5 Life Lessons from Thelma the Unicorn by the Ent. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch
Movie: Thelma the Unicorn
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Animated
Length: 1 hr. 33 mins.
Age suggested: 6 and up
Release Date: May 17th, 2024
Warnings: Mild sensual references (scantily clad, dancing muscle men), Mild Violence, Mild bullying
Thelma the Unicorn Summary
Based on the book by Aaron Blabey (Which you can Purchase Here), Thelma is a pony who longs to perform at SparklePalooza. When she is informed that she doesn’t have “it” she longs to have a special look. After an incident with a sparkle/paint truck, she now looks like a unicorn. But when she is thrust into the limelight, she learns not all her dreams would occur in the way she expected.
Thelma the Unicorn Review
Thelma the Unicorn is a story of fame and self-acceptance. Thelma is a pony performing in small venues with her band The Rusty Buckets. Although she has passion, she is told that she could never make it to SparklePalooza with the way she looks. After this, a truck with paint and glitter has an incident, leaving Thelma looking like a unicorn. This rockets her into fame, but without her friends. These leads to Thelma learning more about herself and what self-acceptance and friendship really means.
Although much of the plot is pretty predictable, it is still a solid watch with some good messages about what it means to love yourself the way you are. The actual performances by Brittany Howard (Voice of Thelma) are really good, especially the closing song “Just As You Are”. There are a few little things that may not be appropriate for all viewers, but you can check that in the section below,
Is Thelma the Unicorn Appropriate?
Overall, Thelma the Unicorn is aimed for younger viewers and stays away from any language or largely controversial imagery. The main thing that may be a discussion point for younger viewers is the idea that Thelma has to change herself to be accepted. By the end of this movie, it is learned that being yourself is better, but there is a bit of bullying and meanness before this revelation.
There are also just a few odder scenes that we just wanted to note. In a few scenes with Vic Diamond, he is surrounded and served by muscle men who dance around and are not wearing much. This is done more for comedy and isn’t inherently sexual in nature, but still may be noted by some kids. Lastly, in the climax of the film there is some mild violence, but this really isn’t anything more than any other movie.
Continue reading for our Life Lessons from Thelma the Unicorn
Lessons from Thelma the Unicorn
Lesson #1 – Music is About More than Just Looks
Thelma starts as a bit of a rocker with lots of passion. She finds Peggy Purvis who allows Thelma to follow her sound. But when Vic Diamond, the polar opposite to Peggy, gets his hands on Thelma, her music is taken from her and traded in for generic AI
Lesson #2 – Fame Shouldn’t be the Ultimate Goal
Thelma’s desire for the limelight is her focus throughout the film, but when she actually finds it, she determines it isn’t what she was actually wanting. She finds herself without friends and simply surrounded by people who also just desired fame. This leaves her lonely and not able to enjoy the fame she has acquired, which leads us to our last point.
Lesson #3 – Friends Are More Important than “Yes Men”
As mentioned in the prior lesson, Thelma is surrounded by industry people, in particular Vic Diamond. Again we find polar opposite characters in Vic Diamond and Thelma. Vic surrounds himself with yes men who offer nothing while Thelma had true friends who at least attempt to hold her accountable to her actions.
Related Content: Netflix’s Vivo Review
Favorite Thelma the Unicorn Quotes
You were special before all this, Thelma. You don’t need all this stuff.
You know it’s funny, a lot of people told us we’d never make it because we don’t look like stars.
Lyrics are like food poisoning. It hits you when you least suspect it.
No matter what happens, it’s going to be better than spending the rest of your life living a lie. You’re perfect just the way you are.
I’d be happy playing music anywhere, as long as it’s with you.
Dare not look behind you. You’ve come too far.
So turn the light on. Let us see you are. One in a million.
Darkness can’t exist where there is light. So get up on your feet and rise and shine.
Don’t be perfect. Like the sun and the stars, you shine.
-Thelma the Unicorn Quotes
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Thelma the Unicorn Discussion Questions
Themes to Discuss: Self-Acceptance, Friendship, Fame, Love of Music
- Who was your favorite character from this movie? What did you like about them?
- What did Thelma learn about herself by the end of the movie?
- What would you do if you saw a unicorn in real life?
- Thelma spent most of the movie desiring fame, what was it like it when she actually got it? Why was this different than what she wanted?
- What was your favorite song from Thelma the Unicorn?
Thanks for reading out Life Lessons from Thelma the Unicorn!!
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