MOVIE MUSIC UK

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

Thelma the Unicorn is an animated musical comedy adventure film written and directed by Jared and Jerusha Hess, based on the children’s book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey. The story follows the life of a pony named Thelma who dreams of becoming a famous musician; one day, after she and her bandmates Otis (a donkey) and Reggie (a llama) mess up their chance to qualify for a famous singing contest, Thelma uses a carrot as a fake horn, and is accidentally covered in pink paint and glitter; she is mistaken for a unicorn, and becomes famous overnight, adored by fans and living a life of luxury. However, Thelma soon realizes that fame comes with its downsides; she feels lonely and overwhelmed by the constant attention, and she starts to miss her simple life on the farm. The film has a voice cast that includes Brittany Howard as Thelma, alongside comedy stars such as Will Forte, Jemaine Clement, Fred Armisen, Zach Galifianakis, and Jon Heder, latter of whom famously appeared in the leading role in Hess’s cult film Napoleon Dynamite. The film debuted on Netflix in May 2024 to mostly positive reviews, with commentators praising the film for its wholesome message and cheerful, kid-friendly attitude.

As the film is a musical there are almost a dozen original songs on the soundtrack, the majority of which were written by one or more of a group of songwriters including Bret McKenzie, Taura Stinson, Darien Dorsey, and producer Mike Elizondo, and are performed by lead actress Brittany Howard. McKenzie is best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords (along with Jemaine Clement); he won an Oscar in 2011 for The Muppets movie, and is an excellent songwriter with a funny turn of phrase and a warm heart. Stinson received an Oscar nomination for the song she wrote for Mary J. Blige for the film Mudbound in 2017, and has worked with Powell before on the songs for Rio 2. Howard is the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Alabama Shakes, and she has a rich, deep, powerful, soulful voice, a musical force of nature.

The songs are mostly good, and showcase Howard’s voice well, but they are naturally more childish than any of her work with Alabama Shakes, and mostly have a more easy-going pop attitude that is clearly designed to appeal to a broader audience. “Fire Inside” – which was co-written by the current Late Show bandleader Louis Cato – is one of my favorites, a toe-tapping anthem. “Hurricane” has a driving southern rock beat that is quite infectious. “Big” has a throwback sound to the Motown era, and has some terrific brass arrangements featuring notably outstanding saxophones, while “Just As You Are” is an aspirational groove. Of the non-Howard songs, “Blubber Trouble” has a terrific disco beat and dancefloor vibe, and is probably the pick of them, but unfortunately Baraka May’s voice is annoyingly nasal.

The score for Thelma the Unicorn is by John Powell, and is the latest in a long line of outstanding scores for animated films by the Englishman that began with Antz in 1998 and has continued on through such projects as The Road to El Dorado, Chicken Run, Shrek, Robots, and last year’s Migration, as well as multiple entries in the Kung Fu Panda, Happy Feet, Rio, Ice Age, and How To Train Your Dragon series. There is something about animation that brings out the absolute best in Powell, and while Thelma the Unicorn is certainly a step below his masterpieces in the genre, it is nevertheless a thoroughly engaging and entertaining fully-orchestral romp that covers a myriad of emotions and styles in a little over 20 minutes.

Due to the nature of the film, and the fact that Powell had to weave his score between all the songs, it does tend to be a little episodic and perhaps a tiny bit unfocused and schizophrenic, jumping from style to style with occasionally head-spinning speed, but the highlights are superb and absolutely worth experiencing. The first highlight is the opening cue, “Diners and Carrots,” which initially has a languid rock-jazz attitude but quickly becomes more traditionally orchestral, building from a playful dance for light woodwinds and pizzicato strings, through a quirky piece of scampering caper music, an emotional elegy for piano and strings, and a downbeat interlude for country-rock guitars, before ending with a pretty music-box theme, much of which is occasionally backed by an angelic choir.

“Becoming a Unicorn” erupts into a fantastic, celebratory explosion of orchestral and choral glory to coincide with the moment that Thelma is doused in pink paint and sparkles, and all her unicorn dreams come true. “They Liked Our Music” is a rich and warm piece of lush orchestral Americana that, in places, reminds me of the best parts of Randy Newman’s score for Pleasantville.

“Red Carpet” is majestic and magical, orchestra and choir backed by glittering metallic percussion, which builds to a huge Hollywood finale that has more than a hint of How To Train Your Dragon, while also featuring a lovely reprise of the elegy from the opening cue, which is now clearly establishing itself as a recurring theme for Thelma. The first half of “Schemes and Fantasies” is similarly engaging, with a second reprise of the Thelma theme that – unexpectedly – gives way to an authentic-sounding piece of 1960s lounge jazz. Later, “Blackmail Loo” was co-written by Powell’s long-time assistant Batu Sener, and has some unexpectedly dark horror textures backed by anguished-sounding strings.

