Das kleine Einhorn

A mediocre but cute story for children

A crippled boy who lost his father moves with his mother to an inherited house in some Canadian hinterland. As a city child, and also a cripple, he doesn't fit in very well. During a visit to the circus, he decides to save a pony on the verge of death. It turns out to be a female, who soon gives birth to a real unicorn. Now it's up to the boy to protect this magical being from the public eye and a potentially tragic fate if discovered.

A cliche boy-animal story, which doesn't bring even a hint of originality. A film that does not stand out in any way, neither in a positive nor in a negative sense. A variation on a theme that has been chewed over a million times, from which I did not expect anything, so it could not disappoint me. It's quite a decent choice for a lazy afternoon with the kids because all kids love unicorns. If you're not watching with kids, skip.

5/10.

I stumbled across this Canadian movie by chance on cable TV. I'd never heard of it, or of Kevin Zegers, but have since became a huge fan of both. It's a simple story of a young boy (Billy Hastings) who moves to a country property with his mother, and acquires a pony, who turns out to have magical abilities. Features fine performances by Kevin Zegers, Ann Archer (as Billy's mother), and Elisha Cuthbert (as Billy's classmate Carolyn). The screenplay is by Frank Sacks, who based it on his children's book of the same name. I was so happy when I found this movie on DVD, and would recommend it to anyone who loves kids/family movies, and of course to any fan of Kevin Zegers.

As always I try to remind readers when it comes to a film that I review that is based off of a book or some sort of source material and this time around, I am not familiar with the source material that this movie was based on. Nico the Unicorn is a 1998 film (though once again, the internet has different dates when it comes to a US release). The film is based off of the 1996 book of the same name which was written by Frank Sacks who even wrote the story for this film. The film stars Kevin Zegers (known for his role in Air Bud) and the film was directed by Graeme Campbell who is still somewhat active when it comes to directing and is known for some of his Christmas films, a Jay ans Silent Bob film, and a few episodes of Mutant X.

Billy is a kid with a leg disability. He and his mom moved into a house that the mom inherited. It is a new place for Billy. He gets bullied for his disability. One day, he goes to a creature fair and somehow manages to buy a pony which later gives birth to something quite magical.

I will admit, this film is not bad and for some strange reason, I have two copies of this film (one included in a collection and one copy is by itself.). I was expecting this to be a straight up awful unicorn movie. The one film I was able to make a comparison with is Prancer, the 1989 reindeer film. Both films have their similarities. You have a little kid, they discover a magical creature, and they have to keep this creature a secret. With that being said, it is a fairly predictable film with a formula that has been done on more than one occasion. Hell, even the sequel to Prancer, Prancer Returns nearly follows the same formula. So everything is pretty standard but that is not to say that this film is bad. Sure, the unicorn does not pop up nearly half way through the film which is kind of annoying because the film is not all that interesting when there is no unicorn. The acting is done fairly well but I do not find the charcters all too interesting. But again, the acting is done fairly well. The appeal is not all the way there because I am not one that is all for unicorn movies. I just don't watch those type of films. But this film manages to be a light hearted type of film that makes the viewing experience an alright experience.

When it comes to this film, I don't have much to say. It is just an OK film but I do see where this film has it's fans. Am I a huge fan? No, and I do not think that a film like this is looking for any converts but I will recognize when a film is alright and this is one of them.

A Canadian film about a mother and son who move after an accident that has killed the husband/father and crippled the son. Feeling alone and somewhat bitter the son visits the circus only to find a neglected pony. After purchasing the horse he discovers it's pregnant and guess what it gives birth to? A unicorn! Needless to say, life then takes a turn for the better... Charming and touching film, perhaps much better than you'd ever expect, this is great for an older family audience.

Billy (Kevin Zegers) and his widowed mother, Julie (Anne Archer) have moved to the western United States to start their lives over. This is important especially to Julie, who needs to get away from the memories of what she has lost. Billy, however, is not very happy at the moment, for going to a new school is difficult. You see, Billy has a disability, one of his legs works very poorly and running is not possible. It also makes him a point of curiosity as he shuffles to classes. Only Carolyn (Elisha Cuthbert) extends the hand of true friendship to Billy. On the way home from school, one day, Billy comes upon a tent with a sign of "unusual animals". Its a put-on, as the pony Billy finds inside has a "fake" unicorn horn tied onto his head. When the owner can't make the pony obey, he beats the little animal, right in front of the young boy. Stunned, Billy rescues the pony and takes her home. Julie is aghast, as they have little money for the creature but she relents. All too soon, they learn the pony is expecting a baby. When the foal arrives, it turns out to be a REAL UNICORN. As Julie is being courted by a local law officer named Tom (Michael Ontkean) she is away when a mountain lion kills the pony-mother. But, the foal, named Nico, grows at a rapid place and starts to change the yard into a replica of the Garden of Eden, for the folklore says that's where the creatures originated. But, rumors abound that a unicorn is in the area and everyone wants to exploit the animal if found. Will Billy find a way to help Nico escape the clutches of the wrong hands? This is a film children will enjoy, as it is visually nice and most everyone loves unicorns. But, the plot has some flaws and nonsensical elements, preventing it from being truly great. A Canadian movie, the cast is nice, as Archer always does a fine job and Ontkean, Zegers, Cuthbert, and all of the rest play their parts well. The scenery is also lovely, with mountains and such. Therefore, if your family has run out of ideas for the next kids-and-kin film night, this flick would entertain the clan for an evening.