie he seems as if it is difficult for him to recall and find his memories.
OMG, would you be willing to tweet me a photo of it? I LOVE tattoos, and The Last Unicorn, but I've never found a tattoo of TLU where I was like "this is the one!" @the_fanily
DUDE OH MY GOD THIS THEORY IS SO LEGIT OH MY GOD I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IT'S AMAZING WOW I LOVE ALL OF YOUR THEORIES BUT I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS ONE IS ANYTHING BUT CANON. THIS IS REAL. THANK YOU FOR CONNECTING THESE PIECES YOU'RE AMAZING!!!!!!
The Fangirl I haven't seen the whole movie since I was at least seven, and Im sixteen now. I dont even think we have the dvd anymore. Probably because it was my favourite, ao much so that we put a sticker of a unicorn on my wall!
This makes a lot of sense. I think this is absolutely true. I watched this movie as a child so so much, and now I understand poor Molly. I identified with her as a child, bc my mother left me, and then tried to come back into my life, and when Molly broke down I cried as a child. How dare you, how dare you is right. Oh, poor Molly. I am very glad I watched this video.
Not a bad theory. It has one issue, Mabrook. As the court Wizard who remembers Shemdrick, and can see the Unicorn, He would have recognized Molly. I met Peter Beagle about 20 years ago, if I had known about this theory, I would have asked him.
I had my own theory, specifically as regards Molly's lament, Why do you come to me now, when I am like this? My theory is that Molly as a girl was enthralled with magic and wonder, chiefly at the existence of unicorns. When Molly, as we meet her in the book says those words, she is older, somewhat defeated by life and no longer has the child's faith in magic and myth. She sees herself as wasted, in a bleak life with no more mystery than why she has so many holes in her blanket. This theory however, does not negate your own.
Hey, I made it to the end!… a few years after this has been posted… but still! This theory makes a lot of sense to me and does fill in some gaps nicely. I will have to check out your other videos!
Hey, I made it to the end! XD Also, I absolutely adored this theory. I had no idea that there was ever a graphic novel, but I loved Molly Grue's character. I think it was stated in the book that the reason why all the bandits and Molly ran after the illusions of Robin Hood's band was due to their own dreams. In that case, could Molly's idolizing the Maid Marian be due to her feeling as though her father is much like Prince John was -- a tyrant that needed to be rebelled upon? What with the curse and all. If such was the case, it would make her leaving behind her old life even more complex, perhaps more bitter because it's obvious she and the men gave up on their dreams and became complacent with the roles they fell into as bandits that started out not really having a clue what they were doing (if anything, Molly seems to be the brains of the whole outfit and the only one with her stuff together due to Cully's egotism and the others just seeming to be along for the ride).
Technically this is my first theory on a book. :) I've done Book vs Movie's before and reviewed The Lost Version of TLU, but I haven't tried to analyze it before today.
That theory makes a lot of sense. Before, I found it more likely that Molly Grue was actually Mommy Fortuna's daughter (and that Mommy Fortuna was the witch who cursed Haggard), and that that was the reason she knew the magical world (although she had even less powers than Shmendrick).
I remember thinking about this when I was little because everyone else was terrified to say anything to King Haggard but Molly was upfront and to the point with him. I definitely agree with your theory! Very well done in my opinion :)
The last Unicorn is my all time favorite movie and I approve this theory xD I've thought similar things about Molly. Thank you for putting it into words. xD
Before Christopher Lee- voice of King Haggard- passed away, I always thought Peter Jackson would do an awesome job at turning The Last Unicorn into a movie. Not as a cartoon, I mean. The Balrog that he created in Moria- dwarfs mines in Lord Of The Rings- would've made the Perfect Red Bull! Every time I watch LOTR and see that scene with the Flaming Demon Balrog; then to hear Chris Lee's voice I just know he could produce an awesome movie! It's really sad that Christopher passed away, and his over all person and voice would be hard to match, but I still hold hope that one day it will be turned into a Movie! I have an entire list of who I think would play good characters. Lol To bad I can't make my ideas and suggestions go viral in hopes Peter Jackson or another producer would fall in love with the idea and making me one happy girl by giving us all a movie!
