| Thelma the Unicorn | |
|---|---|
 Netflix release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Thelma the Unicorn byAaron Blabey |
| Produced by | Pam Coats |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Edie Ichioka[1] |
| Music by | John Powell |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Thelma the Unicorn is a 2024 American animatedmusicalcomedy film written byJared and Jerusha Hess, and directed by Jared Hess and Lynn Wang (in Wang's feature film directorial debut). Based on the children's book series of the same name byAaron Blabey, the film starsBrittany Howard as the titular character, alongside the voices ofWill Forte,Jemaine Clement,Edi Patterson,Fred Armisen,Zach Galifianakis,Jon Heder andShondrella Avery. The film marks the acting debut of Howard Horse.[4]
Thelma the Unicorn was released onNetflix on May 17, 2024, and produced byNetflix Animation Studios,Scholastic Entertainment and Netflix Studios. The film received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Thelma is a small farm pony who dreams of becoming a famous musician alongside her band mates Otis the donkey and Reggie the llama, who form a band called The Rusty Buckets. After humiliating herself at an audition that would have guaranteed them a spot in the singing showcase event SparklePalooza, a clumsy truck driver accidentally drenches Thelma, while wearing a carrot on her forehead, in glitter and pink paint, giving her the appearance of aunicorn. Her appearance attracts a small crowd to her farm, and she seizes this opportunity to sing in front of them. Despite Otis' objections of lying to people in favor of performing as their true selves, Thelma decides to stick with her facade.
A blind retired record dealer named Peggy Purvis, after hearing The Rusty Buckets on TV, decides to make them her new comeback attraction. Soon, Thelma gains the attention of a snooty manager named Vic Diamond, who works for the arrogant singer, Nikki Narwhal. Vic contacts Peggy and after some arm-twisting, convinces her to make Thelma an opening attraction at Nikki's new concert. Reluctantly, Peggy agrees and when they go to rendezvous with Vic, the latter uses a missile to destroy a limo carrying Peggy, her husband Gerald, Otis and Reggie while he and Thelma go on without them.
At Nikki's show, when her friends fail to make it in time, Thelma is forced to sing solo, where she receives a standing ovation from the crowd. Vic makes her sign a contract to make him her manager, which also allows him to leave Nikki. Outraged over being upstaged, Nikki attempts to attack Thelma, but is booed by the audience, causing her fame to plummet. Outside while walking through a crowd of fans, Thelma meets Otis and the two have an argument about him and the rest of her friends' not being at the show. Thelma reveals her secret to Vic, but he doesn't care, claiming that putting on a facade is the only way to succeed in the industry. Vic convinces Thelma to pretend dating internet star Danny Stallion to increase her fame. Meanwhile, Nikki orders her assistant, Megan Shank, to find some dirt on Thelma in order to ruin her image.
Eventually, Vic manages to book Thelma a spot on SparklePalooza. However, during an awards ceremony that Thelma is attending, Megan, after discovering her "horn" coming loose, confronts Thelma in the bathroom, washes off her unicorn disguise and threatens to reveal her deception. Reluctantly, Thelma offers to permanently quit the music business to stop Megan from exposing her. Megan agrees, but warns Thelma of the consequences if she comes back. A heartbroken Thelma leaves, causing her to be declared missing. Two weeks later, Thelma hitches a ride with the driver who instigated her unicorn disguise and reveals that he's been hiding a secret from his girlfriend, as he feels that she wouldn't accept him for who he is. Inspired, Thelma tells the driver to drop her off at a gas station where she reunites with her friends.
Wanting to fix things, Thelma and her friends go to SparklePalooza just as Nikki is about to go on. After evading Nikki and Megan, Thelma dons her unicorn persona and proceeds to reveal her true self by wiping off her disguise. Although outraged at first, the crowd soon accepts Thelma for who she is when she and her friends play a song about embracing one's true self. Touched by her performance, a reformed Nikki rejects both Megan and Vic as her clients, Thelma and her friends return to the music business, now under a record deal made by Peggy.
