My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) User Reviews (143)

A very resplendent movie

[jaxenross · 7/10 · 4 October 2017]

Wow, there's "No Better Feeling" that could describe this experience; I can see a rainbow after all. When the intro begins, I get chilly over the staggering soundtrack. There it is, in all of its glory: MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE. And almost instantly, we dive into the exploit.

The one thing that REALLY stands out for this movie is the animation; it looks magnificent and resplendent for its time especially in contrast with the TV series. It really makes the characters all vivid and vigorous; did I even mention the celebrity cast involved? Songbird Serenade blew my mind, especially by the fact that she's played by Sia herself - and while her original song "Rainbow" wasn't all that astonishing, I'll still give credit to the grand soundtrack that this movie provided as I was told that Daniel Ingram would be composing it with a full orchestra.

Sure, the movie did remind me of "The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie" and "Lilo and Stitch" based on its borrowed elements - but it was still stunning for this type of storyline. Overall, I thought that the movie was all bright, smart, clever and observant - especially the collaborative, action-packed ending - even if it didn't meet up to all expectations. As for any-pony? Feel free to take time out of your life to enjoy this cinematic masterpiece. We got this together!

My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) - Quick Movie Review

[asphaltwin · 7/10 · 16 December 2017]

Director: Jayson Thiessen Release Date: October 6th, 2017 (US) Runtime: 1hr 39mins

Pros: Does the original TV show justice - Feels more than an extended episode - Triumphant 2D animation - Beautiful looking visuals - Some 3D visuals blended well - Mane Six bring fun - Emily Blunt's developed villian - Top notch original voice acting - Solid additional voices - A few decent songs - Added orchestra for cinematic feel - Emily Blunt's highlight song

Cons: Formulaic as expected - Mostly made only for fans, Bronies/Pegasisters - Rushed climax - Additional characters didn't hold up memorable value - Liev Schreiber's generic character

Short Thoughts: It's hard for a cartoon show like MLP: FiM to have a movie that can impress those who aren't familiar with them. At least this tried. Of course, it'll delight it's fans but in short, it's a 'giddy-up' for fans but a 'woah' for others. But honestly, if I wasn't familiar with the show, I wouldn't be as favourable as I am with this colourful decency.

TVChannels98 Rating: 7/10

A good movie for a good franchise

[allan-14931 · 7/10 · 5 October 2017]

This is by no means a masterpiece, but it is an excellent animated movies that both the target audience of little girls, their parents and bronies will enjoy. It has a few flaws in how it drags the protagonists around by their plot-noses, and inconsistencies compared the development of the characters in the show. It seems to be roughly late season 4 with several characters regressing a bit compare to their character development in the latest seasons.

Well worth galloping along for the ride

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 20 October 2017]

'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' is in my opinion one of the best animated shows in recent years. Despite always liking 'My Little Pony' better than most, 'Friendship is Magic' was one of those shows where there was uncertainty as to whether it would be good and it turned out to even greater than that.

Can certainly understand why it is loved by a surprisingly wide audience and do think the fan-base are unfairly over-criticised. Sure there are some passionate, overly-defensive fans out there but not all of them are like the way that is made out by the detractors. Am a fan myself, a young adult and a female, but wouldn't dream of doing any of the things that "bronies" are constantly being accused of doing by the detractors, who in my mind are in absolutely no position to complain of the fan-base being condescending when they do exactly the same thing and to worse effect in their reviews of the show (some of which are not really reviews at all but mostly attacking the fans).

Anyway, back to talking about 'My Little Pony: The Movie' expectations were mixed before going to see it earlier today. The 'Equestria Girls' sequels, also based on the show, were surprisingly good (disliked the first film), so there were hopes that 'My Little Pony: The Movie' would be as good. The mostly mixed to negative critical reaction so far, the audience and fan reaction is mostly less negative (though there is some disappointment), also made me nervous, being somebody who respects critics far more than most on the internet and one of the few here to resort to critic bashing.

Luckily, 'My Little Pony: The Movie' was a good one. Not quite great, and there are a few not so good elements, but it's highly successful in many areas and a lot of effort and passion clearly went into it. There have been times where my views on a film have gone against the grain, like liking a panned film or not caring for an acclaimed one (mostly I and the critics are on similar pages, and when we're not their views are always respected), 'My Little Pony: The Movie' is one of them.

