The Last Unicorn 40th Anniversary Headliner Opening Event at Corey Helford Gallery
December 7th, Los Angeles – 40 years ago this month, The Last Unicorn was released into theaters and galloped into the hearts of a generation. Fan nostalgia for the film is both longstanding and intense; it’s a film that’s stuck with Los Angeles-based Sweet Streets founder and art curator Caro Buermann throughout her entire life. When the pandemic hit, she rediscovered her love for the film which paved the way for a new chapter in her company’s story. Sweet Streets will unveil a major event as part of The Last Unicorn's two-year 40th-anniversary celebration. The headliner opening event will take place December 17th from 7 to 11 p.m. at Corey Helford Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles.
Produced by Western production company Rankin/Bass in an unlikely partnership with Japanese studio Topcraft (pre-cursor to Ghibli), with a screenplay written by the author Peter S. Beagle, the film was a one-of-a-kind, unicorn itself. Like the unicorn, the film isn’t afraid to explore more complex emotions and experiences, and it’s never shy about where it needs to go.
“It’s been 40 years since the movie came out and the unicorn’s journey still to this day captures the hearts and the minds of fans all over the world. It’s a story that is still very relevant for me. The unicorn’s story resonates with so many people because her world that she lives in is not this pure, innocent fantasy world. The story grapples with a lot of adult themes and feelings, and so her world is very much a messy one like our own, and I think a lot of people can take away from that in these uncertain times.” Caro Buermann
A seasoned creative consultant and artist manager with a resume that includes galleries all over the world, Buermann founded Sweet Streets ten years ago when another passion project introduced her to Monika Salazar. Salazar has led visionary marketing, entertainment licensing, and retail development campaigns for Hasbro and Pokémon franchises. The Last Unicorn’s anniversary and debut as a global brand marks a ten-year anniversary for the two women, who together are reforming Sweet Streets as a licensing and brand management agency.
The unicorn’s story is also specifically, almost radically female: She’s forced to the ends of the Earth by a demonic entity in the form of a bull, a hyper-masculine animal that symbolizes power and virility, while a unicorn traditionally has feminine connotations. Buermann and Salazar can’t help but recognize the similarities between the unicorn’s quest and their own – to build Sweet Streets as a platform that embraces female-driven brands and out-of-the-box ideas. In addition to ITV’s The Last Unicorn, the company also represents female LGBTQ painter Hikari Shimoda and creative initiatives for another 80s favorite, Care Bears™.
Salazar reinforces passion projects: “2021 was the year that we found our tribe. At the beginning of the movie, a butterfly says to the unicorn, “You can find the others if you are brave....” People told us we were crazy to do this; it will cost too much, it will be too much work. The success of this project is proof that you must have heart to accomplish your goals and that if you have a dream, you need to protect it. If we both don’t really love a project, we won’t pursue it. Authenticity matters in everything that we strive for in projects.”
Today, the services provided by the boutique agency include global marketing and promotion, contract negotiation, brand positioning, business development (licensing strategy, retail activations, and product extensions--spanning art, music, toys, video games, beauty, fashion and home decor); and creative consulting (art direction; artist management; story and character building).
Highlights of the event include unique works of art by over 70 internationally renowned contemporary artists in ode to the celebrated film; never-before-seen film art that includes hundreds of meticulously restored frames; and a pop-up shop selling an array of exclusive merchandise. The anniversary party will draw fans from the film's diehard global base in the art, music and animation worlds. The exhibition and pop-up shop will remain open for five weeks, into January 2023.
Open to the public, free of charge, event information can be found @thelastunicorn40th.com.
This celebration follows the premier event on July 30 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. A limited capsule collection of T-shirts, pendants, skate decks, movie posters, and pins inspired by the film quickly sold. Hand-crafted limited-edition animation cels (pieces of art photographed in the making of the film) were also available for the first time in history.
A second brand moment occurred in September during the New York Fashion Week runway show of Los Angeles-based, size-inclusive brand Selkie. Created in 2018 by Wildfox co-founder Kimberley Gordon, the TikTok-loved Selkie label featured select designs inspired by The Last Unicorn. Sweet Streets simultaneously teased an upcoming licensed Selkie collection of apparel and home decor that riffs on the film's pastel watercolor palette and animated art.
In his memoir, Topcraft animation studios director Katsuhisa Yamada writes: “The Last Unicorn was the result of the pure and constant efforts of all the staff: We may have created some kind of magical effect.” In this milestone celebration, made possible by two very determined fans, for fans, Sweet Streets is proud to present for the first time a window into the making of this animated classic, alongside a whole new generation of artists inspired by its artistry.
For more information and interviews, contact:
Tracy Paul & Company
tracy@tracypaul.com