My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks Animated (2014) User Reviews (44)

Battle of the bands

[Terryfan · 8/10 · 2 November 2015]

When my nieces wanted to watch a movie with me I of course gave them the option to pick any movie they wanted.

Little did I know they would pick My Little Pony:Equestria Girls- Rainbow Rocks.

Without knowing much story-line and character wise I had nothing to lose I was just being the good uncle.

Anyway the movie turn out to be quite interesting. What makes the movie works is the story and the soundtrack is the strongest point of the film

The Animation is original and actually has some well done art work to it with cool effects. The Voice acting is very good along.There is a good percent of humor to be found in this movie but they focus the story on more important details such as character development

What drives the movie home is the music, the movie features original songs each one have their own special magic to them my nieces and I favorite songs feature in the movie were "Under our spell" "Welcome to the show" and "Let's have a battle of the bands"

Overall the film has good entertainment and the fans of My little Pony will enjoy it very much plus its good for the kids

I give My Little Pony: Equestria Girls-Rainbow Rocks an 8 out of 10

A franchise finally grows up

[xamtaro · 8/10 · 28 November 2014]

There were two things I did not like about the previous "EQUESTRIA GIRLS" movie. First was the shallow theme that fantastic musical talent wins you friends. In the last movie, instead of showing Twilight winning over the hearts and minds of her school mates through her honesty, sincerity and helpfulness, she wins them over through the magic of song and dance. Next is the tons of wasted potential to tell a much deeper or more mature story that one couldn't show in the regular MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC series. Instead of that we get unnecessary musical numbers. RAINBOW ROCKS takes a dive off the deep end and make the music the central driving force behind the whole plot. Surprisingly, it works. And what we have is a decent musical movie that works around music to deliver the morals and themes that the franchise should have from the get go.

As Canterlot High prepares for its annual talent showcase, three mysterious girls with mind controlling voices turn the showcase into a "Battle of the Bands". Their sinister songs bring out bitter rivalries between the bands, negative emotions which the girls seem to feed on and grow more powerful. Only the 5 main characters, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and AppleJack are unaffected by the spell due to their contact with Equestrian magic. Also unaffected is a reformed Sunset Shimmer, the antagonist from the previous movie.

In an interesting reflection of the original 1986 MY LITTLE PONY cartoon, Twilight Sparkle takes on the "friend from another world" role that Megan had in that series. Only this time, it is a magical pony who travels to the human world to help solve her human counterparts problems. So in comes Twilight who soon realises that trouble is brewing from within. The gang ain't getting along due to conflicts of interest, egos and generally familiar problems that tend to crop up in any group of pals. Thankfully, the day is not saved once again through a song and dance routine but through some actual character development and harsh lessons.

Generally the writing is an improvement over the lackluster first entry of EQUESTRIA GIRLS. There are good lessons to be learned from the way the group dynamics of our main characters grow and mature. The bottom line is that RAINBOW ROCKS keeps the conflicts real. The characters go through real problems that real people face everyday, solving them like real people and in doing so makes those characters all the more relatable. Most intriguing is Sunset Shimmer and her journey towards redemption in the eyes of her peers. Now the black sheep of the school, Sunset's character arc of regaining the respect and trust of her friends can get quite heart wrenching when you see how hard she tries and still people remember only her bad deeds of the past. This is a very real problem that youngsters face. Just as real is Twilight Sparkle's dilemma of being the designated "hero" and cracking under the pressure to live up to everyone's sky high expectations.

"Sky High" also describes the production quality on this. RAINBOW ROCKS earns its status as a "movie" by showcasing a tremendous leap in terms of animation quality from anything seen in the TV series. The production team experiments with bolder shot set ups and action scenes and more detail in the art. Just look at the way the shadows from the refrigerator plays off Twilight and Sunset during a night scene in the kitchen! It is beautiful!. Designs have been tweaked slightly, making the humans look less uncanny. The characters facial expressions are the definite highlight here; dynamic, perfectly drawn, and covering a wide range of emotions that are complimented with some of the finest voice acting in modern animation.

Of course, we have the songs. Expertly written and composed by Daniel Ingram, the songs are catchy and fun. As usual, one could compare them to the best of Disney musicals but with a more modern spin. Think of it as a fantasy styled retelling of Glee with a bit more depth. Moving into more mature storytelling seems to be the way to go, and a way that works well for the Equestria Girls franchise.

Let's have a battle of the bands!

[nataliabatsko · 8/10 · 14 February 2023]

I enjoyed the first movie, sure it was a bit cliche, but still thanks to it's fantasy-high school mix, it became more than that and managed to entertain me and other fans around the globe. So obviously, Hasbro would make not 1, but 3 sequels, each having a different theme. This one is about music and battles!