For my liking, starting with the faults, Fluttershy is underused and given too much short shrift in terms of character development. Much more could have been done with the Storm King, to me for a villain he was incredibly bland, despite good voice acting from Liev Schreiber. Sia's involvement in the film added very little.

Story-wise it's mostly well done and makes for a very pleasant ride, but it does suffer from a lack of originality and it being too thin for the running time. Most of the songs are very good, but the least memorable and well-placed is the Hippogriff's song which to me was also a bit cheesy.

However, for a film based on a TV show, 'My Little Pony: The Movie' doesn't fare badly at all. There are far worse around that make a mockery of their respective shows and manage to be lacking on their own. At least 'My Little Pony: The Movie' treats the show with respect and tries to stay true to it, while having enough to make it its own and being good on its own terms. Visually the film looks wonderful, making a more than welcome return to the much missed 2D traditional animation style, full of rich background detail, vibrant colour and the character designs are smooth and don't send warning signs about bad messaging.

With the exception of one song, the songs are catchy and cheerful. The music score is whimsical and fits beautifully with the action. The script has the sly and witty humour, heart-warming charm and poignant pathos that can be found in 'Friendship is Magic' and the story is charming and sweet that should put a smile on one's face and uplift, entertain and move. The messaging inspires and is clearly well intended, without being overly-didactic in its approach.

Not all the characters work, but most do with the film maintaining the fine character development that is a large part of 'Friendship is Magic's' appeal with a great mix of the old and new. Pinkie Pie and Twilight are the most well-developed and likable, particularly the former, but a big shout has to go to Tempest, one of the most interesting and layered 'My Little Pony' villains.

Voice acting is uniformly excellent, with a mix of prolific voice actors and not-so-prolific. A standout is Emily Blunt's superb Tempest, both menacing and heartfelt.

Overall, could have been a little better but it is well worth galloping along for the ride. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Thoughts on the movie's story and characters for those who aren't familiar with the show.

[achenara · 6/10 · 5 October 2017]

I thought I might be in a decent position to review this movie because I used to be a big fan of the show, but stopped watching a few years ago. Which means I'm very familiar with the universe and characters, but no longer look at it through rose-tinted glasses.

All in all, I would say the movie was OK. It's not a classic Pixar, but not a Sony Pictures Animation movie either. There are two big issues that (in my opinion) holds the movie back; Character abundance and pacing.

This is a fairly short movie, yet it is jam-packed with characters, both old and new. We are re-introduced to the main characters at the beginning of the movie, but because there are so many, we don't have time to truly get to know them. Someone who isn't familiar with the show's cast would probably just see their caricature from this rushed introduction.

The same problem arise when our main characters are thrown into their adventure. We go from place to place and meet all kinds of new characters. Both the new locations and cast are interesting, but we just don't have enough time to become familiar with any of them. The main cast's interactions in these new environments are as you'd expect from who they are and the themes of the show, which works very well. Sadly, the super speedy pace took away some of the plausibility of their influence. You'll ask yourself "would this/these character(s) really change as quick as that?". If only we had another scene or two, a change of heart would fit the narrative perfectly, but it just felt too quick and easy.

And then there's a pivotal moment in the movie that could have been so much better if only the movie had taken its time to build up to it. Twilight Sparkle's home is in dire peril. As Equestria's last hope, it's only natural that she is getting more and more worried and desperate. So much so that she might do something drastic. Unfortunately this growing desperation isn't shown, so when the moment comes, it doesn't feel like she has earned it. I thought this was the largest problem with the movie, which is really too bad, because I don't think it would have taken all that many added scenes to show that much needed character growth throughout the film.

Of all the new characters, Tempest (the villainous pony) was clearly the most interesting and fleshed out. Her arc in the movie was great, yet I would personally have liked to know even more had there been time. The Storm King was fine. We didn't get to know him as well as Tempest, but he was the kind of character that benefits from our ignorance, so I thought they did a decent job with him.

Other than these points, I'd like to mention the animation, music and performances were all great. It's faithful to the show and throws a ton of references in there without letting them get in the way of the movie's progression. While some of the gags and visual humor were fun and fit the source material, I thought they gobbled up a bit too much screen-time considering how short and fast-paced the movie was.