He could be her father, but what if he was the rich man she was supposed to marry? What if the age difference, and his cruelty, freaked her out so she ran away?
i wasn't allowed to watch this movie for so many years as a kid bc they said a "bad word" in it. (I think it was just "hell" ?? or "damn" idk) but when i watched it i was like jesus this is actually messed up. it's seriously a little unsettling.
I'm so glad you did this video for her.. As a child, this film was introduced to me as my mother's favorite. I could tell she liked Molly the most. It always suck to me when she cried, "why Now? Why now when I'm old and have lost my innocence?? Why did you not come to me when I needed you back then?!" and then calms down and forgives her. I loved that scene, lots of life lessons.
Same. Idk why that scene gets to me so bad but im crying every time i watch it. But the whole movie makes me hella emotional so
I always wondered why Molly reacted that way to the unicorn. I just thought she was upset to never meet one as a kid and was sad.
I don't really think she was a princess or Hagard's daughter. I think she was just some common peasant girl that was going to get hitched to another family because her family were barely getting by and Hagard was taxing up through the nose. So, Molly was offered to another family but she got raped before her wedding day. The guy threw off the wedding and Molly was stuck with Culley as he was seen as just as pathetic as she was. Being a pariah has its quirks sometimes, you aren't expected to act your position in your society. You aren't as expected to be a farmer's wife if you're a prostitute. Heck, nobody will miss you so why should you miss them?
@@Neku628 There is a difference between rape and prostitution. Rape is a form of violent torture. Prostitution is a form of slavery in which many rapes are done to the slave and money is paid to the slave owner. People who get raped are rape victims, not slaves. But often 1 rape can lead to more rapes which leads to the person being enslaved with all the bloodshed and torture and terror. I'm a human trafficking survivor, which is the rape slavery of children. I can tell you that I did not miss people who wanted me to be in a forced marriage with anyone, because I was focusing on surviving torture and trying to escape from violence and slavery. But I did miss having positive interaction with other humans. Being in a forced marriage means that you will get violently raped by your husband. This is bad. It's better to be celibate. Or marry a man you actually love.
When I was a child I didn’t get it
As an adult with severe trauma I do
I thought for the longest time that the unicorn did see her before but gradually stopped seeing Molly in her time of need
Hi fun fact Molly as a name means bitter and can be short for Mallory which means unfortunate
Sounds like a name haggard would give an ill fated unwanted child and would explain her tragic fate
She was born unfortunate and became bitter
Oooh, how amazing! Honesty Molly is such a common name that I didn’t think to look it up!
really?😰 than what does Holly means since it rymes?🤔 ! ! ! ! !
Holly is a plant. The spikey leaves and red berries you see during christmas
@@fairymairah Holly is also a symbol of peace and good luck. I should know since that happens to be my first name irl.
You know, this may be more of a conspiracy theory, but maybe the reason why the king locked up the unicorns on the sea was because of Molly! Think about it, he was upset with his daughter because a Unicorn didn’t show up to prove she was a virgin. When her soon to be husband found out this, he called off the wedding and Molly’s father disowned her. Perhaps this hatred towards her daughter turned towards the unicorns. After all, he needed to rely on the presence of one to start the marriage and when one didn’t show up, he was so angry he wanted them to pay. So he banished them, thinking that if they couldn’t bring him happiness then no one should be happy because of the unicorns.
Oooh, I love it when viewers help prove me right! I didn't even think to tie it in that way, but you are right! Haggard actually says that his only time of happiness was when he saw a unicorn in his youth - which was probably related to his wife (Princess Whatever) when she performed the ceremony and a unicorn came to her! If he was hopeful for the prospect of marriage, seeing the unicorn would not only be a sigh of relief for young Haggard, it would tie in with his feeling of romance. And who know? Maybe he did love his wife very much, but she died and gave him such pain that he doesn't associate her memory with joy at all, and it all get directed back to the greatest feeling of happiness when the unicorn appeared. And it all got whipped up into another unicorns-are-awesome frenzy after knowing the pain and embarrassment when a unicorn does NOT appear!
And I have a dozen typos with no edit button in my creator studio, lol. Whoops!
