| My Little Pony: The Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jayson Thiessen |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Anthony Di Ninno |
| Edited by | Braden Oberson |
| Music by | Daniel Ingram |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release dates | |
Running time | 99 minutes[3] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.5 million[4][5] |
| Box office | $61.3 million[5] |
My Little Pony: The Movie is a 2017animatedmusicalhigh fantasy film, directed byJayson Thiessen and based on the animated television seriesMy Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic byLauren Faust.
The film features the show's regular voice cast ofAshleigh Ball,Andrea Libman,Tabitha St. Germain,Tara Strong, andCathy Weseluck, along withUzo Aduba,Emily Blunt,Kristin Chenoweth,Taye Diggs,Michael Peña,Zoe Saldaña,Liev Schreiber andSia. The film follows theflying unicornTwilight Sparkle, her five pony friends – collectively known as the "Mane Six" – and her dragon friend and assistantSpike on a quest to save their home ofEquestria from an evil conqueror.
My Little Pony: The Movie was produced by Hasbro'sAllspark Pictures and animated atDHX Media'sVancouver division, usingtraditional animation created usingToon Boom Harmony. The film premiered inNew York City on September 24, 2017, and was released in the United States on October 6, byLionsgate. It received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a box-office success, grossing $61 million against a production budget of $6M, and becoming Lionsgate's highest-grossing animated feature.
The ponies ofEquestria prepare for their first Friendship Festival, overseen byPrincess Twilight Sparkle in Canterlot. The festivities are interrupted by an army of monsters commanded by theUnicorn Tempest Shadow, who is ordered by her superior, the Storm King, to capture Equestria's princesses and Twilight and empower his mystical staff with their magic in exchange for restoring her broken horn. Tempest uses magical orbs to petrify Twilight's fellow princesses and mentorsPrincess Celestia,Princess Luna, andPrincess Cadence but Twilight escapes with her six friends:Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Applejack,Fluttershy, and the dragonSpike.
Following incomplete instructions from Celestia, Twilight and her friends set out to find the "queen of the hippo" beyond Equestria. They arrive at the desert city of Klugetown, where they accept an offer by a con artist feline named Capper to escort them to the "hippos", unaware that he intends to sell them to local mob boss Verko as to settle a debt he owes to him. As Capper begins to develop a genuine friendship with them, Twilight discovers an atlas that reveals the "hippos" to behippogriffs. Just as they're about to leave, Verko arrives to buy them, exposing Capper's treachery. When Tempest arrives in pursuit of Twilight, the group evades her aboard a delivery airship run by birdlike pirates led by Captain Celaeno, whom Rainbow Dash persuades to take them to the hippogriffs' kingdom on Mount Aris. However, she accidentally gives their location away to Tempest with aSonic Rainboom, forcing the group to reach Mount Aris in a makeshift hot-air balloon.
While exploring the hippogriffs' deserted kingdom, Twilight's group is led by theseapony Princess Skystar to her home of Seaquestria in an underwater cavern. Skystar reveals her kind to be the hippogriffs, transformed by a magic pearl used by her mother, Queen Novo, to hide from the Storm King and his forces, which she denies giving to the group to use against the Storm King. Twilight, fed up with her friends' carefree antics throughout the journey, attempts to steal it while letting her friends unknowingly distract the seaponies. Her plan backfires when she triggers an alarm right after Pinkie persuades Novo to give them the pearl, resulting in Novo angrily banishing the entire group back to the surface.
Back at the surface, Twilight and her friends get into an argument over her actions, ending with Twilight losing her temper and furiously disowning them as her friends while flaring her horn at Pinkie. Deeply hurt and offended, the group, barring Spike, leave Twilight, unknowingly allowing her to be finally captured by Tempest, who gains her sympathy as she reveals the loss of her own horn as a foal due to an Ursa Minor attack caused her own friends to leave her because of her unstable magic.