Some time after the first movie, the group of 3 sirens notice that there's Equestria magic, since it's exactly what they wanted, the trio decided to step in and try to get it. Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer from the last movie tries to redeem herself, but outside of the mane 5, nobody would want to hang out. Later, when Sunset wanted to introduce Canterlot high to the Dazzlings (sirens), she noticed that they were after the magic and to get, they have to make everyone go against each other. So, Twilight Sparkle has to go back to the human world, create a song spell and banish the sirens. The plot is a big improvement over the first movie, since it has 2 things, that make the experience worthwhile. First the songs, they were upbeat and fun! Each one has a memorable melody and lyrics, except the spell song, but that one was intended to be bad! I especially love Shake your tail from Rainbooms and Under your spell from Dazzlings. They are different, since the latter one comes from the villains, and it sounds more evil in general, but I like how distinctive they are. Even Trixie got a song, but sadly, we barely heard it, because of Rainbooms arguing scene. But luckily, it's available online separately. And I especially loved the Welcome to the show song, which is a final battle scene between Rainbooms and Dazzlings. And the first time both would be face to face with each other. Speaking of the sirens, they are actually my favorite villains of the whole MLP Franchise. It consists of Adagio Dazzle, the leader who wants the power so bad, Aria Blaze, the more sarcastic type, and Sonata Dusk that is barely evil and rather eat tacos and have fun than taking goals seriously. All of them are surprisingly interesting, and I especially love their singing skills. The mane 7 characters still remain the same, except for Sunset. She used to be the meanest student, but now changed a lot, and wants everyone to see the good side of hers. I like how she progressed, thus making her seem real and relatable to some people. Yes, she did a lot of mistakes in the past, but we see that everyone can learn from their mistakes and start a new life. She's extremely different from her past self, and I'm proud of this decision of both the character and the writers.

The story is mostly focused on the battle of the bands and trying to stop the villains from making everyone angry! Sure, still cliche, but even if that, it's at least more creative with the new music theming and even more mythology. The jokes aren't the strongest part of it, but it has moments, like Sonata just wanting to celebrate Taco Tuesday or when Maud pie (Pinkie's sister) would feed her pet rock. Lastly, the animation got better as well. I love the new costumes, since they are neon rainbow themed, and I noticed that the animation is more fluid since last time. Not to mention, they even added more background characters, like Photo Finish, Lyra and Bon bon, Derpy, Bulk Biceps, Octavia and even Cloud Kicker. This proves that Hasbro also cares about the fans who watch both the show and the movies, so they would add some fan favorites!

This is honestly a great follow up to the first film, thanks to it's improved animation, more great friends and foes, amazing songs and a more entertaining plot. Definitely a must watch for Equestria girls and My little pony fans. Even if you never watched the first movie, you'd still like this one, but only of you either liked MLP or at least fine with it. Haters wouldn't like much though, maybe for the exception of the Dazzlings, cause I believe they can make anyone fall in love with them. Still, I'm very impressed by it, especially the soundtrack!

Way Better than the First and a Ton of Fun!

[NineTenElevenTwelve · 9/10 · 29 September 2014]

I'll gladly state that I liked the first film in spite of its flaws; and I'm happy to say that this sequel is better than the first in practically every aspect!

The animation is a lot better this time around and the songs have more variety. The characters remain likable and the humor is really good. The references and cameos are still aplenty and, as a fan, I thoroughly enjoyed spotting each one. The villains weren't the best MLP has given us but they were still passable and served their purpose well.

But the best part about this movie by far was Sunset Shimmer. Her development, characterization, and arc in this movie were outstanding! This movie made me love Sunset (who I originally felt meh about after the first film) and I really want to see more of her in the future.

Also, just a tip, make sure to stay after the credits because there's a nice surprise at the end that opens up a world of possibilities for the future of "Equestria Girls".

Overall, "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks" was a great movie and a huge improvement over its predecessor. I can't wait to see how this spin-off series develops from here!

A huge improvement over the previous film, but still not quite to the quality level "Friendship is Magic" is at

[lebronyjames18 · 7/10 · 17 October 2014]

The music is toe-tapping, catchy and fun to listen to, the animation is an improvement over the last film and as is usual with MLP, the voice acting is superb. It does feel like something is missing, though. It's not a bad movie by any means. I've watched it a couple times and found it to be entertaining both times. Be that is it may, I feel like "Friendship is Magic" has this certain charm and Rainbow Rocks just isn't able to emulate that charm.... maybe it's not trying to, though. Maybe it's trying to be its own thing.

I enjoyed it more than the first movie but there's still a lot of room for improvement if they continue this film series. I'd give it watch.