The Fangirl it’s fine. I’m glad I could help. It was just a crazy idea but based on your theory it makes more sense.
@@TheFangirlWatches love your theory and agree with Cosmo. Also add the brokenness men feel when those they objectify don't live up to expectations. Three in one.
Thanks for the unique prospective.
That's a valid way of looking at Haggard's fascination with unicorns. Yet I find that Haggard's fascination with unicorns and his attempt to capture them is because he wants to recapture the innocence and strength of youth, perhaps even immortality. Unicorns aren't mortal. The journey of the last unicorn in being transformed into a woman and realizing that she is alone in the world is one of the immortal personification of innocence realising mortality, frailty, change. Molly Grue gets broken down because the unicorn arrives far beyond the years of her innocence. Certainly within surface level of story logic the reason is because she couldn't call the unicorn to prove her innocence, but what has more impact, the loss of innocence or the loss of face? Haggard is old. He knows that death is coming for him. Death is all around him and his kingdom. But in the same way that we can never quite recapture the innocent days of our childhood, Haggard cannot gain what he is looking for by imprisoning the unicorns. He will perish, and so will his kingdom. The unicorn, much like the viewer, is changed by the events of the movie, and while we return into our respective worlds in our original forms, we are irrevocably transformed by the experience.
This is why The Last Unicorn is great cinema and one of my favourite movies of all time. Not because it's a kid's animated movie, but because the metaphor at the heart of the story describes the human soul.
I actually feel much better about Molly’s character with this theory. I feel like if I took his as her past,, she makes more sense, her presence has more depth and meaning. And her attitude is even more justified.
Thank you such an awesome theory!
I always get so sad for Molly, but it took so many years for me to really get her situation and why she was upset.
Made it to the end. This theory makes So much sense! Like I had figured that Molly had tried to call a unicorn some time in her youth but her pained reaction makes way more sense if she was a princess.
Exactly! And then when I re-read the book, I was like "wait, why does she know the right way? And why does Haggard mention her face looking like his?"
The Fangirl that "face like mine" line is the final nail for me. Its a strange thing to say out of no where!
Jordan Green same
Yeah no. It doesn't make any sense at all. Otherwise where would the "ten years ago" line come from? She was angry because she used to be young and beautiful, but now she's old and has lost hope. The line Haggard says was because, like him, Molly is a deeply unhappy person, the face of someone weighed down with the burden of an unhappy life.
@@WobblesandBean yeah... This comment is from three years ago and I don't feel like rewatching the theory video or the movie. So based on what I said three years ago I disagree with you on this 👍
THIS WAS MY FAVORITE MOVIE IVE NEVER SEEN A THEORY ON IT BEFORE HOLY MOLY
I know! I'm shocked there aren't a billion theories on this gem! This is like the best, most iconic movie/book that get so easily forgotten!
The Fangirl ikr! Thanks so much for this!!!
I first saw The Last Unicorn when I was five. Thus began my obsession with Unicorns and their mythology. We would rent the video from a Scottish video chain called "Kingsway Video". There was only one copy, and it got to the point that the manager gave me the video to keep. I watched that VHS until the tape snapped when I was 11. I used sellotape to repair it, but it got lost when we moved.
I spent YEARS trying to track down another copy. This was pre-internet access, so I had to do a lot of writing to video companies etc. I managed to source it from the USA only to find my VHS was a different format. I then spent money having a specialist transfer it over into the UK format.
When they released it on DVD, I was the first person at the shop to buy it. I have the book, and know it word for word.
I cry every single time. For Molly's lost innocence; for Schmendrick's lack of self esteem; for Lear and Amalthea's unrequited love; and for the return of the unicorns.
I know it's daft, but the "cutesy" unicorns that are all the rage today don't have the elegance or strength of the classical style.
This is one of the most interesting theories, I've heard in my lifetime. Even if it's not canon, it still adds up. When you mentioned the line where it said that Molly had a face like Haggard's, I actually said, "hmm" right before you did.
Great theory! I've always cried at Molly's breakdown and seen it as Beagle really empathetically showing how patriarchal societies treat older women, especially those who are unmarried and living lives outside of the stereotypes of maid, mother and crone: intelligent, brave women with so much potential are ignored or belittled. I saw only Mollygrue's sadness at her aging, which is one of the themes of the book.