Upon learning of her kidnapping from Spike, Twilight's friends immediately spring into action and return to Canterlot to rescue her with the help of a reformed Capper, Celaeno and the pirates, and Skystar, who have followed them after being inspired by their friendship. Using his newly empowered staff, the Storm King conjures a storm against the group and betrays Tempest, whom Twilight saves. Twilight and her friends quickly reconcile and manage to recover the staff, ending the storm. The Storm King hurls a magical orb to petrify the group, but Tempest jumps in his way, petrifying them both. The Storm King falls to the ground and smashes to pieces, while the group uses the staff to revive Tempest, who returns the stolen magic to the princesses, restoring them and repairing the now-damaged city. The Friendship Festival resumes with the ponies celebrating alongside everyone whom Twilight and her friends encountered and befriended on their adventure. Encouraged by Twilight, Tempest joins in by producing afireworks display with her broken horn, and happily accepts the group's friendship.
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Nicole Oliver, St. Germain andBritt McKillip reprise their respective roles fromFriendship Is Magic as Twilight's mentors and fellow alicorn princessesPrincess Celestia,Princess Luna, andPrincess Cadance. St. Germain also voicesGranny Smith, Applejack's grandmother, andMuffins, a cross-eyed gray pegasus. Also returning fromFriendship is Magic areMichelle Creber and Peter New areApple Bloom andBig McIntosh, Applejack's younger sister and older brother respectively,Michael Dobson asBulk Biceps, a muscular pegasus, andSamuel Vincent as Party Favor, a balloonist unicorn.
Adam Bengis voices Code Red, one of the Canterlot ponies.Brian Dobson voices Verko, amole-rat crime boss in Klugetown to whom Capper is in debt.Max Martini, Mark Oliver and Nicole Oliver respectively perform as three of Captain Celaeno's parrot-like crew: Boyle,first mate Mullet and Lix Spittle. Michael Dobson,Andrew McNee,Tegan Moss, Sabrina Pitre, Rhona Rees and Vincent all feature as assorted citizens of Canterlot.Richard Ian Cox, Michael Dobson, McNee, New and Nicole Oliver also perform as denizens of Klugetown. Additional voices are provided byAlistair Abell,Caitlyn Bairstow,Julia Benson,Christine Chatelain, Brian Dobson,Paul Dobson, Rondel Reynoldson, Jason Simpson, Sarah Troyer andSiobhan Williams.
AtSan Diego Comic-Con in 2012,Friendship Is Magic head writerMeghan McCarthy commented on the possibility of a feature film based on the series, saying that it was not in her control whether or not the film would be made.[21] The film was announced on October 20, 2014, withJoe Ballarini attached as screenwriter and McCarthy as co-executive producer.[22]Hasbro Studios president Stephen Davis said of the film that "I think it gives us an opportunity to tell a bigger story, that maybe we [can't] tell on television" and that "[it's] also an opportunity to broaden the franchise".[23] The film was one of the first produced through Hasbro Studios' self-financing film label Allspark Pictures, which also produced the2015 live-action adaptation ofJem and the Holograms.[22] During PonyCon AU on February 22, 2015 alongside fellow writer Gillian M. Berrow, McCarthy said that the movie would be unrelated to theEquestria Girls spin-off franchise, and that the crew was "going all out on it, to make sure it doesn't just feel like an extended episode".[24]
Series supervising directorJayson Thiessen was confirmed to direct the film while McCarthy was announced to be writing the script. McCarthy was supposed to work on season 5 of the series but left to write the film while Thiessen announced that afterthe finale to season 5, he would be stepping down as supervising director of the television series in order to work full-time on the film.[25][8] Michael Vogel, another writer on the series, signed on as co-executive producer alongside McCarthy, with Davis and Hasbro CEOBrian Goldner signing on as producers.[26] Vogel, Ballarini, and Rita Hsiao were later announced to be co-writing the film alongside McCarthy.[27][28]
On April 30, 2016, concept artwork and other information was officially revealed at PonyRadioCon in Moscow; the panel included additional plot details such as the main characters' transformation into "sea ponies" for a portion of the film.[29]