Bronies and Fans, Take Note: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks Will Not Disappoint

[rannynm · 10/10 · 29 September 2014]

What an addition to the "My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic" franchise! This film has references to the first movie, a bit of story from the last season of the show and even all the little extra characters that My Little Pony fans love!

It is definitely a combination of adventure with a crème of comedy and a sprinkle of excitement all rapped up in a friendship sandwich.

The adventure starts when a band performance is planned at Canterlot High where the kids can make bands and raise funds and three very unusual girls turn it into a super competitive battle of the bands. When they run out of things to do, Twilight's friends from that world call to another world where Twilight is. Will they be able to come there and save them or will evil prevail?

This film is just fantastic! Hasbro was smart to include a lot of little fun things from the shows that fans adore including the beloved Derby Hooves pony who is really never part of the story, just in the background for fun. The songs are great as well. We hear not just the classic My Little Pony songs from the TV show. Instead, the music is very pop like which suits the story well. I imagine that sing-along coming to the fans shortly and being a smash hit. The show's creators also connected to the first Equestria Girls movie which I thought was perfect.

My favorite scene is when girls are having a sleep-over at Pinkie Pie's house. When Twilight gets out of bed and walks to the kitchen she finds Pinkie's older sister feeding her pet boulder. I love this scene because, in the show, there is an episode where we meet this sister. So, I thought having her in the movie is a great idea and so unexpected.

This film does not have anything parents should be worried about and for extremely little kids who do not understand the ponies, they will enjoy the bright colors. I give this film 5 out of 5 stars for its original story, fantastic songs and those little characters that fans and Bronies love so much! If you want to see "My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks," check it out at your nearest theater.

Reviewed by Gerry O, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

Better than expected

[Miora · 7/10 · 19 October 2014]

After seeing Equestria Girls I had no desire to see another humanized ponies movie. But the teasers actually made me curious. Because there is actually more a theme present in this movie. The theme, music, is very well up to MLP; FiM standards as we know this song for having music that is better than most series. The music is a bit different from the series in exploring more pop genres. Aaaand, we now have a set of villains that are way more interesting than we had in Equestria Girls. The villains actually have separate characters and a history that old school bronies will find interesting. The story was also more interesting and riddled with Easter eggs. The end battle runs circles around the end battle of the former movie. Finally no simple deus ex machina. Do not see this movie expecting the level of the series, because of course these characters and story telling and cartoon style still works way better with ponies than with these doll like humans. Expecting ponies will be quite disappointing. They should have used ponies, they didn't. Tough break. But for simply a color full animation for the whole family it is a fine movie. Watch out for the risk of having the songs stuck in your head after wards. They're quite catchy.

Better then the first one.

[vuk-solujic · 10/10 · 27 September 2014]

A lot more musical, an amazing storyline. The Dazzlings feel like amazing brand new villains in the movie and feel much darker for the Bronies, and the story feels a lot more swell in many ways. Being back in the human world of Equestria feels more fun and more adventurous, plus the score and the songs of this are feeling like they have more potential and really gives us positive views. My Little Pony Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks is way more better than the first one with a brand new story, more songs, new characters and villains, and a brand new musical adventure becoming an amazing movie that Hasbro Studios and DHX media have made.

Better than the first movie, but still has problems

[jediforce10 · 7/10 · 14 January 2017]

Rainbow Rocks is the sequel to the first Equestria Girls movie. The first film was pretty bad that had a predictable story, a mixed bunch of songs, a generic setting and premise, and was nothing more than a cheap attempt by Hasbro to compete with Mattel's Monster High series and sell toys of the MLP characters as humans. Despite the mixed reception and all, a sequel was made, but this time it would have Sunset, the villain of the last movie, take center stage.

Taking place after the events of the first movie, Sunset Shimmer has been struggling to fit in and make friends with everybody; especially since the school is still angry at Sunset for the years of torment she put them through. As Sunset struggles with fitting in, three mysterious girls come into the school and use some magic to twist the school and "feed" upon their hate and bickering. Now faced with a new threat from Equestria, Sunset must get Twilight to come back and team up to take down this threat.

The first thing I'll say to the movie's credit, is the story is much better than the first movie's. While still predictable and by the numbers, this one actually works out a bit more and does have some better elements in it. The story overall is nothing amazing, but at least it's a step up from the previous movie at least.

What's not so good though are some of the forced plot elements. When Sunset needs help from Equestria, she writes in a magic diary that can communicate with Princess Celestia. Yet as we see in Equestria, Twilight ends up with it for no reason at all other than because movie said so. There's no explanation as to why Twilight has something so dear to Celestia in her possession other than because the plot demands it.

