A surprisingly effective coming-of-age desert fable, Sunburnt Unicorn depicts a harsh landscape of cartoonish creatures… and endless sand. Animation continues to be a fascinating medium in which creators can house important lessons without feeling too preachy. In this case, writer/director Nick Johnson hones in on messages of compassion and kindness, fueled by a son’s undying search for his lost father. Along the way, Frankie (Diana Kaarina) must navigate a complicated ecosystem, a dastardly Cactus King, and his own sense of self to come upon vital realizations. Featuring a lovable cast of characters and disturbing sun-dappled imagery, inspired by the family adventure films of the 80s, Sunburnt Unicorn is unlike any other animated film to emerge this year.
Bookended by a curious iguana observing the slow yet all-consuming heat of the desert, we open on a bickering father and son, just moments before they crash while passing through. An extremely sunburnt Frankie awakens with a huge shard of glass sticking out from the top of his head. Without a sign of his father and only a small Chill Sun juicebox at his disposal, Frankie cannot stop from crying. Thinking him to be a mythical unicorn sporting a wondrous crystal horn, Tortoise (Kathleen Barr) offers up their wizened expertise. Sadly, Frankie and his father seem to have smushed half of the Tortoise, but it is no sweat off their back—we all eventually return to the sand, they say. Tortoise says that Frankie’s father has been snatched by the desert’s ruler, The Cactus King. Willing to help Frankie until succumbing to their wounds, Tortoise’s sweet nature knows no bounds.
From here, Sunburnt Unicorn evolves into a veritable road trip movie across the desert, reveling in quirky characters and an equally rapturous original music score from Piqsiq. At times, the music evokes Dune, whilst the visuals bring to mind 2011’s Oscar-winning Rango. Frankie comes upon everyone from a weird group of wildcats who long to be eaten to a Gollum-like creature in a cave to the overly-enthusiastic “world-renowned explorer” Cordelia (Laara Sadiq). The individual moments comprise lessons for Frankie (and the audience) to learn together. Frankie’s relationship with his father begins to form through the many conversations he has with Tortoise; one has to respect the lack of flashbacks in a medium that can often over-explain and oversimplify its complexities.
Ultimately, this is a very sweet movie that deserves to be seen by a wide audience. The inherent strangeness of the title and characters only work in its favor, doubling down on the freshness of Frankie’s journey. Animation from Squid Brain Studios puts other titles to shame. While it may not have the polish of major big-budget studio flicks, nor the recognizable voice talents often viewed as being marketable, Sunburnt Unicorn blazes a trail of its own making. As with unicorns, humans are not perfect by any means. Our flaws and humanness make us who we are—an especially noteworthy message for young adults as they begin to discover the world cannot be one big fairy tale. Whatever hand fashioned this oddity, we can only hope they will return in the near future armed with more interesting, heartfelt ideas.
Sunburnt Unicorn screened at 2024’s Fantasia International Film Festival.
