Netflix’s new animated movie Thelma the Unicorn isn’t exactly about a unicorn. It’s actually about a barn pony masquerading as a unicorn, once she realizes that the pink glittery glitz could be her one chance at superstardom.
The film is based on a picture book by Aaron Blabey (who also wrote and illustrated The Bad Guys), and it comes from an unlikely director duo: Lynn Wang, the showrunner behind Cartoon Network’s UniKitty!, and Napoleon Dynamite writer-director Jared Hess.
In the 20 years since Napoleon Dynamite came out and became a certified cult classic, Hess has one major takeaway.
“People relate to oddballs more than they’re willing to admit,” Hess told Polygon in an interview ahead of Thelma the Unicorn’s release. “Deep down, we’re all nerds. We’re all insecure. You want to rally behind those people.”
He brought that sentiment to Thelma the Unicorn. Thelma (Brittany Howard) and her pals are a group of lovable misfits who keep getting told they don’t have the star potential they need to follow their musical ambitions. But when Thelma gets a chance to hide her true self, she takes it — much to her friends’ chagrin.
In the trailer, we see Thelma under the tutelage of a slimy-looking manager (voiced by Jemaine Clement), leaving behind her small barnyard roots and her best friends. But lying about her identity will only get her so far — after all, this is a movie about self-acceptance and finding your true self.
“I was really drawn to the story for Thelma’s journey,” Wang told Polygon. “I really just related to the journey of self-acceptance and what she was going through. And that’s why I really wanted to tell that story. Because I wish it was a story that I had when I was younger. It’s something that I still am trying to figure out now, even as an adult.”
Thelma the Unicorn hits Netflix on May 17.