In summary: I don't think there's any doubt fans of the show would enjoy the movie. The rest of its target audience probably would as well, but would a parent or friend who isn't familiar with the source material like it? My guess is, there are too many characters and too little time spent on each of them to really get into it. However, I think most people will be entertained enough to sit through it without any discomfort. You might have to brace yourself for a bunch of pony-puns though. Also, Pinkie Pie.

My Little Pony: The Movie is more than a toy commercial, thanks to a mature adventure plot, Disney-quality songs and villains who give you chills - even as adult.

[PeterG4 · 15 October 2017]

My Little Pony: The Movie starts in the capital city of Equestria, Canterlot, with a short introduction of its main characters; Princess Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong), Applejack (Ashleigh Ball), Fluttershy (Andrea Libman), Pinkie Pie (Andrea Libman), Rarity (Tabitha St. Germain), Rainbow Dash (Ashleigh Ball) and the dragon Spike (Cathy Weseluck), as well as Equestria's remaining three princesses Celestia (Nicole Oliver), Luna (Tabitha St. Germain) and Cadance (Britt McKillip). Princess Twilight's anxieties about the upcoming Friendship Festival lead into a cheerful song, but soon, a menacing airship emerges from a dark, foreboding cloud.

Out come Commander Tempest Shadow (Emily Blunt) and her partner Grubber (Michael Peña), to conquer Equestria and take the magic of its four rulers, including Princess Twilight, on behalf of the Storm King (Liev Schreiber). Utilizing surprisingly strong spells from her broken unicorn horn, Tempest Shadow neutralizes three of the princesses quick. Princess Twilight evades this fate thanks to one of her citizens, a gray pegasus mare named Derpy Hooves, but vastly outnumbered by the Storm King's invading army, she can only flee.

After escaping Canterlot, Princess Twilight and her friends embark on a charmingly-classical hero's journey south to find the mysterious "Queen of the Hippos", last words spoken by Twilight's mentor and co-princess, Celestia. They come through a variety of environments, including a desert town with nefarious citizens and an underwater capital. Mentions of additional locations like the mystical-sounding "Blackskull Island" give the immersive feeling there's more beyond the screen's confines.

Classical is also their enemy, the fearsome Storm King, a yeti-like tyrant determined to increase his power with an old relic able to control storms, once charged with magic. He fits perfectly into the dark villain line-up of the "My Little Pony" TV series.

On their journey, always fleeing from Tempest Shadow, the team of heroines runs into the sly cat Capper (Taye Diggs), who has his very own interests in mind, swashbuckling pirate captain Celaeno (Zoe Saldana) and her crew, who are the Storm King's slaves, and a whole tribe of seaponies whose queen, Novo (Uzo Aduba), refuses to help to protect her own citizens.

Once Capper breaks into song, My Little Pony: The Movie cements itself as half-musical. The songs are memorable musical numbers straight from equestrian (and non-equestrian) mouths, in a quality that puts them on the same level as Disney's best musical repertoire. Offerings range from a happy celebration song to Tempest Shadow's own, dark anthem; a chilling performance that reveals her reason for following the path of ruthless villainy. The latter will be kept a surprise here, but Tempest's motive paints a black picture of the world's potential for mercilessness, in a cynical and realistic tone one would not expect from "My Little Pony". Only Sia's song "Rainbow" feels a bit generic and unfitting to the world of Equestria, but it still provides an enjoyable enough tune that gives the movie's grand finish the right atmosphere.

Although commonly seen as a girls franchise, "My Little Pony"'s movie adaptation still gives great roles to male characters. Seemingly reserved for antagonists at first, Capper becomes a comrade-in-arms later, inspired by Rarity's generosity. Even Grubber seems to be motivated more by the Storm King's meals, he never comes across as truly malicious. His interactions with Tempest Shadow radiate a feeling of mutual understanding, implying a deeper bond between them than it seems at first glance.

As all seems hopeless for the sextet of heroines, Capper makes a surprise return with Captain Celaeno and crew. The aforementioned Queen Novo's daughter, Princess Skystar (Kristin Chenoweth), joins them against the will of her mother and, together, they return to Canterlot to save Equestria from the Storm King's greedy claws.