The other major forced thing is the romance between Flash and Twilight again. If you thought the first movie was bad, this is even worse. Not only is the dialogue between them still terrible and awkward and we still know nothing about Flash, but it also makes Twilight seemingly stupid. For example, Twilight meets with her human friends after being told about the new threat. The first thing she talks about? How Flash has been talking about her. Yes, this is the first thing she brings up in regards to a threat to the human world. And don't even get me started on that near kiss.

Speaking of Twilight, while the movie seems to focus on Sunset initially and her dealing with her past demons, the movie ultimately focuses on Twilight. Sunset's story about her wanting to show she's changed doesn't get a lot of focus as a result. It's rather irritating since she was supposed to be the main character, but instead gets pushed aside by Twilight. To be fair though, like the last movie, the interactions with Sunset and Twilight are good again. They have some good character development and the scenes are pretty sweet overall. It's just a shame that it feels more like Sunset gets kind of pushed aside.

The villains end up being three sirens disguised as humans. Sonata Dusk, Adagio Dazzle, and Aria Blaze, AKA the Dazzlings. They're much better villains than Sunset was in the first movie. While Sunset relied on intimidation alone to rule the school, these girls use magic and systematically take over. They also get a few good laughs, especially Sonata, and are enjoyable villains overall.

With the theme of the movie being about a battle of the bands competition, there are a lot of songs in this movie. Unlike the first movie with how mixed the songs were, all the songs in this movie are really enjoyable. From the Rainbooms, to the Dazzlings, and even Trixie gets a song in. They're all enjoyable and different in their own ways. Even if you don't like the movie, I'd definitely buy the music for this movie and listen to it.

The climax is better as well. Ignoring the really weird inclusion of Vinyl's car (Another toy Hasbro wanted to sell), it was kind of over the top and kind of exciting to see the sirens in their true forms and it was kind of awesome to see Sunset step up to the plate and help save the day. It's nothing amazing, but at least it's a step up.

While not perfect and not something I'd watch constantly, Rainbow Rocks does end up being much better than the first movie. It does improve on many things such as the story, villains, characters, and songs. However, it still has some issues that hurt it as a whole. Twilight taking over ended up being the thing that hurt the most here. Sunset barely gets to do anything and gets pushed aside. Combine that with some issues with forced plot points and the terrible romance subplot, and it brings the movie down. However, those things won't ruin what is a pretty rocking movie overall, and is worth checking out.

This Movie Didn't Need To Exist

[madamemoviemonsterheart · 1/10 · 18 March 2015]

The show itself is great! So why do we need a movie? Or better yet a sequel to a horrible movie? I like My little Pony Friendship is Magic. I hated the first movie and this one is almost as bad.

1. The characters are dull, unfunny and obnoxious. The jokes they try to make aren't funny the first time and they keep hitting you over the head with them. Sunset Shimmer is the only likable character in this movie. I wanted to see her become good and to let everyone else know how much she has changed. I felt a connection with her and I want to see her succeed.

2. The songs are honestly forgettable. This is pop song mess. If you want to listen to annoying pop songs than go to a popular radio station. They play those songs all the time.

3. The plot is a mess and thankfully not as bad as the first movie. However it is uncreative plus none of this affects the show. It's not like Twilight Sparkle learned anything like in the last movie except she can't always do everything. However we had that message already before. Plus she is starting to become very whiny and acts more of a drama queen.

4. The villains are pretty dull. All they want to do is make everyone adore them. Okay....then what? they never really explain their motivations clearly and they're terribly underdeveloped.

5. The ending is the same as before. Deus ex machina is starting to really get old. Plus how do their 'powers' work? They asked why does it work but they shrug it off by making Rainbow Dash say 'who cares?' Umm, I care. I'm a fan and audience member. I should know how your powers work.

Just like the first movie it takes an interesting idea from the TV show and make it dull. Why couldn't they go on a journey like Homeward Bound did? That would've been incredible for them to see different sights of our world and admire it. Sadly all we get is another clique high school movie like the last one except this one has singing.

I'm sorry that I had to see this movie and I'm sorry that it couldn't have been better. I know I said it's better than the first movie but that's like saying 'Well at least I didn't get hit in the head by a mallet but a hammer' I can't wait for Season 5 to come so I can forget about this movie. Even if you do like this movie you have to admit that you would rather watch the TV show than this.

The most perfect movie ever made

[clsjessicawilde · 10/10 · 5 February 2019]

Obviously ALL of Friendship is Magic and Equestria Girls is perfect. Rainbow Rocks is something else. The music, the characters, the flow, the style, the cinematography. Ive literally seen it at least a thousand times. Not a figure of speech. I mean literally at least a THOUSAND. I watch it to get me pumped as I get ready for work. I watch it doing stuff around the house. It never gets old. I sing I laugh I cry like the first time I saw it. Just like the rest of all of FiM amd EGs. The best thing Ive ever seen in 2 decades. And I think most everything made these days is absolute garbage! Lazy stupid writing that tries (and succeeds with most of social idiocy) distract you with flash cgi. The irony that such a simple show could put hundreds of MILLION dollar productions to shame! Im so glad I have my little pony a chance! It totally changed my life!