I absolutely love your idea though and it's now firmly in my head cannon. Subscribed! Xxx
Molly's 38. Lir's 21. 17/18 years apart? Gosh, that adds up! What if Molly is Lir's mother, and she's the one who left him to be found? Think of that ... in light of the unicorn not showing up, only to show up later to fall in love with Lir!
Great video! Made Molly's character much less "random" in a story about inescapable fate (Jungian archetypes playing their respective parts and all). ;)
Is it strange that Molly was always my favorite?? I really wanted a spin-off with her as the protagonist.
I would love to know her official backstory from the author, but it seems like Molly is there to keep the party grounded, because she WAS a dream chaser and has to live with the reality that dreams can fail.
I think there was a spin-off short story in a book I had as a kid. I still have it somewhere. It's a book filled with short stories by various authors called "A Glory of Unicorns". Can't remember the credited main author but I know the book is Scholastic.
There is a sequel book called two hearts made by the same author although no movie adaptation exists I don’t think
My personal interpretation is that Molly isn't a daughter to Haggard. I think her fantasies of magical romance suggest a young woman who never really had a lot of prospects for that kind of life and she grew up poor and trying to better her situation, but this theory is really good and interesting! I love the idea that it could be another layer to Haggard's story.
Yeah I Don't think he's her daughter (not a bad theory). Only because I believe he says he had never been a father and thought a son would make him happy implying he had no children before Lyr.
@@littlesongbird1 Another point is that with a son, he has a chance to have his line continue. Also, Peter Beagle never even hinted that Haggard was ever married.
Love this theory... even the pieces of it has a depth
Molly has been such an important character in the story.
The character Molly speaks and reflects of personal regret, but also the cruelty of humans and how some we view as lower, are victims of others’ greed and status
I loved the last unicorn as a kid
Same here
I was a bit confused about the bit you mentioned about Cully saving Molly from a forced marriage, since I'd just re-read the book and I didn't remember anything along those lines. I just looked through the book again and I think I found the passage that you were referring to. The thing is, that part was just Schmendrick rattling off tropes from the kind of folk hero that Cully styles himself after; there was no implication that any of it had actually happened.
It does say that Molly had lived with Cully for seventeen years, and implies that she ran off with him because she was won over by his poetry. That's about all we get for Molly's backstory, though, unless I've missed something.
I like the theory sounds pretty legit. Keep the good work up
Thanks, I'll try! :)
Molly and Haggard can see unicorns, whereas Lir cannot. I love your theory.
Thank you, I’m glad you like it!
In the book, there was a princess calling out for a unicorn to visit her. This was supposed to happen before she married a prince. But the unicorn ignored her. I think that princes was Molly and that's why she was mad at the unicorn for showing up too late.
The Last Unicorn has long been one of my favorite books with a movie that I also love (a VERY rare thing. Princess Bride, Star Dust, very few others) and Molly is one of the best characters in the book. This theory seems delightfully, and EXTREMELY, possible. I totally believe it. I think I am overdue for a rewatch/reread. Incidentally, you know what always made me sad? TLU is my favorite Peter S. Beagle book... but his LEAST favorite. I read an interview where he HATED it, and even said it was garbage he wished he'd never written. While I believe his stance on that softened later on, it still made me so sad, like he was dissing a friend of mine. Anyway, Fangirl, fantastic vid. 🤓💟🦄
I'd never heard that Beagle hates TLU! That's so sad to hear! Honestly, while I love that book, I've never heard of him as an author anywhere else, so TLU seems to be his most known work. I hope he has changed that mindset over the years, but maybe he doesn't like it because people always want more of the same, which effects his writing? Who knows?