The initial Lionsgate announcement listed the principal voice cast ofFriendship Is Magic –Tara Strong,Ashleigh Ball,Andrea Libman,Tabitha St. Germain andCathy Weseluck – reprising their roles alongside actressKristin Chenoweth as a new character.[30] On February 12, 2016, it was announced thatEmily Blunt joined the voice cast.[31] By April 27, 2016, actorsMichael Peña andUzo Aduba were in negotiations to join the cast.[32] On May 16,Liev Schreiber andTaye Diggs were confirmed additions to the cast.[27] On June 20, Ball stated that she had begun recording for the film's songs.[33] At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2016, singerSia was announced to be portraying a new "pop star pony" character called Songbird Serenade.[16] On January 11, 2017, it was reported byVariety thatZoe Saldaña had joined the cast.[34]Friendship Is Magic voice actressNicole Oliver confirmed on January 23 that she would also be a part of the film's cast,[35] reprising her role as Princess Celestia.[36]
Like theFriendship Is Magic series and earlierEquestria Girls animated spin-off films, the animation for the film was mainly done atDHX Studios Vancouver (specifically, its2D animation unit) in Canada and outsourced to Top Draw Animation in the Philippines,[37][38][39] with additional work from Feitong Cartoon in Mainland China andCopa Studio in Brazil just for this film.[37]
On April 2, 2016,Michel Gagné, after receiving an email from Thiessen, both of whom having worked together onInsanely Twisted Shadow Puppets back in 2004, took an eight-month hiatus fromSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and joined the film as special effects lead.[40][41][42][43][specify] In early October 2016, Gagné reported that Nik Gipe was hired onto the film's staff as his assistant. He also mentioned that the film was being animated usingToon Boom Animation's Harmony software rather than the usualAdobe Flash animation software used in the television series as apparently, it was too cheap-looking to be used for a theatrical film.[44] Several crew members, including Thiessen, Gagnè, art director Rebecca Dart, head of story Doron Mier, storyboard artist Jocelan Thiessen, Thiessen's wife, and creative consultantKevin Munroe, who was also a storyboard artist on the film, said they wanted to add "simple yet impactful changes" to the designs for the big screen, such as depth and shadows for the characters' eyes and ears, and the impression of heart-shaped indentations on the bottom of their hooves, while still keeping the look and feel of the show, which using Toon Boom enabled them to do.[45]
According to cinematographer Anthony Di Ninno, the crew used 3D modeling inAutodesk Maya to determine camera locations, lens, angles, rough lighting, character, and prop placement, and which way the characters would be looking and expressing while the composition crew used Toon Boom andAdobe After Effects and the background paint was done inPhotoshop. The pre-visualization crew were able to use the 3D backdrops, which became more detailed throughout the film's development, to integrate the 3D character models and test the Toon Boom animations on top of these scenes using the placement established by Maya, speeding up the production.[46]
The film's official soundtrack was released on September 22, 2017, byRCA Records.[47]
The film's songs and score were composed byFriendship Is Magic songwriterDaniel Ingram, instead of the songs being composed by Ingram and the score being composed by William Anderson. Ingram first announced at GalaCon 2015 that he would be collaborating with a live studio orchestra for the film.[48] On his songwriting for the film, Ingram said, "I had to challenge myself to push beyond what had been done in the TV show; to write bigger, more epic."[49] It was stated through the PonyRadioCon panel that the film would have a total of eight original songs.[29] On November 17, 2015, background score orchestratorSteffan Andrews, who left the series after season 4 ended, had said that he would return to work on the film, but ultimately Andrews was given only a special thanks credit in the final film. At Hasbro's Toy Fair investor presentation on February 17, 2017, it was announced that there would be seven songs.[50] Around 5,800 pages of sheet music were created for all orchestral parts of the score.[51] Recording for the score began at Nashville on June 5, 2017, performed by the Nashville Scoring Orchestra and conducted by David Shipps, and finished on June 11 with additional music written byCaleb Chan and Trevor Hoffman.[52][53]