An improvement over the first Equestria Girls - still not a needed film

[hofcourse · 7/10 · 14 August 2021]

I talked about in my initial review of the first Equestria Girls that while the film is harmless fun, it's not necessary to introduce humans into the My Little PONY franchise.

However, this movie embraces what it is, and has a killer soundtrack. I actually really enjoyed it.

I hate this movie

[brookewhite1998 · 1/10 · 8 December 2014]

This movie is horrible! It's not as bad a the first movie but it's so close. The heroes are obnoxious to watch,the villains are horrible, the plot is too predictable, the songs are just pop garbage, there are so many plot holes and the worst problem is the pacing of this movie!

I admit that these are all issues I had in the first movie but the only reason this movie improved is because of Sunset Shimmer. She was an enjoyable character to watch because I wanted to see her succeed and get better. Frankly she would make a better character than Twilight Sparkle any day.

Sunset Shimmer is the only reason to I give this movie 1 of 10. Aside from that though there is no reason what so ever to go see this movie. It will waste your time and make the audience leave in disappointment. (No joke. The audience of bronies I had despised this movie)

This is just like with the first movie in that it's only purpose is left over table scraps from the show. The show is amazing and creative and in order to keep the fans patient for the next season they send us this mess! If that's true than I would feel insulted about this series!

Don't watch it because you're time is more valuable than anything this movie can offer you.

Rainbow Rocks rocks!

[jasobres · 10/10 · 1 October 2014]

Last year when Equestria Girls was announced, there was some outcry among the fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that they were turning our beloved ponies into human teenage girls in high school. When it was released, it got mixed reviews. I personally thought it was simply good, but flawed in that it put a little too much focus on Twilight and Spike. Normally, that would be a good thing because Twilight is my favorite character, but the film was simply too much exposition and not enough story.

Rainbow Rocks, however, is a completely different animal altogether. This film is definitely a thousand times better than the first. One part of the genius of this film is the emphasis on the music, which has been part of FiM since the beginning thanks to songwriter Daniel Ingram and score composer William Anderson. Another improvement over the first was having the villains keep with the music theme by making them sirens. Also, Sunset Shimmer works so much better as a protagonist than as an antagonist. Another benefit of this film is there is an equal amount of emphasis between each one of the mane six, as well as giving some background favorites the spotlight. All in all, if you excuse the cliché, this film ROCKS!

Hasbro, You Surprised Me!

[bonniejoy-978-68763 · 7/10 · 2 May 2015]

The first movie was horrible with no character development, rushed story line, and so forth. When I heard there was a sequel I was not thrilled because of the awful predecessor, but I guess the lesson of this movie is that things are not always as they appear.

Story: Sirens had been banished by Star-Swirled the Bearded long ago. Their power is to sing beautifully and their voices get stronger as they feed of negative energy. However without Equestrian magic the magic in their voices aren't strong enough. When they figure out that there is magic at Canterlot High, they challenge everyone to a Battle of the Bands. Twilight comes back to help her five friends, with a reformed Sunset Shimmer added to the team, to win the Battle of the Bands and defeat the Sirens (renamed the Dazzlings).

The story arc is better told and better paced. It's like a longer version of a My Little Pony episode (or My Little Girl). They establish the conflict, and just about everyone is in character. The songs are awesome along with the accompanying animation. I especially love the Sirens' songs (caught between "Under our Spell" or the final conflict song), whoever voiced them absolutely knew how to sing, and the animators were at their best. I also loved that nobody in Canterlot High was stupid (like AppleJack actually questioned how and why they turned into ponies while playing music). What's also great about it is that Sunset Shimmer is the only character with character development. She's the only three dimensional character. You actually feel sorry for her and look forward to her redeeming herself at the end, and at the end it pays off. Speaking of which, the ending is worth the movie. The final conflict is more tense than the first movie. The Mane 6 are fighting with music, sound waves, and the power of friendship against the sirens who are stronger than the Mane 6, until Sunset Shimmer steps in. The song is great, the animation is great, and amazingly it almost brought me in tears. It even managed me to like one thing I hated in the first movie: the seven becoming half human half ponies. If a movie can pull me into liking something I've hated, then that's worth a great grade for this film!