The king himself finally takes center stage near the end of the movie, going right down to his terrifying business. Illustrating how much Equestria's pony culture disgusts him via quite refined statement ("Deliver the punchline, Tempest, because this is gotta be a joke!"), he charges his staff with the princesses' magic and blasts Princess Twilight through a wall to test his new weapon.

During the, literally, stormy finale of the movie, it shows again that the modern "My Little Pony" is not just kiddy-fare, but well-written and mature all-ages entertainment, as a good amount of (non-bloody) violence is needed to fight the last battle, because the power-hungry Storm King is not one who listens to the "Magic of Friendship". A significant step-up from the flowery past incarnations of the franchise, as well as the more recent, brand-defying "Equestria Girls" spin-off movies that turn the ponies into humans and focus on overdone high-school drama.

My Little Pony: The Movie presents itself as a clever all-ages movie, with sharp dialogues and intelligent, mature jokes. The characters simply being themselves provides more humor, like Rarity's best drama queen performance when the journey gets hard, which is the big strength of the movie's comedy.

My Little Pony: The Movie also received an animation upgrade from the traditional Flash animation of the TV series to a more fancy version called "Toon Boom Harmony". The feats are impressive, rendering Equestria's beautiful landscapes and the architecture of its capital city in good old 2D animation from days long gone, with realistic-looking visuals that invite to scan the backgrounds for neat little details, something that modern, synthetic CGI animations have forgotten how to pull off.

In the end, My Little Pony: The Movie offers a positive message: One of tolerance, inclusion and overcoming one's insecurities, without being cheesy, as the path to these values is long and hard for some. If you seek a worthwhile My Little Pony adventure, then the journey of Princess Twilight and her friends to defeat the Storm King and save their home is the right choice for you.

Not bad

[cubesolver6 · 7/10 · 5 October 2017]

It's not as good as some of the really good episodes but better then the bad ones, basically a long good episode with new characters and different animation. See it if you want, you might be confused if you have not seen the show, even if you have Twilight is like she was in season 4 but with a cameo form Starlight and Trixie means it takes place at least after No Second Prances. And not the best songs.

Not as good as the show

[tanyaherald · 4/10 · 15 April 2021]

Below average, it's just not as good as the show. The animation is great but the story leaves A LOT to be desired.

Great comeback for 2D animation

[ma-43548 · 9/10 · 4 October 2017]

I know I speak for a lot of people about wishing for a 2D film to return to the big screen. None of us expected it to be My Little Pony, but don't let the title fool you. The story is a bit simplistic, but the colorful cast of characters and personalities make the adventure worthwhile. The animation really brings these qualities out and is reminiscent of classic Disney movies. The songs are also great; two of them already stuck in my head. This isn't a kids movie just for the parents to groan over. This film gives everyone of all ages something to enjoy. Give it a watch and I'm sure you'll have a great time with it.

It tried

[ericstevenson · 6/10 · 28 October 2017]

As a brony, I think this movie could have been better. The main flaw is that it doesn't even primarily take place in Equestria. Another flaw is that it focuses on barely any of the other characters apart from the Mane 6. I really wanted to see Princess Celestia play a bigger part, but instead she barely appears. I still liked the gorgeous animation in this movie and I am glad that the film was made. This is one of the first traditionally animated films released in mainstream theaters in a long time. I hope we get to see more popular animated shows like "Adventure Time" and "Rick And Morty" get theatrical films like this.

This film was rated PG for mild action. That's just ridiculous. There is absolutely no reason why this film shouldn't have been rated G. I did like the Tempest character especially with the broken horn design. Sadly, the Storm King is pretty shallow for a villain. This runs into the main problem so many films based on TV shows run into. It just feels like a long episode of the show! I don't want that in a movie at all. It's weird how the Equestria Girls spin off films are actually better representations of the characters! Well, it was by no means bad at least. **1/2

A HORRID script

[larryxavier · 1/10 · 25 April 2021]

