First Trailer for Netflix’s Animated “Thelma the Unicorn” Boasts Singing Phenom Brittany Howard in First Acting Role

If you’re going to make a movie about a music-obsessed pony who goes to extreme lengths to share her singing abilities with the world, it’s a great decision to have the multi-talented Brittany Howard in your title role. Howard’s voice is one of the most singular in the music business, and you can a sample of it in the first trailer for Thelma the Unicorn.

Thelma the Unicorn is based on Aaron Blabey’s beloved children’s books, with the adaptation scripted by director Jared Hess and his wife, Jerusha. Howard stars as the titular “unicorn,” who in actuality is a barn pony who dreams of one day headlining Sparklepalooza, the biggest musical event of the year. Thelma is told that nobody is eager to give a regular barn pony a stage and microphone, which makes her believe that to fulfil her dreams, she needs to be somebody different. After a mishap turns this dreamy pony a glittery pink, Thelma turns her accident to her advantage and takes on the persona of a unicorn, the type of true show pony people will put on a stage. When people want to know what kind of magical things this clearly magical unicorn can do, Thelma unleashes her stellar singing voice. Now that’s magic.

Thelma’s life changes really quickly after she takes on her new identity, drawing the kind of attention she wants (a music career!) and the kind she didn’t count on (jealousy and more). Does Thelma need to pretend to be someone else to be special, or was she special all along?

Hess is no stranger to turning a kind eye on unique characters and making movie magic (see Napoleon Dynamite). Hess has a bevy of talented folks on the roster to join Howard, including his old Napoleon Dynamite star Jon Heder, and a cast of comedy heavyweights like Will Forte, Zach Galifianakis, Jermaine Clement, Fred Armisen, and Edi Patterson. yet the star is Howard, the Alabama Shakes’ powerful frontwoman, who is making her acting debut.

Check out the trailer below. Thelma the Unicorn arrives on Netflix on May 17.

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Featured image: An image from Thelma. Courtesy of Netflix.