The main problems I have with this movie are unfortunately just many: 1) Celestia and Luna still look scary as humans 2) If the Sirens were dragons in Equestria and now humans in Canterlot High, Spike has no excuse for being an ugly looking dog 3) Also he's useless and annoying (yes he freed the Mane (Seven?) but aside from that he could be cut out of the story without it making a difference 4) Aside from Twilight and Sunset Shimmer everyone character is two dimensional 5) The leader of the Sirens is awesome but the two side kicks are annoying! 6) Great to see less of Snips and Snails but why did they have to get a horribly done rap number? 7) The most annoying thing about this film was that Twilight repeats the same lesson that she did in every MLP episode (starting from the first one!): She always tries to do something on her own but always fails, because she NEEDS HER FRIENDS SINCE EPISODE ONE! You would think after four seasons and two movies she would learn that already! 8) Another bothersome thing: The Mane 6 not only hammer into Sunset Shimmer what she did in the past, but they don't let her help the band until last minute! It had a great payoff, but irritating in between!

However what's really good is really great! This movie was a better improvement of the first movie, and this time the writers, animators, composers, and actors knew what they were doing!

One of the best Equestria Girl Movies

[ruhleva · 9/10 · 9 July 2022]

Dosent really add too much to the storyline to MLP but this was my favorite equestria girl movies. I loved all the songs the Dazzlings sang and their personalities, has an interesting storyline, not perfect but its mlp, out of all the other mlp movies this one probably had the best soundtrack and storyline.

More My Little Pony music

[tapio_hietamaki · 6/10 · 23 March 2017]

Music was always a part of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and the spin-off movie 'Equestria Girls' also rocked a couple of memorable songs. The sequel 'Rainbow Rocks' takes things a bit further. This time the story itself is focused on music. Canterlot Hich School organizes a Battle of the Bands, and the 'Mane Six' get to be in a rock band.

The songs are okay. One of the things I always liked best about this franchise are Daniel Ingram's songs. They're cheerful and playful and sometimes reminiscent of musical movie songs. All in all, they represent the tone of the show well. But the lyrics were never that good, there's a lot of repetitiveness and cliché. 'Rainbow Rocks' offers more of the same.

Storywise I think it's better than the first 'Equestria Girls' because the story has more to it than just introducing the human world.

Rainbow Rocks is SO much better than the first one!

[sporeviews · 10/10 · 10 March 2018]

The first Equestria Girls was basically writing on the gimmick of, "Ha ha, they're all humans now! Isn't it wacky! This is what you wanted Bronies, right! Yeah, we totally did this for you, and not as another toy variation! Or six." It wasn't awful, but it wasn't very good either. What it had in character designs and certain songs, it lost in an incredibly boring villain and her incredibly stupid scheme. And sure the new one is still a blatant toy commercial, but Rainbow Rocks is a VAST improvement in nearly every way.

For starters, there is a stark upgrade to the animation, particularly in their graphics and effects. Seriously, the battle montage was AMAZING! Not to mention the cameo ante has been jacked WAY up, and pays off EXTREMELY well.

I also have to note that I really loved all the shorts Hasbro released, leading up to the movie. They were really cute, and more importantly didn't waste any of the movie's time. And while they seem to have replaced a generic popularity contest plot line, with a generic Battle of the Bands plot line, two things make this story much more effective and entertaining:

1 is the villains. The Dazzlings are pretty much the PERFECT filler villains. Namely that they're not over emphasized. Because they aren't so much characters, as they are conflict catalysts. They don't try to contrive a personal vendetta against Twilight or Celestia; All you need is an origin that makes sense, a skill that's believably threatening, and some mildly quip lines every time we cut back to them to remind us that they exist. They're just necessary and entertaining enough, and nothing more. And that kind of makes them brilliant. It's perfect that the villains in a supernatural battle of the bands story would be SIRENS. And fittingly, they have all the best songs. I also think it helps that they aren't the only source of conflict. As we saw from the beginning, that friction was ALREADY developing between the Mane 6. We brings us to reason..

2. More focus on our girls. The first movie was very much Twilight's story, or at least Twilight's awkward and wacky adjustments in the human world story. But thankfully this one gives EVERYONE a turn in the spotlight and especially a certain one. Which brings us to this movie's greatest accomplishment: Making Sunset Shimmer likable; A feat so insurmountable, it could only be done at the cost of continuity, logic, and likability of the new mane 6. And you know what? IT WAS WORTH IT.

Sunset really was NOT just one of the worst people, but also one of the worst villains out of ANYTHING. She was just so generic and boring in motivation, and execution. Ending with the most abrupt, unconvincing character turnarounds ever. But somehow, Rainbow Rocks takes that unconvincing character shift, and OWNS it, and makes it work. Mostly because she's currently juxtaposed against the rest of the main 6, which are being TERRIBLE. It's not always fun to see our girls being this transparently cruel. And yes, all of the "no offence," lines do feel very forced.