Sia contributed an original song to the film,[54] "Rainbow", which was released as a single on September 15, 2017.[55] A music video for the song later released byEntertainment Weekly on September 19. The video was directed byDaniel Askill and features a dance performance byMaddie Ziegler, a previous collaborator with Sia, intercut to scenes from the film.[56] Danish bandLukas Graham also contributed an original song for the film titled "Off to See the World",[57] which was used in the film's first trailer and played over the closing credits. Other artists included in the album areDNCE andCL.[58][59] The score for the film was released onSpotify on October 7, 2018.[60] It features a song cut from the film titled "Equestria" that was originally going to play in the beginning, but was cut in favor ofRachel Platten's cover of "We Got the Beat".[61]
The film's productionwrapped up on July 29, 2017, as announced by Thiessen.[62]
On August 7, 2015,Lionsgate announced that they would distribute the film in the United States, and sell distribution rights to the film worldwide except inMainland China.[26][30] The film was showcased at the2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 10 along with eight other Lionsgate features to help sell the film to international distributors.[63]
The film was originally scheduled for release in the United States and Canada on November 3, 2017,[64] but it was subsequently moved up to October 6, 2017.[2] A private premiere screening was held in New York City on September 24, 2017, twelve days prior to the nationwide release date.[1] In Canada, the film was distributed byEntertainment One Films, which had the nationwide rights to Lionsgate films at the time. Theatrically, the film was accompanied by a 5-minute animated short fromHasbro Studios' web seriesHanazuki: Full of Treasures.[65]
Numerous toys based on characters, sets, and props from the film were made by Hasbro, and a vast majority of the products was released on August 1, 2017.[66] The 2016 PonyRadioCon panel included a brief preview for some of the planned merchandise being developed for the film, including T-shirts and graphics.[29] On July 27, 2016, theMy Little Pony Collectible Card Game hinted about a new set of cards based on the film.[67] Hasbro's toyline for the film was shown and promoted atToy Fair 2017 and various other toy conventions.[68][69][70]
Several books and comics related to the film have been announced:My Little Pony: Annual 2018, which contains "exclusive content from theMy Little Pony movie" was released on August 10, 2017;[71] and a "prequel" story released on August 1.[72] On January 23, 2017,Hachette Book Group listed five different books for the film, all released on August 29, 2017.[73][74][75][76][77] Books based on the film have been showcased atBookCon 2017 on June 4, with guest appearances by Libman and Ball.[78]IDW Publishing released a four-issue comic book miniseries titledMy Little Pony: The Movie Prequel, with the first issue released on June 28, 2017.[79]Viz Media released an art book for the film on August 29, 2017.[80] A comic adaptation based on the film by IDW was released on September 27, 2017.[81]
A teaser trailer for the film was released online on April 6, 2017,[54] and in theaters alongsideSmurfs: The Lost Village the following day. The first full trailer debuted online on June 28, 2017,[82] and was released withDespicable Me 3 two days later.[83] Another trailer was released byUSA Today online on September 12, 2017.[84] The same day, the officialMy Little Pony Facebook page hosted a live Q&A stream with two of the movie's characters, Pinkie Pie (voiced by Libman) and Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Strong).[85][non-primary source needed] Another trailer was played during theseason 12 finale ofAmerica's Got Talent on September 20, 2017.[86] On September 27, 2017, the officialMy Little Pony Facebook page hosted a live Q&A stream with Dart, who drew a custom artwork of Rainbow Dash (voiced by Ball).[87][non-primary source needed]
On September 30, 2017, a special titledThe Making of My Little Pony: The Movie aired onDiscovery Family, a joint venture between Discovery Communications (nowWarner Bros. Discovery) andHasbro;[88] it was watched by 18,000 viewers.[89]
My Little Pony: The Movie was released on December 19, 2017 for digital downloads, and was later released on January 9, 2018 forDVD,Blu-ray and On Demand.[90][non-primary source needed][91] Its special features includes a deleted scene, a music video for the song "I'm the Friend You Need", a featurette starring Pinkie Pie, two behind the scenes featurettes, an exclusiveEquestria Girls animated short, and theHanazuki: Full of Treasures short bundled with the film's theatrical release.[92]
A home media bundling both this film and thenamesake 1986 film was released on October 16, 2018, commemorating the 35th anniversary of theMy Little Pony toyline. The releases contain the same bonus features as its DVD/Blu-ray counterparts.[93]
