The Unicorn in the Garden (film)

Lore & Background

The cartoon was adapted from James Thurber's 1939 short story. Director William Hurtz joined UPA after leaving the US Army Signal Corps and had worked as a layout artist on the Oscar-winning Gerald McBoing Boing. Hurtz chose to adapt Thurber's story because it featured human characters, as UPA was trying to avoid the animal subjects common in Hollywood cartoons at the time. To remain faithful to Thurber's crude line-drawing style, Hurtz studied Thurber's work and assigned some animation to the studio's least competent draftsmen to achieve a 'nice, lumpy look.'

Reader's Guide

The Unicorn in the Garden is significant as a landmark of UPA's distinctive, stylized approach to animation, which rejected the realistic, three-dimensional settings of mainstream cartoons. Its musical score, composed by David Raksin before animation began, used a six-piece orchestra including André Previn on harpsichord and an alto recorder to represent the unicorn. The score was praised by Thurber himself, who wrote to Raksin that the recorder 'sounded exactly right for unicorns.' The film's legacy includes its 1955 BAFTA nomination and its 1994 ranking among the 50 greatest cartoons. It was released on DVD in 2012 as part of The Jolly Frolics Collection, which featured 38 UPA cartoons.

Did You Know?

• The musical score was composed by David Raksin before animation began.
• After viewing the film, James Thurber wrote to composer David Raksin praising the flute that played when the unicorn appeared.
• The film was entered for and nominated for an Academy Award (Best Animated Short Subject) in 1954, despite producer Stephen Bosustow's reported disappointment with the cartoon.