More than a one-trick Pony
YOU could certainly do a lot worse than My Little Pony when it comes to kids’ TV and movie franchises.
With its wholesome themes of friendship and resilience, and witty, oddly sophisticated delivery, it really is a cracking good show.
There are already a few featurelength stories in the modern My Little Pony series, but the latest, My Little Pony: The Movie, is the first to get a big-screen cinematic release.
My Little Pony: The Movie does feel a bit like an extended episode of the TV series, but considering the series’ tendency towards broad story arcs (something you would expect to see more in an adult series), this format of having one big fully encapsulated adventure actually works quite well.
And yes, as you’ve probably guessed by now, I have watched a lot (A. Lot.) of My Little Pony, thanks to my daughter being a huge fan.
Fortunately, I’ve also become a bit of a fan, and so it seemed fitting that I should take my little girl with me to see the movie.
She’s four, she thought it was awesome, and that’s probably all the critical reaction that matters.
But that would be a short review, so here’s a little more detail.
The first ever Friendship Festival is about to begin in Canterlot, led by Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Tara Strong), but the events are interrupted when the Storm King’s army attacks the citadel, led by pony Tempest Shadow (Emily Blunt).
Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadance are captured, but Twilight Sparkle, the fourth pony princess, escapes with her friends Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy (both voiced by Andrea Libman), Applejack, Rainbow Dash (both voiced by Ashleigh Ball), Rarity (Tabitha St Germain) and the dragon Spike (Cathy Weseluck).
Going on the scant information that help can be found to the south, the “Mane 6” head off in search of an ally to help them drive the Storm King from the land of Equestria.
As a TV series My Little Pony is distinguished by its excellent writing, a combination of sweet innocence, pop-culture self-awareness, colourful silliness and intricate plotting that give it an appeal much broader than its traditional “little girl” target demographic.
It has become a cultural touchstone, both ironically and unironically, and it is most assuredly in on the joke.
And this is plainly evident in this movie. As well as the expected colour and movement and poppy songs, there is a surprisingly well-crafted plot, a villain with remarkable depth of character, laugh-out-loud comedy (for the grown-ups, too), and some cracking pop-culture references.
Being a Hasbro property, it is only fitting that there is a Transformers gag in there, and a Hungry Hungry Hippos reference, but there are plenty of others if you’re keen for the Easter egg hunt.
While the Storm King (voiced by a beautifully sinister Liev Schreiber) is the big bad guy of the story, he is pretty much a background character. The real antagonist of the story is Tempest, his lieutenant, a crimson unicorn with a broken horn and a hatred of all other ponies.
Brought to life by Blunt’s smooth, throaty voice, Tempest is a beautifully written character, her story playing perfectly into the “friendship is magic” philosophy of the series, containing some worthy themes and lessons for the younger audience about bullying, empathy, and making good choices.
The cast is full of great voice talent, which had me spending much of the movie trying to work out who each of the undeniably familiar voices was. As well as Schreiber and Blunt, there are appearances from Orange Is The New Black’s Uzo Aduba, Taye Diggs, Michael Pena, Zoe Saldana and Australian singer Sia.
And really, it’s hard to say too much more. There is nothing too complicated about My Little Pony: The Movie, and that’s exactly its charm. It has even kept the style of its Flash-animated TV series roots, just enhanced a little bit to add some more depth and detail in key areas.
And big props to the little boy who was rocking out during the closing credits with his Pinkie Pie stuffed toy. Stay awesome, dude.
Because that’s the interesting thing about the My Little Pony audience. There are a lot of boys. Lots of grown men, too, for that matter.
And it shouldn’t be so surprising, really. If a little girl is really into, say, Batman or Transformers or some other traditionally “boy” franchise, it isn’t considered too strange. Most would probably consider it kinda cool.
But if a little boy enjoys My Little Pony or Frozen, he is seen as being a bit odd. Well, in years gone by, anyway.
But the gender balance of My Little Pony fandom is an exciting demonstration of the breaking down of those traditional barriers. There really isn’t any such thing as boys’ shows and girls’ shows any more, despite department store toy sections telling us there are.
My Little Pony is really cool. It just is. Ask your kids. And it deserves its reputation. The movie, with its blistering pace, snappy wit and enriching themes is great fun and worthy of your child’s attention.