I love this theory. Mine was always that she had a hard life and waiting to see a unicorn was what made her hold on through the hard times. But eventually as she got older she gave up hope and just settled in to life taking care of Cully and his men. She became complacent and jaded. That was why she was so angry when the unicorn finally showed up. She waited so long she lost her hope and the beauty in her life that unicorns represented. If the unicorn had visited her when she was young her life may have turned out very different. Instead she had lots of pain and trauma and probably went through hell. That’s why she said how dare you come to me now, when I am THIS. She wasn’t just talking about how she had physically aged, she was talking about her soul and how she lost her childlike joy and innocence she had when young and how not seeing a unicorn was a symbol of lifelong pain and loss. I love Molly. Even more so in the book than the movie. My garden witch statue is named Molly Grue. Haven’t found a unicorn for her yet through ❤
I dunno...it's an interesting and well-thought-out theory, but neither Molly nor Haggard show any sort of recognition, nor did Molly seem to know her way around the castle she would've grown up in. Nor did she seem to have come from royalty. (Besides, the book seems to indicate that Haggard had never married nor sired children--the folk of Hagsgate say something along the lines of "of course Lir had to be the abandoned baby from our town square--any woman who'd be willing to marry Haggard, even Haggard wouldn't have.")
I think Molly's backstory went like this--she was a simple village girl in love with tales of romance and chivalry, which included unicorns. Her family hoped she'd marry someone else--maybe the son of a prosperous farmer--but something so practical didn't appeal to the girl, and when Captain Cully came along, she saw her chance of being the heroine of a romantic story--a Maid Marian. So she ran off with him, breaking her family's hearts. But after she'd lived with him a while, the nasty, grubby reality set in--these were no Robin Hood and his Merry Men, but a self-centered loser and a bunch of wannabes. I also speculate that she bore Cully a child--who died soon after birth. (Hence, her anger and venom towards the Hagsgate folk for abandoning a baby to freeze to death.) She was heartbroken, but Cully, though he tried to hide it, was secretly *relieved* not to have the extra responsibility. Molly saw his relief, and tried to return to her home and her village, but her father angrily rejected her and none of her old friends and neighbors would take her in: "You thought you were too good for us, didn't you? You made your bed and you can lie in it!" So there was nothing for her to do but return to Cully, and spend the next years as part of a pathetic, self-deluded band of outlaws...her dreams of beauty and romance long dead. Until, one day in her mid-to-late thirties, a unicorn came to her at last...and her first reaction was anger that it couldn't have happened back when she believed in romance and chivalry and magic with her whole heart.
Hey, fangirl, you know about the theory on Rapunzel and Elsa's power?
I kinda have bumped around the fact that Rapunzel, who has golden hair and a glad, "sunny" and optimistic personality, like the sun/day, was the one that received the powers from a sun drop. I also can't ignore the fact that her rejuvenating powers works for the skin and age similar to a healthy exposion to the sunlight.
While about Elsa, she's pale, beautiful and bright, just like the moon, but when she's emotionally unstable, she becomes dark and cold, just like the night, and i guess i don't have to point out that her powers can be similar to a dark fantasy version of a desease or even death to long exposure to the cold
So basically, what i'm trying to say is, what if their main personality traits seen in the movies are similar/based on the celestial bodies that "gifted" them?
Also, they both have freckles, wich, to me, is some kind of parallel to the "spots" we see on sun and moon illustrations
Does that make sense to you?
Oh yeah I think the writers definitely took that notion into account during development. Honestly, I’m surprised Rapunzel isn’t more mentally messed up over being kidnapped, so maybe the flower influence helps to explain that too?
The Fangirl
That's plausible 'cause, if it was me, i would wake in the middle of the night aggressively screaming "NO, GOTHEL! GO AWAY!"
That theory sounds like Twitches lol
I'm late to this amazing video, but I want to add my tidbit that I feel adds to this theory:
In the book, during the side show, Mommy Fortuna herself pretends to be death in one of the cages and sings a song which scares the audience if I remember correctly. When we meet Molly, and she decides to come along with Schmendrick and the unicorn, she sings the exact same song absent mindedly. When asked how she knows that tune, she says something along the lines of, "oh I heard it when I was young."
King Haggard never paid a powerful witch that made the castle for him, AND he clearly did try everything to make himself happy. So, I think Mommy Fortuna was not just the witch he never paid, but she was also the woman he married at most, or the woman he had a kid with at the very least. And I think that kid was Molly.
