“You shine, just as you are.”
The penultimate song in Netflix’s new animated family film Thelma the Unicorn provides an anthem for the theme of the film. For children watching who have been told they are not good enough because they “don’t look the part,” Thelma (voiced by Brittany Howard) shows them that you can be true to yourself and succeed. However, Thelma needs to lose herself first to learn this important lesson.
Thelma is a pony who dreams of sharing her songs with the world. It is not until an accident that causes her to look like a unicorn that the industry begins to pay attention to her. However, Thelma ultimately betrays herself and those who truly know her. Her path leads to her having a fake boyfriend for publicity and performing AI-generated songs.
However, the character of Peggy Purvis, a blind guitar player and producer, plays a perfect foil to Thelma’s character. Peggy is unapologetically herself, staying authentic to her values throughout the film. Peggy doesn’t care what Thelma looks like—all she knows and cares about is that Thelma has real singing talent.
Maliaka Mitchell, who also is blind, voices Peggy. She was given the opportunity to influence the character to be as authentic as possible.
“My personality came through the character,” Mitchell said in an interview with RespectAbility. “They would ask, how would Maliaka say this? There are a lot of words in the film that are mine. They wanted to be authentic, so they took the time to look at my facial expressions and gave me leeway to be me. They wanted it to be genuine as possible.”
This is Mitchell’s first acting role on screen. She has theater experience with the Theatre for the Blind in Culver City. When Netflix reached out to Mitchell’s director with the casting call, Mitchell submitted her audition. Mitchell praised Netflix for casting authentically.
Peggy is a character who loses her vision later in life. This is also true for Mitchell, who went blind at 25 due to diabetic retinopathy.
“Going blind didn’t affect me in a negative way,” Mitchell said. “I can relate to Peggy’s life because it is pretty much how mine is. When I went blind, I actually started to live. I was doing things that I had not done before.”
In the film, people counted Peggy out from work after becoming blind. However, Peggy proves how resourceful she could be and ultimately helps Thelma find the correct path to truthfulness. In fact, Peggy is first introduced to the audience as a legendary musician. Her disability is not immediately apparent.
“Peggy’s rockstar persona, coupled with her sassy and confident demeanor, defied the typical stereotypes associated with blindness,” said DeafBlind viewer Steven McCoy. “It was refreshing to see a blind character portrayed in such a positive and empowering light, challenging the misconception that creative pursuits diminish after losing sight.”
Throughout the film, Thelma also encounters another disabled character – Suzie, a young girl who uses a wheelchair. When Thelma first appears as a unicorn, Suzie is the first character to notice her. Voiced by disabled actress Noelle Holsinger, Suzie watches Thelma advance in her career. Ultimately, when Thelma shares that she is not really a unicorn and instead “just” a pony, Suzie is accepting of Thelma as she is – just as Thelma was of Suzie since the beginning.
With breathtaking animation and a fun storyline to cheer for, complete with heartwarming messages about friendship and bravery, Thelma the Unicorn is sure to captivate audiences of all ages, igniting the spark of magic within every viewer.
This review was written by RespectAbility’s Senior Vice President, Entertainment and News Media, Lauren Appelbaum, who was one of several individuals who consulted on the disability representation in this film.