In June 2019, it was announced thatNetflix acquired the film rights toAaron Blabey's children's bookThelma the Unicorn after a bidding war, and was developing an animated musical adaptation. It would be directed byJared Hess (who wrote the script with his wifeJerusha) and Lynn Wang with Blabey serving as an executive producer alongside Patrick Hughes.[6][7]Pam Coats was announced to produce the film in April 2023.[8]Mikros Animation and Agora Studio provided the animation.[9] In December 2023, it was announced thatJohn Powell would compose the film's musical score. In January 2024,Brittany Howard,Will Forte,Jemaine Clement,Edi Patterson,Fred Armisen,Zach Galifianakis,Jon Heder, Maliaka Mitchell, and Ally Dixon were announced as part of the cast. This is the fourth collaboration between Heder and Hess afterPeluca (2003),Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and the 2012animated television series of the same name.[10][11]
| Thelma the Unicorn (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by John Powell and various artists | ||||
| Released | May 17, 2024 | |||
| Studio | 5 Cat Studios Los Angeles, California | |||
| Length | 45:48 | |||
| Label | Island Records Netflix Music | |||
| Producer | John Powell Mike Elizondo Various artists | |||
| John Powell chronology | ||||
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Thelma the Unicorn (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) is the film's soundtrack album of the same name which was recorded at 5 Cat Studios inLos Angeles, California, and was released on May 17, 2024, byIsland Records andNetflix Music. The soundtrack featuresJohn Powell's musical score with additional music byBatu Sener as well as songs that are also featured in the film itself, including "Blubber Trouble" by Baraka May, "Pool Boys" by Pool Boys andBig Freedia, "3 C's to Success" byJemaine Clement and sevenBrittany Howard songs ("Fire Inside", "Hurricane", "Big", "Here Comes the Cud" (withFred Armisen), "Only Unicorn", "Just as You Are" and "Goldmine").
Thelma the Unicorn also features other songs that are also not featured on its soundtrack, including "Hold On, I'm Comin'" bySam & Dave, a rerecording of "Conga" byGloria Estefan, "Diamond Girl" byNice & Wild, "After Midnight" byChappell Roan, "Dance Across the Floor" byJimmy Horne, "Shake Your Pants" byCameo, "Hollywood Swinging" byKool & the Gang, "Bodyshakin'" by911, "Dancing to the Beat" by Clarence Murray, "Slam" byOnyx, "Jump into the Fire" byHarry Nilsson, Jeff McCollister's two songs ("The Hardest Part of Breaking Up" and "Right Where It Counts") and Brittany Howard's cover version ofLenny Kravitz's song "Are You Gonna Go My Way".[citation needed]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fire Inside" (performed byBrittany Howard) | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Blubber Trouble" (performed by Baraka May) | 2:24 |
| 3. | "Pool Boys" (performed by Pool Boys andBig Freedia) | 2:15 |
| 4. | "Hurricane" (performed by Brittany Howard) | 1:16 |
| 5. | "Big" (performed by Brittany Howard) | 2:21 |
| 6. | "3 C's to Success" (performed byJemaine Clement) | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Here Comes the Cud" (performed byFred Armisen and Brittany Howard) | 2:33 |
| 8. | "Only Unicorn" (performed by Brittany Howard) | 2:16 |
| 9. | "Just as You Are" (performed by Brittany Howard) | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Goldmine" (performed by Brittany Howard) | 3:55 |
| 11. | "Diners and Carrots" (composed byJohn Powell) | 3:24 |
| 12. | "Becoming a Unicorn" (composed by John Powell) | 1:03 |
| 13. | "They Liked Our Music" (composed by John Powell) | 1:37 |
| 14. | "Red Carpet" (composed by John Powell) | 2:36 |
| 15. | "Schemes and Fantasies" (composed by John Powell) | 2:53 |
| 16. | "Blackmail Loo" (composed by John Powell) | 2:30 |
| 17. | "Thelma Missing" (composed by John Powell) | 2:02 |
| 18. | "Rescue & Coming Clean" (composed by John Powell) | 2:13 |
| 19. | "Resolutions" (composed by John Powell) | 2:02 |
| Total length: | 45:48 | |
Thelma the Unicorn was released onNetflix on May 17, 2024.[12][10]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 60% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10.[13]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14]
The film was nominated at the23rd Visual Effects Society Awards in the category of Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature.[15]
