Thelma the Unicorn – Plugged In

Movie Review

It’s been a decade in the making. And Thelma’s band, the Rusty Buckets, thinks it finally has a chance to go big.

But as Thelma, Otis and Reggie step out to perform for the Sparklepalooza talent search, they don’t even get a note out before one judge tells them to move along.

“Look, babe, you just don’t have ‘it,’” the judge says.

She can tell just by appearance that the Rusty Buckets would never make it to stardom. Thelma’s a “forgettable farm pony.” Otis is a donkey; and Reggie, a llama. None of them have the “look” needed to achieve their dreams. So the judges don’t even bother listening to the band play.

It hits Thelma pretty hard. She mopes around the farmstead, imagining just how different her life could’ve been had she been born some fantastical creature—like a unicorn. She sticks a carrot on her forehead to roleplay the dream.

And that’s when a careless truck driver careens down the nearby road, spilling his hyper-specific cargo of pink paint and glitter all over Thelma as he passes. And when Thelma looks at her reflection in a puddle, she’s shocked at just how closely she resembles …

“I’m a unicorn! It’ll be like the old me never existed!”

People take notice, too. After all, most people know unicorns aren’t real. A crowd gathers to ask all the unicorn questions they can think of. And when asked if she can do anything magical, Thelma decides to sing.

But this time, people listen. They cheer. They ask for her autograph. They spread her image across social media and cable news. In less than a day, Thelma has a massive following.

Otis protests. “You’re just gonna let people think you’re a real unicorn now?”

If the unicorn façade is the only way Thelma and her band can get famous, then, yes, yes she will.