I was more or less okay with it, because it made sense that they still wouldn't completely trust her. Everyone was still in character and in a way, it humanized them. It showed them that they aren't completely perfect. Again, by all logic, Sunset Shimmer would have gone full demon, and killed them all off at several points. But ultimately, I am glad that she didn't relapse; She stuck to her convictions, she seemed honestly remorseful, and I think it all paid off well.

The biggest downside aside from just having to watch the main six be terrible, and the authority figures are utterly useless, was TWILIGHT being useless! But I think that was the point.

The Rainboom songs were okay, but yes, they should NOT have beaten The Dazzlings. And it has a couple of "happens because the plot wills it" moments. And then of course, the ongoing party-killer that is Flash Sentry. Although he was, if possible, even LESS prevalent in this movie, which is at least, something. I know a lot of people don't like the excessive flash hate, a character with SO little impact on the film as a whole, that any lasting thought about him is hardly worth it. And the fact is people's response to him is just a matter of, it either bothers you that Twilight has a meaningless love interest, or it doesn't. But I just can't hide the fact that I can't think of a single relevant, or positive element of his existence brings to this movie. And that bothers me! I REALLY dislike obligatory useless love interest characters on principle, regardless of what gender they are.

But that's all still pretty minor, and overall, I REALLY did enjoy this! And I really am looking forward to a third one because, BEST cliff hanger EVER!

Uncanny

[darkdoomer-163-739368 · 1/10 · 28 September 2014]

I'm usually following the development and things related to this franchise, with all the respect for the cute and sometimes edgy aspects of the TV series, but from what i've seen here, it is not at the height of even the worst episode of the series.

"let's take .fla assets from LPS, take a few minutes to arrange some scenes with ponies... then let's stitch all those sequences together so it fits a whole hour"!

Just like the first, it's commercial, devoid of actual fun, devoid of visual interest, no effort in narrating a coherent story. Why is it even called Rainbow Rocks? It's a try hard from a toymaker to make something around a franchise they want to annihilate. There is one word i think which describes best this cartoon : Uncanny.

The Perfect Equestria Girls

[derekchu53789 · 8/10 · 20 October 2014]

Rainbow Rocks is the sequel that fixed everything wrong with the first one and made it better. Those who think humanized ponies is a bad concept need to watch this immediately.

Probably one of the biggest improvements was the pacing. The editing doesn't feel frantic and many scenes are deliberate and slow. I especially loved how many of the shots focused on Sunset Shimmer. The entire movie feels more tightly-knit even though it does suffer from rushing in a few moments. The villains also felt more dynamic and had personalities that emphasized the theme of the movie. Songs were also good.

But the best part of the movie was Sunset Shimmer, hands down. Sunset takes on a new persona that the show really needs to focus on. In fact, this movie is better than the season 4 finale in that regard since Twilight actually teaches Sunset the value of friendship--Twilight's element of harmony. The key scene in the film was Sunset and Twilight just talking to each other and noting their ironically parallel relationship. Sunset was the spotlight of the movie and really played up the role of the misunderstood friend. Her facial expressions and tentative movements vividly depict her reformation in a way that outshines Discord's by a long shot. I really hope the new spin-off focuses more on Sunset than Twilight.

Other things of note. Unicorn horse was random. Lyra x Bon Bon canon. Drinking game: drink if you want to give Sunset a hug. Villains were somewhat sexy. Octavia has a voice! Rebecca Shoichet sang with herself in "Welcome to the Show" (Sunset with Twilight). Pandas were definitely thrown. Flash Sentry is useless, again.

Overall, 10/10. Excited for spin-off, even more so than season 5.

AWFUL!!!!!!!!

[joeoflaherty-35699 · 1/10 · 29 March 2021]

1. I Hate Sunset Shimmer In This Movie.

2. The Dazzlings Are The Only Likeable Characters.

3. It's The Worst Film Ever.

I Think Oscar The Will Smith Fish Is Better Than All These Girls, & Shark Tale Is Better.

A major improvement over the original.

[zshah2010 · 10/10 · 22 October 2014]

When I heard about this sequel being made, I was looking forward to a movie that learns from the first movie's mistakes and fixes them. And I was not disappointing.

It improves over the first in every way, and manages to be entertaining and engaging throughout the run-time. The villains are more interesting and threatening, sunset shimmer actually gets some development, the references feel less forced and very funny, and there is very little of flash sentry. I was hoping he would either get a character in this or have minimal screen-time, but I guess the latter is fine.The animation is much better, and feels like it is on par with season 4, and the artists also paid much more attention to detail in the character designs.