Have not read the book or seen the movie but I enjoyed this theory. Molly sounds very complex and it's interesting that you created a backstory for her based on clues and scraps of information. You impressed me yet again. Great job.
Oooh, honey, if you have Netflix try to at least watch the movie, it is very engrossing!
Will do!
Hey, I made it to the end!
Idea that links into this theory: What if Haggard didn't get to have a kid, because he didn't get to get married because...Molly, the princess he was supposed to marry, ran off with some ragamuffin called Captain Cully? That could fill in some gaps too, I suppose. :)
i love this
Interesting theory. I don't agree (I just think Molly would've shown more familiarity with Haggard if it were true), but it is interesting. I've always wondered more if she wasn't the one that secretly left Lir behind - being young and recently run away from home, or maybe just because Cully reminded her that outlaw life was no place for a child. She could be *familiar* with Hagsgate without being from it...hence why she was able to have a kid. She ran away from her wealthy family and ended up on the outskirts of the town that couldn't have kids...swolled with one herself. She does tend to provide Lir with that...motherly direction, supportive guidance.
I thought you were angling to theorize that Lir is Molly's son. If she's 38 when he is 21, the timeline matches, and if she returned home as you say to marry the rich kid, then at the ceremony, the unicorn could well have refused her by because she was pregnant with Cully's child and therefore impure. Furious, Haggard disowns her and she is forced to return to Cully, but when she has the baby, she can't bring herself to raise the child in a bandit camp, so she abandons Lir in Hagsgate, where Haggard finds and adopts him. If that's true, when she says, "It would be the last unicorn in the world that would come to Molly Grue," it is all the more heart-wrenching.
Love your stuff, keep it up! ~Fake
That would definitely work as a movie theory, but the book names his father. He's one of the people of Hagsgate and almost brags about dumping the baby to die, but that Haggard finds instead.
Happy 200th theory!! You’ve always been amazing and inspiring The Fangirl!
Thank you so much! ❤️
*THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS!!!!* *I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO REMEMBERED THE LAST UINCORN!!!!*
I'm glad you got 200 videos!!
Not overthinking. Thinking like a genius. It all makes sense.
lol, well thank you! 💕
Great video like always! You are amazing! I love you!
Thank you darling! Love you too! :)
Wow that was amazing; a new sliver to one of my favourite stories!
Made it to the end! Great video, and fantastic theory about Molly Gru.
This actually makes some sense. Molly’s grief at the unicorn not coming to her did seem over the top, and this explanation is very plausible.
It explains Molly's familiarity with Hag's Gate and Haggard's castle. You could say her lack of fear of Haggard is just her personality, though. She acts the same way towards Schmendrick and the unicorn. She always speaks her mind. You'd think that means she must have been raised a peasant, not a woman of noble birth. But 'The Last Unicorn' mocks fantasy tropes. It fits the story's style if they used Molly's story as a way of mocking the "classic princess" tropes.
Now here is the thing with me. I was young when I saw this movie, at that age you don't think the way you think 30 years later. Now after thinking about it as an adult. You have a completely different interpretation. That feeling hit me most with you bringing up how bold Molly was with king Leer. I always wrote it off as just her dont hold back personality. After all I only saw the movie. You bring up little details and hints in the book that support your interpretation. And yes I think leer is also senile and has memory issues. even in the movie he seems as if it is difficult for him to recall and find his memories.
Congratulations on 200 amazing videos. Heres to another 200
Made it to the end, and I appreciate that you've done three Last Unicorn videos without any energy drink jokes.
I literally just got my Last Unicorn tattoo on my feet (Unicorn on one, RB on the other) the other day so I'm SO HYPED FOR THIS THEORY.
OMG, would you be willing to tweet me a photo of it? I LOVE tattoos, and The Last Unicorn, but I've never found a tattoo of TLU where I was like "this is the one!" @the_fanily
On it, bluebonnet!
Thank you so much for this!
DUDE OH MY GOD THIS THEORY IS SO LEGIT OH MY GOD I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IT'S AMAZING WOW I LOVE ALL OF YOUR THEORIES BUT I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS ONE IS ANYTHING BUT CANON. THIS IS REAL. THANK YOU FOR CONNECTING THESE PIECES YOU'RE AMAZING!!!!!!