As of April 2018,My Little Pony: The Movie had sold over 200,000 DVD copies and 160,000 Blu-ray copies.[5]
My Little Pony: The Movie grossed $21.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $39.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $61.3 million[5] on a production budget of $6.5 million.[4][5]
In the United States and Canada, the film was expected to gross between $10 million and $17 million from 2,528 theaters in its opening weekend.[94][95] It made $3 million on its first day.[96] It ended up opening to $8.9 million, finishing 6th at the box office.[97][98]Amid Amidi ofCartoon Brew stated that – despite the opening being considered a disappointment – any reasonable return from the film would be seen as positive by Hasbro because it is tied to the toy line.[99] The film dropped 54% in its second weekend, making $4.1 million and falling to 9th.[100]
Its biggest markets outside North America are China with $7.4 million, the United Kingdom with $5 million, Germany with $2.4 million, and Russia with $2.3 million.[5]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval percentage of 48% based on 66 reviews. The critics consensus reads: "Charming and sweet,My Little Pony: The Movie will please its dedicated fanbase, even if it's unlikely to encourage non-devotees to gallop along for the ride."[101] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 39 out of 100 based on 13 critic reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[102] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[96]
RogerEbert.com's Christy Lemire gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying, "Meghan McCarthy, Rita Hsiao, and Michael Vogel share screenwriting credits...the narrative itself is all over the place, with a multitude of underdeveloped, crammed-in characters. Plus, every once in a while, the various animals burst into song, but not in any particularly memorable way."[103]
Michael Rechtshaffen ofThe Hollywood Reporter labeled the film the "worst animated feature of the year", humorously suggesting that it might unseatThe Emoji Movie for that distinction.[104]IGN gave the film 3.5 out of ten, the lowest rating received for a film in 2017, and said, "The design philosophy of the show is completely subverted for the purpose of introducing new characters who aren't necessary to the story, and read like self-insert fanfic characters."[105]
Katie Walsh of theLos Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, saying: "Truthfully, this film feels like four episodes of a cartoon strung together, and there are times, especially during some of the latter musical numbers, where it truly drags." She also criticized the film's animation, saying that it "embraces the flat, colorful,Saturday-morning cartoon look and feel".[106] Josh Terry ofDeseret News panned the film, saying that parents should "put their money into (buying) some newMy Little Pony toys" rather than into getting tickets to see the film.[107]
Gwen Ihnat ofThe A.V. Club gave the film a negative review, and criticized the music in the film, noting, "the ponies' odes aren't likely to make anyone rush out to get the soundtrack; even the Sia song fails to stand out."[108]
Elizabeth Weitzman ofTheWrap wrote positively of the film, saying that the film, "Like its television predecessor, is all dressed up in bubbles and cupcakes and rainbows. But it's so jam-packed with rousing girl power, it passes theBechdel Test with (literally) flying colors."[109] Amy Nicholson ofVariety called the film "at onceclichéd and exceptional", praising its female characters and "emotionally wise" story.[110]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4 Awards | 2021 | Animation | Tara Strong | Won | |
| Behind the Voice Actors Awards | 2018 | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film | My Little Pony: The Movie | Nominated | |
| Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film | Ashleigh Ball | Nominated | |||
| Emily Blunt | Nominated | ||||
| Tara Strong | Nominated | ||||
| Best Female Vocal Performance in a Feature Film in a Supporting Role | Uzo Aduba | Nominated | |||
| Davey Awards | 2017 | Best Home Page Website | My Little Pony: The Movie | Won | |
| Muse Creative Awards | 2018 | WEBSITE | Won | ||
| ReFrame | Narrative & Animated Feature | Won | |||
| UBCP/ACTRA Awards | Best Voice | Andrea Libman | Nominated | ||
| Vega Digital Awards | Website - Music, Movie and Film | My Little Pony: The Movie | Won |
Pic received an A- CinemaScore.
the film earned an A-minus rating on CinemaScore