Easily one of the worst WRITTEN animated movies of 2017. There's so much lore they could've pulled from that had been established in previous seasons of "Friendship is Magic", yet they throw that all away in favor of a one shoot story that makes zero sense, and introduces new characters every five seconds. My little sister couldn't keep up with what was happening on screen. "I thought they were bad guys", she leaned over at one point and said when the ponies met the pirates. I went back and kept time, too. From the time the pirates are established as antagonists to the time they switch sides to the ponies, only about four minutes of film time have passed. FOUR MINUTES. And then there's a song, and we don't see these characters again until the big final battle at the end of the movie, which, unlike the show, which had some really well animated "fight" sequences, the movie was only slapstick. In the "Friendship is Magic" show, Tirek, a demonic looking beast from the underworld blows up buildings, shoots fire through mountains, and it's played completely seriously. They conveyed a great fight sequences and kept it TV-Y friendly. Contrast that with this movie, rated PG, which has G rated scuffles, if you can even call it that. My little sister and cousin, who I was baby sitting the afternoon we decided to watch this, were bored... and they, like myself, are fans of the TV show.

A huge letdown, and the spin off series Hasbro made called "Pony Life" isn't any better. Lauren Faust knew what she was doing. Hasbro very obviously doesn't.

The movie didn't necessarily make me into a brony but... (possible spoilers)

[latinvspiscator · 8/10 · 4 October 2017]

The movie is great and is praiseworthy. The animation is engaging to the eye, and it enables to arouse interest in going along with the characters & plot.

The characters are great, such that there's a diverse disposition for each array of character. This is probably an exaggeration, once you realize in the end that Fluttershy is voiced also by the same person who voiced Pinkie Pie, and Apple Jack & Rainbow Dash being voiced by one person as well.

The main character is Twilight Sparkle (consistent enough with the movie poster), and we get to explore her power as a princess, which is Power of Friendship. The antagonist is a new/guest character named Tempest (Emily Blunt), a disenfranchised pony who has become calloused and driven. If you don't care about My Little Pony at all, Tempest is the powerful character you'd like to watch. The character of Tempest however will take you on a journey to an unexpected destination, because Tempest's interaction with Twilight Sparkle becomes very important. Another antagonist, Stormking is just as important as Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Candence.

There is a cat character, Capper, who you'd soon realize is a smooth talking cat. Capper would fall into the male prototype character category in the midst of female characters, worthy of their fancy, disdain and then fancy again.

There are various absurd situations (mostly because of Pinky Pie) the characters are put into, and as a group, you are able to assess, compare and contrast the reactions of each member of the group. Again, the animation conveys the situation well, and because of its comical effect, it engages the mind into hilarity.

The movie is quite an adventurous one, and would appeal to any audience other than young girls. The plot is a rather good one, and the pacing moves along quite well. For those who have seen adventure films before, one may realize that the movie captures recognizable thrilling, and momentous stages of an adventure. Again, the coloring of each backdrop, background, is lucid & vibrant, with a great use of acute hues.

The animation quality of the movie is good; it appears to be a mixture of rotoscoping, mixed with 2D hand animation (I guess by computer). The coloring is with a balanced saturation and hues.

I could digress about the movie in its trivialities, but in summary, the movie is great. I enjoy it. It didn't make me into a brony though (that's probably because I don't know what brony really is or what he does).

Spectacular visuals, packed with action

[timrossiter-93910 · 7/10 · 6 October 2017]

I was very impressed by the jaw-dropping visuals and animation. The movie follows the spirit of many other animation movies that have hit the big screen. If you have been following the EQ girls movies then you might be a little surprised by the direction of the movie, since the story line is completely different from what you might have expected. I would describe the script as an ongoing "cat and mouse" chase that never really deviates until the very end. I didn't really feel as though there were enough of those laugh out loud moments that would appeal the core viewer base. With this said, there is an epic Dwerpy moment at beginning of the movie, which has to be noted! Overall, in my opinion, this movie is perfect for the target audience and I had no regrets watching the movie but it's not the sort of movie I'd personally watch a second time. I'm glad that the movie was orientated in a way that newcomers to the franchise wouldn't need any background knowledge of the series. Most importantly, your kids are going to enjoy the movie, there are plenty of likable characters, dazzling magical moments, action packs scenes and at LAST, we have a true My Little Pony movie.

Well animated but a terrible script

[redlineamerican · 5/10 · 27 April 2021]

The animation is really well made, the ponies look great.... could've done without the anthro characters. The script is terrible. Like BAD.

