cks you designed to be ~exotic~ or whatever, and those rabid jerks at Disney can only grit their teeth now!The Last Unicorn, Supplemental · 9:28pm Jan 10th, 2017
Finally actually read the whole book.
And... well, I think the movie's better. Much better, even. 
[Insert pic of mob with pitchforks and torches.]
The book is good, mind you, but I've always had a strong dislike for fantasy characters that spend their entire magical adventure with magical magic whining like children that just lost their favorite toy, and every, single fucking character in the book just won't shut up about how miserable the journey is making them. INCLUDING the magical unicorn full of magical magic.
I do get why those that love the book does so with all their hearts, though. There's quite a lot of beautiful language, and surprisingly surreal 'visuals' in it. The unicorn especially feels inhuman in her instincts and desires while still being (mostly) sympathetic in a way I've only really seen with the fey in Dresden Files. And I will freely admit that was clearly intentionally downplayed in the movie to make her more relatable.
Here's the rub, though: There is a place for angst and lamentation in fiction. Most of the entire third damned act of your story should not be it. 
Frankly? The movie cut near all the fat that bored me in the book, and frankly didn't seem that important in the end. Hag's Gate. The three guards of King Haggard. 90% of the never, ever ending whine from Prince Lir, Schmendrick, and 'Lady Amelia.'
And... Well, some of the book's best line looses their sting when you've heard them with actual acting instead of 'She said.' For all the other beautiful, and descriptive language in this book, Beagle is horrid at getting across in what tone the characters are speaking that it killed the dramatic impact for me. Granted, it can go to far in the other direction quite easily, but a few more, varied descriptors would have really helped.
(Although do I think this is a blind spot of the author himself, not considering the tone as important as the words themselves I mean. There's a reading of the book he's done I've listened to, and it's like hearing somebody talk about their grocery list for seven hours, and it didn't seem like an unhappy coincidence. Sadly. 
)
Wouldn't recommend the book—personally found it the most polished slog I've ever read—but I'm glad it exists and lead to such a fantastic and timeless movie. 
Oh wow.. now theirs a great older movie i haven't seen in.... wow i feel old now.
I rather agree with you, I also prefer the movie to the book. Most of the stuff that actually happens in the castle is pretty boring and can be skipped over, and the movie has a haunting song by America that I love.
That said, there is a sequel to the Last Unicorn, it's a short story Peter Beagle put out in a compendium years later. It's short and pretty good.
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Honestly, the whole soundtrack is supreme. (That one voice-actress not being a singer and it being painfully clear in that one song aside.)
Speaking of: Now that I'm a woman, they actually fixed that in... well, the soundtrack.
It's actually quite decent if you hear it like that. The Last Unicorn is the stand-out track, though. I'll admit that.
Hmm... hadn't heard about that one. I'll check it out. Thanks.
Both are good. But yeah, i prefer the movie not that seeing the movie would stop Lyra from strongly disliking the story (j/k).