However, for me, the most satisfying parts of the score are the action cues, during which Powell allows his orchestra to engage in some of the most satisfying adventurous romps he has written in quite some time. There are stylistic echoes of everything from How to Train Your Dragon to Solo, Robots, and several others, in some of this music, which is by turns dramatic and imposing, broadly exciting, and breathlessly rousing. The second half of “Schemes and Fantasies” is just sensational, a swashbuckling broadside featuring menacing sounding male-voice choirs and thunderous war-like percussion which eventually transition into swirling string figures and heroic brass triplets that raise the roof, and are quintessentially Powell-esque.

The subsequent “Thelma Missing” underscores the dramatic climax of the SparklePalooza music festival where Thelma’s unicorn deception is revealed and she flees from the venue in shame; Powell initially accompanies her with a bank of strident, undulating strings, but then ends the cue with an emotional piece for voices backed by celesta and harp glissandi that perfectly capture the devastating embarrassment she feels. “Rescue & Coming Clean” jumps straight back into the action stylistics with a rambunctious, thrusting orchestral-and-choral romp full of complicated percussion rhythms, densely-packed arrangements, and moments of vibrant triumph. The final cue, “Resolutions,” returns to the light rock stylistics of the opening track and reprises Thelma’s theme in a variety of different ways that highlight its versatility as well as Powell’s arranging skill. The final choral outburst accompanies the moment where Otis the donkey is accidentally drenched in white paint and feathers, giving him the appearance of a Pegasus, and the spark for the sequel is lit.

My only criticism, in addition to the slightly nebulous approach of the score as a whole, is the lack of a truly memorable unifying theme tying the whole thing together. The string-and-piano elegy for Thelma is the heart of the story, and is likely to be the main melodic idea associated with the score, and it’s certainly lovely, but I fear it won’t have the longevity of most of Powell’s other main themes. However, this is a small nitpick which should in no way detract from the quality of the composition or the overall enjoyment of the score by those who appreciate Powell’s bold, appealing animation style.

Thelma the Unicorn is a great score which packs a lot of punch into a short running time and will be sure to delight anyone who has enjoyed any of the previous John Powell animation scores I name-checked above. While the film itself is a B-tier light kid’s flick, Powell’s music is as A-grade as it gets, and I hope he sticks around to deliver more of this wonderful escapism in a future Thelma sequel.

Buy the Thelma the Unicorn soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• Fire Inside (written by Theo Katzman and Louis Cato, performed by Brittany Howard) (1:57)
• Blubber Trouble (written by Bret McKenzie, performed by Baraka May) (2:24)
• Pool Boys (written by Freddie Ross, Suzannah Powell, Miles Comaskey, and Owen Hobson, performed by Pool Boys and Big Freedia) (2:15)
• Hurricane (written by Jamie Lidderdale and Dominic Mocky Salole, performed by Brittany Howard) (1:16)
• Big (written by Taura Stinson, Jon Levine, Brittany Howard, and Mike Elizondo, performed by Brittany Howard) (2:21)
• 3 C’s To Success (written by Bret McKenzie, performed by Jemaine Clement) (3:18)
• Here Comes The Cud (written by Bret McKenzie, performed by Fred Armisen and Brittany Howard) (2:33)
• Only Unicorn (written by Bret McKenzie, performed by Brittany Howard) (2:16)
• Just As You Are (written by Taura Stinson, Darien Dorsey and Brittany Howard, performed by Brittany Howard) (3:26)
• Goldmine (written by Taura Stinson and Darien Dorsey, performed by Brittany Howard) (3:55)
• Diners and Carrots (3:24)
• Becoming a Unicorn (1:03)
• They Liked Our Music (1:37)
• Red Carpet (2:36)
• Schemes and Fantasies (2:53)
• Blackmail Loo (2:30)
• Thelma Missing (2:02)
• Rescue & Coming Clean (2:13)
• Resolutions (2:02)

Netflix Music (2024)

Running Time: 45 minutes 59 seconds

Music composed by John Powell. Conducted by Gavin Greenaway. Orchestrations by Mark Graham. Additional music by Batu Sener. Recorded and mixed by Nick Wollage and John Michael Caldwell. Edited by Bill Bernstein. Album produced by John Powell and Mike Elizondo.