The story is also much better. The three sirens want to harness the magic of the entire school to take over the world, But they need to sing in order to do it, and the rainbooms (The humane 6) call on twilight from equestria to perform a counter spell to stop them.The villains, Adagio dazzle and her two cronies (aria blaze and sonata dusk, the latter of which makes me laugh every second shes on screen), are very effective villains in being able to manipulate other characters to do their dirty work, all thanks to their hypnotic music. Speaking of which, the pacing is also much better, whereas the original had a very rushed climax (IMO) and very slow first act. This movie feels very natural, and the music helps the story in better ways to move the plot along.

The music has to be the highlight of this movie. every song is absolutely amazing, and Daniel Ingram has really outdone himself here. While the first movie had two catchy songs out of I believe 6, every song here was terrific, as are the incidental tracks,And are all played with very memorable and creative visuals.

All in all, I loved this movie and am totally hyped for Equestria girls 3!

A rocking good battle of harmony restoration

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 20 August 2017]

'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' is in my opinion one of the best animated shows in recent years. The first film based on it 'Equestria Girls' was an enormous disappointment and the complete anti-thesis in quality as one could get. Hearing there was a sequel was less than enthusing to me and made me feel very apprehensive.

What a pleasant surprise 'Rainbow Rocks' turned out to be. While not as good as 'Friendship is Magic', it is much closer in quality to that than to 'Equestria Girls'. The general consensus is that it is an enormous improvement over 'Equestria Girls'. Heartily concur with this. Was really worried as to whether 'Rainbow Rocks' would repeat the same mistakes as 'Equestria Girls', amplify them and make more on the way like a lot of animated sequels seen recently (the 'Alpha and Omega' sequels being prime examples). Instead, it felt like 'Rainbow Rocks' seemed to have seen the numerous complaints made about 'Equestria Girls', took them on board and corrected them. A shining example of a good animated sequel that others should learn from and strive to be.

On its own two feet, 'Rainbow Rocks' fares just as well and is an incredibly fun film in its own right. It is not quite perfect, though the flaws are far less and less glaring. The romance is awkward and not particularly well written, Flash is a bland character, Twilight's role in the film is occasionally a little forced and there is some cheesy lyric writing. Compared to the flaws 'Equestria Girls' had, they are next to nothing.

'Rainbow Rocks' animation is much closer to the vibrant and rounded animation quality of 'Friendship is Magic' than the flat and robotic animation of 'Equestria Girls'. The character designs don't look anaemic or anorexic this time round, which looked ugly and parents had a field day saying what a bad message it sent. The music is much catchier and much easier to remember the lyrics (on the most part witty and heart-warming) and melodies.

Apart from in the romance, the dialogue also improves hugely here. Again more in the spirit of 'Friendship is Magic' than the predecessor film. There is a better balance of humour and emotion, with winning and amusing humour and poignant and never schmaltzy or mawkish emotion. The references are cleverer and much better integrated, much more natural and not forced at all. The messaging is well-meaning and heartfelt, not at all overly-didactic in how it's put across.

The story here is far better paced and more eventful, this is not a less than half-an-hour extended episode padded with lots of filler, the complete opposite in fact. The climax is exciting, and the characters apart from Flash and Twilight not always written consistently are more interesting and likable, with the trio of villains being humour, sinister charm and colour to the proceedings. Sunset Shimmer is a conflicted, well-developed and easy to root for character and Sonata Dusk is a hoot.

Voice acting is very strong, no talent wastes here. Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball, Rachel Shoichet and Maryke Hendrikse particularly excel.

In conclusion, thoroughly enjoyable and a surprising and refreshing improvement. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Best Equestria Girls movie and quite possibly the best My Little Pony movie.

[boswc · 9/10 · 15 February 2022]

Amazing. I loved (and still love) the Sirens. I hate the Rainbooms for constantly interrupting their songs. Especially Nothing Can Stop Is Now. It is a travesty their song didn't last longer. But overall the songs slapped harder than Spider-Man slapped his clone's cheeks in that one weird video. (I'm sorry for that..) Twilight was kinda annoying in the movie. Rainbow Dash was awesome (as she has stated many a times). Sunset was a bit cringier in this movie than others but to be fair, she was kinda just left in the background more than the others.

Great movie. Highly recommend it. Was my omniromantic awakening. Please, for your sake, watch it. The Sirens are best girls and I love them.

A Okay Movie

[barbaradavis-39578 · 4/10 · 14 October 2017]

the movie takes place when sunset got defeated the mane 6 want sunset to teach the learning of friendship the plot is good the characters are good the animation is good everything is good expect for adgaio dazzle her design is awful she looks like a pinkie pie oc so thats it about this movie it's a good movie i'm saying it's bad i'm saying it's a good movie