Unicorn Store
Kit (Brie Larson) is a lonely twenty-something dreamer who's reluctant to leave the comforts of childhood and fully embrace adulthood. But when art school sends her packing, Kit is forced to move back home with her parents and take a temp job in a boring office. Just when she's resolved to finally put her Care Bears aside and grow up, a mysterious salesman enters Kit's life and offers to give her childlike heart its greatest desire. Unicorn Store is a love letter to everyone's inner child, and a reminder that no dream is impossible.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Unicorn Store (2017) exhibits meticulously timed plot construction, characteristic of Brie Larson's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 31 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Kit at art school, creating whimsical rainbow paintings. She's immature, childish, living in fantasy rather than facing adult reality.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Kit receives a mysterious invitation to the "Unicorn Store" - a colorful envelope promising something magical in her mundane world.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Kit actively chooses to pursue the unicorn. She commits to completing the tasks: building a stable and providing proper care, diving fully into the fantasy., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat False victory: Kit completes the stable and believes she's ready for the unicorn. She feels validated - her fantasy is coming true, proving everyone wrong. But stakes raise as reality begins to intrude., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 68 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, All is lost: Kit discovers the unicorn store is a delusion. There is no unicorn. The Salesman is likely a con artist or fantasy enabler. Her magical thinking crashes into reality - the "death" of her childhood dreams., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 73 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Breakthrough: Kit realizes growing up doesn't mean killing her inner child - it means integrating whimsy with responsibility. The stable she built, the connection with Virgil, the effort itself had value. She can be both., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Unicorn Store's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Unicorn Store against these established plot points, we can identify how Brie Larson utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Unicorn Store within the comedy genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Lake Placid and Cat Ballou.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Kit at art school, creating whimsical rainbow paintings. She's immature, childish, living in fantasy rather than facing adult reality.
Theme
Kit's parents or teacher comment on "growing up" or being realistic, establishing the theme: the tension between childlike wonder and adult responsibility.
Worldbuilding
Kit fails art school for not following the "emotionally vacant" assignment. She moves back with her parents, takes a soul-crushing temp job, and feels like a failure at adulting.
Disruption
Kit receives a mysterious invitation to the "Unicorn Store" - a colorful envelope promising something magical in her mundane world.
Resistance
Kit debates whether to pursue this obviously absurd invitation. She visits the store, meets the Salesman (Samuel L. Jackson) who promises her a real unicorn if she completes tasks. She's skeptical but intrigued.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Kit actively chooses to pursue the unicorn. She commits to completing the tasks: building a stable and providing proper care, diving fully into the fantasy.
Mirror World
Kit meets Virgil at the hardware store. He represents grounded, practical adulthood but is kind and non-judgmental - showing her a different path to maturity than her parents' cynicism.
Premise
The "fun and games" of building a unicorn stable. Kit and Virgil bond, she decorates everything with rainbows and glitter, embraces her whimsy while actually completing real-world tasks. The promise of the premise: what if embracing your inner child could work?
Midpoint
False victory: Kit completes the stable and believes she's ready for the unicorn. She feels validated - her fantasy is coming true, proving everyone wrong. But stakes raise as reality begins to intrude.
Opposition
Pressure builds: her parents' disapproval intensifies, her job situation worsens, Virgil grows concerned about her obsession. The Salesman becomes more erratic. Kit's grip on the fantasy becomes desperate rather than joyful.
Collapse
All is lost: Kit discovers the unicorn store is a delusion. There is no unicorn. The Salesman is likely a con artist or fantasy enabler. Her magical thinking crashes into reality - the "death" of her childhood dreams.
Crisis
Kit processes the devastation. She faces the darkness of having to truly grow up, let go of magic, and accept the mundane adult world she's been avoiding. Her dark night of the soul.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Breakthrough: Kit realizes growing up doesn't mean killing her inner child - it means integrating whimsy with responsibility. The stable she built, the connection with Virgil, the effort itself had value. She can be both.
Synthesis
Kit takes control of her life with new maturity: she reconciles with her parents on new terms, pursues authentic creative work (not seeking external validation), and embraces a real relationship with Virgil built on mutual respect, not fantasy.
Transformation
Final image: Kit in her element, creating art that honors both her whimsy and emotional truth. She's grown up without losing herself - possibly with a hint that magic exists when you stop desperately needing it to.