Thelma the Unicorn

It's a cute little family B movie that is lighter on divisive politics than I expected a movie about a pink unicorns to be. Refreshingly opposite of what Disney would've chose to do with it.

The plot is predictable but has a good message, especially if you dislike what the music industry has become in the last twenty years. It moves along at a fairly quick pace and won't make you crazy like some other children's entertainment.

No that isn't Tim Curry, but one would sure hope he is getting image and likeness royalties for the Vic Diamond character. It's really well done, but there is no doubt who that was modelled after.

That was cute. Love the animation style and the quality which reminds me of many other Netflix's Animation Original Movies. A great number of characters and I love the world building aspect of this movie.

For me, Otis was the most likeable due to his few beautiful dialogues with Thelma. But Thelma was undeniably the main character of this movie and can relate to many people as she was feeling insecure despite being so talented.

The storyline and progression itself were cute and very family oriented. The mood setup was bright and very welcoming to watch. Few references to the LGBTQ+ community, which were cute and appreciated.

Great original songs and kudos to the voice casts for their compelling performances. Recommended.

Thelma the Unicorn (2024) is the first animated movie to be directed by Jared Hess and it's his best movies to date since Napoleon Dynamite (2004).

Positives for Thelma the Unicorn (2024): The plot of the movie is very basic and it does work for the most part. The voice performances from Brittany Howard, Will Forte, Jemaine Clement, Edi Patterson, Fred Armisen, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Heder and Shondrella Avery are pretty good. The animation looks good through the movie. There is a good message that kids can learn from the movie. And finally, the comedy is pretty decent.

Negatives for Thelma the Unicorn (2024): This is another Jared Hess movie where it is just too weird. None of the characters are particularly likable other than Will Forte, Job Heder and the blind old lady. Thelma is a little too selfish with the idea of fame and while I get why she did it, the way with how the movie does it is just too much. I also have to say that Jemaine Clement is not an actor who is for me, his acting is too weird. The story is very predictable and you know what is going to happen. And finally, this movie is basically made for kids and not adults which isn't a bad thing, but I've watched movies and show that can appeal to both kids and adults very well.

Overall, Thelma the Unicorn (2024) is a fun little animated movie for kids and that is just fine.

As a huge fan of Aaron Blabey's original books it keeps the core messaging of "be yourself" but changes how Thelma is revealed which is no where near as touching or meaningful as the original story.

The extra characters are funny and the secondary story of the rival singer feel like filler vs actually being a pivotal plot point which again takes away from the power of the core message the books conveyed perfectly.

On the whole is modern and bright and my kids loved it so it gets a pass for the underlying "just be yourself" but I would have preferred it more aligned to the books.

Alas Aaron Blabey signed off so it is what it is.

Just turned it on for my daughter and got lucky. Great songs, actually funny, good characters, and had a good message. She's got it on all the time now and I really don't mind. Me and my wife love the Alabama shakes as well so that was a nice surprise that the lead singer was Thelma and it's always good to hear will forte.

I'm glad it didn't get really dark, weird or tragic. There wasn't any deaths to avenge or over your head themes to explain to my kids but it wasnt dull enough where I couldn't watch it Iether like paw patrol. Good flick if you you are sick of that strange lady bug show and barbi.