My Little Pony: The Movie....WOW

[teleconman · 9 March 2018]

It wouldn't be in anyone's best interest to watch a kid's animated musical film on a decision made by themselves, but for this movie, I wouldn't look at you with a tilted head, and open mouth preparing to insult you. Instead, I would smile and jump up and down clapping my hands together because the chances are you probably watched all episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic before watching this movie. Don't worry I won't judge this movie based on what I've seen in the series. But Let me say a few things that, based on the series, would have really made this movie either shorter or longer...1. If Discord had a bigger role in this movie, it would be very short. 2. Why don't the Crystal Empire or Changelings help out the other ponies. 3. Zecora? 4. Where is Starswirl the Bearded and his pony-avengers? and 5. Starlight Glimmer and The Great and Powerful Trixie are clearly in this movie, why don't they use the powers of friendship that Twilight taught them to help save Equestria. Not to mention that Starlight can be very powerful too...But I digress, I understand that this movie is meant to re-solidify the bonds of the mane 6 and teach kids that yes, friendship is indeed the greatest tool you will ever need. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me talk about the movie. This movie really surprised me. I avoided this movie and thought it was a joke, like anyone else who wasn't a kid and was just waiting to see Blade Runner 2049. But after watching the show, and even the equestria girls films, I thought that I was ready to watch this film. I'll admit, there are some moments where I thought the comedy was only meant for kids. If I laughed at Pinkie Pie having a hallucenigetic experience in the desert or Rarity taking the time to admire herself in a mirror as she is falling out of an airboat, I know that I would be lying to myself. As far as comedy goes it wasn't something that would even get a chuckle out of me. But really? Why would I praise this movie highly then? My Little Pony has been known to put things on the show that seem to be too frightening and intense for something made for kids. What I'm trying to say is, This franchise has BALLS. I guarantee that as you watch the movie, there will be a moment where you can't believe this got put in a kid's movie. But then again, An American Tale was approved for kids despite everything in that movie being depressing. Of course I like the way the filmmakers approached the film because this is the movie, and you definitely want to go big. The main focus of the movie is, as I said, the Mane 6, Princess Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy, plus Spike the Dragon, going to go get help after Tempest Shadow, A female-pony version of Kylo Ren, takes over Equestria, (Technically, just Canterlot) in the name of the Storm King. The great thing about this is that the movie is an adventure. You follow the heroes as they go get help from the Queen of the Hippogriffs. This allows them the chance to meet new characters as well as get more celebrities in the My Little Pony universe. And it works, because after all the Mane 6 making friends is what they do best. Singing is something they do well too. The songs in this movie are great. You will probably have one stuck in your head after watching the movie. I'm glad that someone thought about making another movie for My Little Pony. This film continues to give the franchise a good reputation, for fans and those who are just being introduced to it.

A Good MLP Movie with Some Weaknesses

[omar-alikaj · 7/10 · 8 November 2017]

"My Little Pony: The Movie" is a good send-off to the TV series, "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic", but it also has some weaknesses as well.

Putting the more advanced-looking art style aside, and the great soundtracks, I'll be talking about the plot primarily, which is still good as a whole.

Being the conclusion of the current MLP chapter, we look at whole of Equestria, especially Twilight Sparkle, preparing for the " Festival of Friendship", which was disrupted by an invasion by the Storm King's minions and henchmen. Naturally, everyone is enslaved, and all the princesses but Twilight are turned to stone. The latter is needed so that the Storm King, an ape-looking main villain of the movie, may use the alicorns' powers for himself.

The main characters (Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack) manage to escape Canterlot via a waterfall and decided to find help. Twilight overhears Princess Celestia, her mentor, trying to summon the "Hippos", but this misunderstanding led to a series of events that came too quickly. The show took its time, usually two or more episodes, to look at each problem, villain, or new characters, so seeing characters like Capper, who tries to sell the ponies, allegedly taking them to the wrong hippos, on purpose to pay off his debts, all the way to meeting Griffin pirates working for the Storm King, against their will, felt a bit rushed.

