No horse power in this adventure
MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE Direction:Jayson Thiessen Voices:Tara Strong, Emily Blunt Rating:
Drawing on the popular 1980s toy line, My Little Pony: The Movie follows the adventures of six magical ponies who giddy up to save their realm from being destroyed by a prince of darkness.
The sparkling sextet embarks on a journey beyond Equestria in the hope of vanquishing the blustery villain (voiced by Liev Schreiber) and his unicorn underling (Emily Blunt),
Other anthropomorphic creatures thrown into the mix include a seahorse princess (Kristin Chenoweth), a pirate parrot (Zoe Saldana) and a resourceful feline (Taye Diggs, the voice ensemble standout).
The voice cast also features pop star Sia, belting out an up-tempo rendition of ‘Rainbow’.
In a welcome change, the film uses traditional handdrawn 2D animation (with some computer-assisted graphics, of course). The brightly coloured underwater segment is especially striking.
Though the storyline is underdeveloped, it compensates by imparting a simple but effective message about the value of friendship and loyalty.
The movie is clearly aimed at kindergartners (who may be frightened by some of the violent images); accompanying adults, expect to be left squirming in your seats.