Thanks for giving this amazing movie more attention!!
It deserves so much more attention than I can give it!
The Fangirl I haven't seen the whole movie since I was at least seven, and Im sixteen now. I dont even think we have the dvd anymore. Probably because it was my favourite, ao much so that we put a sticker of a unicorn on my wall!
Simon and Maddie Hoff. If you are wanting to see it the movie should be on Netflix
Wow! Now that's a theory I would NOT have thought of!
This makes a lot of sense. I think this is absolutely true. I watched this movie as a child so so much, and now I understand poor Molly. I identified with her as a child, bc my mother left me, and then tried to come back into my life, and when Molly broke down I cried as a child. How dare you, how dare you is right. Oh, poor Molly. I am very glad I watched this video.
The movie's on Netflix just so everyone's aware
My only gripe is that they don't have the remastered version, so the color's kind of dingy.
The Fangirl good point
They don't have it on Netflix anymore but it's uploaded on TH-cam for anyone who's wondering
@@adriianbacha theres a website called afdah and it also has the movie there if your interested. Idk if its the same as the one on TH-cam, maybe.
AHHHHHHHHHH
HAPPY 200!!!!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank you for coming to celebrate with me!
Congratulations on the 200th episode
I really liked Molly as a character.
Not a bad theory. It has one issue, Mabrook. As the court Wizard who remembers Shemdrick, and can see the Unicorn, He would have recognized Molly. I met Peter Beagle about 20 years ago, if I had known about this theory, I would have asked him.
I made it to the end of the video and loved it! Keep up the good work :)
I had my own theory, specifically as regards Molly's lament, Why do you come to me now, when I am like this? My theory is that Molly as a girl was enthralled with magic and wonder, chiefly at the existence of unicorns. When Molly, as we meet her in the book says those words, she is older, somewhat defeated by life and no longer has the child's faith in magic and myth. She sees herself as wasted, in a bleak life with no more mystery than why she has so many holes in her blanket. This theory however, does not negate your own.
Amazing video!
Hey, I made it to the end!… a few years after this has been posted… but still! This theory makes a lot of sense to me and does fill in some gaps nicely. I will have to check out your other videos!
Thanks for that. Molly deserves more!
Hey, I made it to the end! XD
Also, I absolutely adored this theory. I had no idea that there was ever a graphic novel, but I loved Molly Grue's character. I think it was stated in the book that the reason why all the bandits and Molly ran after the illusions of Robin Hood's band was due to their own dreams. In that case, could Molly's idolizing the Maid Marian be due to her feeling as though her father is much like Prince John was -- a tyrant that needed to be rebelled upon? What with the curse and all. If such was the case, it would make her leaving behind her old life even more complex, perhaps more bitter because it's obvious she and the men gave up on their dreams and became complacent with the roles they fell into as bandits that started out not really having a clue what they were doing (if anything, Molly seems to be the brains of the whole outfit and the only one with her stuff together due to Cully's egotism and the others just seeming to be along for the ride).
I ve also never thought about this theory . But th-cam.com/video/zue3iBz33Nc/w-d-xo.html
Wow! It makes so much sense!!! I think you nailed it. As a child I always thought there was something between Molly and hagered
Best movie in my life!!!! Thank you for doing another theory for this.
Technically this is my first theory on a book. :) I've done Book vs Movie's before and reviewed The Lost Version of TLU, but I haven't tried to analyze it before today.
The Fangirl Well I probably forgot that wasn't a theory. But it doesn't really change my mind on this awesome theory.
More plausible than I thought at the start. I'm not completely sold on it as yet, but I'll keep this in mind on my next reading.
Omg this Molly Grue theory is brilliant I think you're on to something!
Wowie, amazing 😊 I never knew this much about Molly, thank you 💕 for your analysis of this great film
I love your theories on The Last Unicorn!! 😍😍😍
Congratulations on your 200th video Fangirl. I hope 2018 is a good year for you.
I hope the same for you, Weegee Slayer! :) And thank you!
That theory makes a lot of sense. Before, I found it more likely that Molly Grue was actually Mommy Fortuna's daughter (and that Mommy Fortuna was the witch who cursed Haggard), and that that was the reason she knew the magical world (although she had even less powers than Shmendrick).
