My Little Pony: The Movie Review

PG: For some mild action

99 Minutes (+ 5 due to a Hanazuki: Full of Treasures short)

Lionsgate, Allspark Pictures, DHX Media

Dir: Jayson Thiessen | Writers: Meghan McCarthy, Rita Hsiao, Michael Vogel

Voice Cast: Tara Strong, Andrea Libman, Ashleigh Ball, Tabitha St. Germain, Cathy Weseluck, Emily Blunt, Uzo Aduba, Kristin Chenoweth, Taye Diggs, Michael Peña, Zoe Saldana, Liev Schreiber, Sia

INTRO: Some may not know this, but back in 2012, I used to dabble in watching 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'. I think it started with the Screwattack's Rainbow Dash vs Starscream Death Battle. Right when Rainbow Dash won, I got curious what this show was. Then I discovered the massive amount of popularity the show sparked, and I was interested if it was at least tolerable for something called ‘My Little Pony.’ Surprisingly I thought it was pretty good. My little sister and I watched it for several seasons until the point Twilight Sparkle became a princess. My sister kind of went on further from there as she started to watch the spinoffs like 'Equestria Girls' and stuff. Right when Lauren Faust (original creator of the show) left, so did I. Now several years later when the fandom is still surprisingly strong, Lionsgate & Hasbro has released 'My Little Pony: The Movie.' Sadly, this is the best movie Hasbro has ever released.

A dark force threatens Ponyville, and the Mane 6 - Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity - embark on an unforgettable journey beyond Equestria where they meet new friends and exciting challenges on a quest to use the magic of friendship to save their home.

THE GOOD

SMALL HOOVES TO BIG SCREEN

The best thing about the animation for this movie is restyled it is for its theatrical format, and it clearly shows. You can tell from a visual standpoint that the filmmakers behind the film wanted to make this more than what could've easily been an extended TV episode. Since ‘My Little Pony: The Movie’ is the latest fully traditional animated movie to be released in 6 years, the film does a great job making the visuals impressive to watch. It uniquely blends the 2D character animation on a 3D landscape which makes a lot of the action sequences refreshing to view on a big screen. The filmmakers even changed the software that was used on the show (Adobe Flash) to a software that makes the film look like a grand adventure on a larger scale with an actual budget (Toon Boom Harmony). 

If you have never seen an episode of 'Friendship is Magic,' this movie may not be a great start. If anything, I recommend you watch the first three seasons so you can get a gist of how the show is like. The film captures the essence of the show from the humor to the characters to even the slang such as sayings like “everypony” instead of “everybody.”  

You have an all-star cast from Zoe Saldana, Taye Diggs, Emily Blunt to Liev Schreiber and yet they’re all side characters to this voice cast from the show that people all recognize and love. This is Tara Strong’s movie more than anything since she is Twilight Sparkle whose magic is the core of this film. The movie is faithful to what it's about without giving up its integrity to a Hollywood studio. 

This is a Hasbro production. If you look at their track record, every single movie Hasbro has ever produced were nothing but Hollywood garbage that was either a product placement for brands (any given Transformer film) or a giant middle finger to its source material (Jem & the Holograms). God forbid anybody fucks up 'My Little Pony.' If you are a fan of ‘MLP: FiM,’ this movie is the equivalent to the 2004’s 'The Spongebob Squarepants Movie’ for you. Just like that film, this is an adaptation that is honest to the series that it was based on by not only having the crew and cast that made the show special but by also integrating the humor, heart, and charm to this epic scale of an adventure that tests our lead characters and allowing them to grow.

MY LITTLE MUSICAL

It's funny that the previously mainstream 2D movie that was released was Disney’s 'Winnie the Pooh' in 2011 but every element of this film’s story embodies every single trope of a Disney movie most specifically from the 90s. This may say 'My Little Pony: The Movie' by its cover, but under its skin, it's a Disney movie at heart. You have a princess going out of her home and going on an epic journey to find someone to help save it. Give me 5 Disney movies that this sounds like? The only good part of it that stands out is that there is no prince. Besides that, the movie is also a musical. Though the story is a 90s Disney movie, this has the musical cues of a Disney movie of the 21st century. The music itself has that over the top numbers that are inspired by Disney films.

You have songs such as the

-    THIS IS OUR HOME/ITS HARD BEING A PRINCESS song (Moana)
-    LET ME DECEIVE YOU song (The Princess & the Frog)
-    I GOT A DREAM song (Tangled)

Then some songs have its own original flair that works, but then you have lyrics that are somewhat mediocre. I mean this is a film for young girls (though 20-40-year-old men will show up in the theater instead) and the music is perfect for them, but others looking for more might be disappointed by some choices. 

But what really got to me was the villain song sang by Emily Blunt’s Tempest Shadow. If I'm honest with myself, I find her villain song far stronger than (bear with me here) EVERY VILLAIN SONG in the book of animated movies! 

With her song, “Open Up Your Eyes,” there is an epic melody that has the mixture of The Lion King’s “Be Prepared, ” and 'Tangled's' “Mother Knows Best.” The thing about her song that elevates it from others of its type is the context it has with the dimension to her character. For the past several years, I found a lot of animated movies to be lacking of good villains due to their one-dimensional characters. Even Disney didn’t really have a three-dimensional villain for years until 'Wreck-It Ralph' came out. With Tempest, you have an antagonist with a tragically sad backstory that is thoroughly expressed through song, and you emotionally resonate with her and understand her path to darkness. The film even changes its animation style to show her backstory, and it's genuinely emotional.

In a year where every other animated movie lacks of creativity or actual emotional value, it took a 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' film adaptation to bring genuine heart and emotion to the big screen. So far this is the best-animated film of 2017 since ‘The LEGO Batman Movie,’ and I’m not ashamed to say it. Who should be ashamed is Hollywood for not making quality animated features like they used to.

THE BAD

UNSUBTLY SIA

Though the film has no product placement, you have celebrity pony placement. You have Sia as a character named Songbird Serenade who just pretty much looks like the pony version of Sia. She has the Sia wig and everything. If that was the case, just call her pony Sia. Her entire design embodies the likeness of Sia. The only redeemable quality out of that is the song Sia provides for the film is actually pretty great. It kind of pisses me off in a way because two of 2017’s Best Original Songs so far came from Sia. You have “To Be Human” from ‘Wonder Woman, ’ and now you have “Rainbow” for this and its an excellent song.

LAST STATEMENT

Rightfully taking every best element from the ‘Friendship is Magic’ series, ‘My Little Pony: The Movie’ is a joyfully inspired TV to film adaptation that brilliantly brings back the magic of what was missing from modern animated cinema: 2D animation.

If this can spark a comeback for 2D animated features, then I am all for it.  

NOT THAT!  ANYTHING BUT THAT! 

Rating: 4/5 | 82%

Super Scene: “Open Up Your Eyes”