Thelma the Unicorn is an upcoming American animated musical adventure comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, and directed by Jared Hess and Lynn Wang. Based on the children's book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey, the film stars the voices of Brittany Howard, Will Forte, Jemaine Clement, Edi Patterson, Fred Armisen, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Heder and Shondrella Avery. The film marks the acting debut of Howard.[2]
| Thelma the Unicorn | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by |
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| Based on | Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron 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 scheduled to be released on Netflix on May 17, 2024.
Synopsis
A pony named Thelma dreams of becoming a singer. In order to achieve her dream, she pretends to be a unicorn, garnering her fame and attention.
Voice cast
- Brittany Howard as Thelma, a mini sized pony that is painted to resemble a Unicorn
- Will Forte as Otis, a donkey and Thelma’s best friend
- Jemaine Clement as Vic Diamond, a talent agent
- Edi Patterson as Megan
- Fred Armisen as Danny Stallion
- Zach Galifianakis as Crusty Trucker
- Jon Heder as Reggie
- Shondrella Avery as Zirconia[3]
- Maliaka Mitchell as Peggy
- Ally Dixon as Nikki Narwhal
- Jared Hess
Production
In June 2019, it was announced that Netflix acquired the film rights to Aaron Blabey's children's book Thelma the Unicorn after a bidding war, and was developing an animated musical adaptation. It would be directed by Jared Hess (who wrote the script with his wife Jerusha) and Lynn Wang with Blabey serving as an executive producer alongside Patrick Hughes.[4][5] Pam Coats was announced to produce the film in April 2023.[6] Mikros Animation provided the animation.
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 second collaboration between Heder and Hess since Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and the animated TV series of the same name (2012).[7]
Music
Score
In December 2023, John Powell was confirmed to compose the film's score, beginning work the same month.[8]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album, Thelma the Unicorn: Soundtrack From The Netflix Film, is produced by Mike Elizondo. It will be released alongside the film's premiere on May 17.