Thank you for this video.
You do awesome work. Bravo!
When you showed the Hagraven, I died 😂😂😂😂
That's a real interesting theory, TFG.
You do good work. Keep it up!
I remember thinking about this when I was little because everyone else was terrified to say anything to King Haggard but Molly was upfront and to the point with him. I definitely agree with your theory! Very well done in my opinion :)
When you were talking about when the witch came to the castle and Hagerd refuse to pay that photoshopped photo had me laughing my head off :)
The last Unicorn is my all time favorite movie and I approve this theory xD I've thought similar things about Molly. Thank you for putting it into words. xD
Cool video & made it all the way
Yay! Thanks for being here!
Congrats on your 200th video. :)
AMAZING! My favorite theory yet! I love the Last Unicorn! ❤️
Just found this channel and it's Amazing!
i love this. thank you. molly gru is a wonderful character and this theory explains a lot.
5:12 Me: What is that ugly creature?
Friend: Oh that's the Ice King from Adventure Time.
Me: I meant the pink one.
Molly's breakdown still makes me cry
i love this movie!!! And congrats on 200th episode!!
It is amazing! And thanks! 🎉
YOU ARE WELCOME, AND THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING! im sorry i didnt respond beforehand, i was buy!
I love The Last Unicorn and your theory makes so much sense. I always wondered about Molly's past.
Meghan
That was an excellent reading of Molly's dialogue.
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
@@TheFangirlWatches I really did. You could be an amazing actress 😁
Happy 200th video and Happy New Year!
Thank you! Go Ravenclaw! And I hope you have a great 2018!
This was my favorite movie for the longest time.
I would still rate it on my top 10 list.
Made it to the end.... Amazing theory! thankyou
Thank u for the 200th videoand if u can wpuld u make a video for the show puppycat and bee
Golden And Crimson Star I love Bee and Puppycat!
Eventually I will sit down and watch all of Bee and Puppycat. I’m still not caught up yet.
The Fangirl ok thank u cant wate
Loved The Last Unicorn as a child.
Good theory.
Love your theory. Makes me want to reread the book with this new over look.
Happy 200th video!
Thanks sweetie! :)
Thank you for the video, I made it to the end, that was a interesting theory!!!
Shall have to examine these ideas in detail.
Very interesting theory. I'm so glad you made this video, it reminded me to take another look at my book.
Hey fangirl!! I just discovered your channel! Love the content ❤️❤️❤️
I watched all of it for the first time last year, before that I only watched about 20 minutes of it.
Now I wanna read the book.
I have dyslexia and hardy ever read, but I love this book so much!
The Fangirl I have dyslexia too! It's mild for me though.
Before Christopher Lee- voice of King Haggard- passed away, I always thought Peter Jackson would do an awesome job at turning The Last Unicorn into a movie. Not as a cartoon, I mean. The Balrog that he created in Moria- dwarfs mines in Lord Of The Rings- would've made the Perfect Red Bull!
Every time I watch LOTR and see that scene with the Flaming Demon Balrog; then to hear Chris Lee's voice I just know he could produce an awesome movie!
It's really sad that Christopher passed away, and his over all person and voice would be hard to match, but I still hold hope that one day it will be turned into a Movie!
I have an entire list of who I think would play good characters. Lol
To bad I can't make my ideas and suggestions go viral in hopes Peter Jackson or another producer would fall in love with the idea and making me one happy girl by giving us all a movie!
Just found your channel through the theorizer. Made it to the end. Interesting theory
LOVE IT 🙌
Greatest movie ever! It's still the best book to movie translation I've ever seen.
The Fangirl I didn’t even know there was a book, now I must read it!
He could be her father, but what if he was the rich man she was supposed to marry? What if the age difference, and his cruelty, freaked her out so she ran away?
i wasn't allowed to watch this movie for so many years as a kid bc they said a "bad word" in it. (I think it was just "hell" ?? or "damn" idk) but when i watched it i was like jesus this is actually messed up. it's seriously a little unsettling.
I love this!
To the end. You’re getting a new subscriber from this.