By the time both Capper and the pirates decided to purposely stall for time, so Twilight and friends can escape from the pirate ship, since the Storm King's minions showed up, the ponies finally find the real "hippos"... or "Hippogriff", horse creatures with fingers, wings, and beaks like birds. I thought that this part of the plot was interesting, especially with Twilight trying to talk to Queen Novo into helping the ponies take down the Storm King with her orb, to fooling her friends to keep Queen Novo busy so to secretly steal the orb... only for the friends, feeling betrayed, going on a shouting match with Twilight on the gloomy-looking sea side.

With the ponies in bad mood, going their separate ways, Twilight is easily captured, with another weakness of the plot shown. Tempest Shadow, a bitter helper to the Storm King, is just another Starlight Glimmer, the TV series main villain from season 5. Both Tempest and Starlight had rough childhoods at the cost of their friends, grew up feeling bitter towards the idea of making any new friends... only for Twilight to put some senses into their heads, and welcome them to Equestria's growing circle of friendship. Otherwise, Tempest could have had the opportunity of being a memorable MLP villain.

But, the main villain is, of course, the Storm King. It turns out that he dislikes everything about the ponies or "friendship", but very interested in obtaining the princesses' powers for himself. Even though he can now control the day and night, the movie doesn't go into details as to why the Storm King is the Storm King, or why he wanted the powers so badly, even lying that he'd be able to fix Tempest's broken horn. The Storm King, not just based on how he looks, feels like another Lord Tirek, the TV series villain from season 4 finale; they both hate ponies, but love their powers.

And also, we have three Pegasus with Twilight and friends, that, from walking into the desert (half-dying) to falling from the pirate ship, you'd be screaming "But some of you guys can fly, or have magic!".

Honestly, we could have more serious villains than what we got, especially when looking back to those of the 1980s era of My Little Pony, but, otherwise, everything else about the story was good. From Twilight and the princesses planning the Festival of Friendship to successfully pulling it off, and even welcoming Tempest, were pleasant to watch, and a welcome addition to the overall FiM canon.

They were also moments I did laugh out loud over, from Twilight and friends being themselves to Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs telling her daughter that she's grounded.

Sure, the movie won't be nominated for the best animated movie of the year, and it admittedly reuse some concepts from the FiM series, but, if you don't have anything else to watch, or you have young kinds, this movie is still worth watch, most especially to fans of the series.

If you like the show, you'll like the movie

[solid-rock800 · 6/10 · 17 October 2017]

You know, this was a really enjoyable movie. I mean, realistic expectations here; I didn't go in expecting another Lion King or even Monsters U :P But if you like the show, you'll probably like the movie.

First, the cons: I noticed a few minor continuity errors, and I felt like the story arc of Twilight & the other main ponies could've been fleshed out slightly more. Also, the Storm King's lines and expressions bore a resemblance to Kuzco from The Emperor's New Groove, which kind of threw me off a bit - I loved that movie, so seeing those spots that looked kind of inspired by it, it just took me out of *this* movie for that split second, you know? He could've also been fleshed out a bit more, cos he's not in the movie that long, and you kind of wonder just what his deal is.

I think the best thing about this movie was the main villainous character, Tempest. The voice acting here was great, and her character was fairly compelling. The songs in the movie were really well- written, with the ones performed by Sia and Tempest especially standing out. The major side characters introduced were pretty cool, too, and the general plot of the story was good.

Overall, I think this movie is worth checking out. Again, realistic expectations here; it's enjoyable but not amazing :P But I know I definitely enjoyed it & would be happy to see it a second time :)

Not as bad I was told it was

[thcookie-82802 · 6/10 · 11 October 2021]

I went into this thing expecting the worst but with A bit of hope that it would be good. Overall it's just an extra long very basic double episode with some very out of character moments from the Mane Six with two or three good songs and some upgraded animation. Some parts I enjoyed, some parts I did not enjoy, if you've come to the end of season seven I'd say just give it A watch, it's flawed but it's not A war crime.

Songs In total its got 5 songs not counting Rainbow by Sia. Two songs are rather drab but passable, two songs are above average when ranked amongst the songs from the show and Time To Be Awesome is A bangger but is still overshadowed by the best songs from the show. Most of the songs just happen and the movie is very much aware of this and even makes A joke about it. The BGM is alright nothing really stood out however the title card music is one of the most hype things to ever accompany A title and that leads into a nice quick and simple intro song.

Miscellaneous Positives The start of the movie is pretty good with tons of nods to characters from the show, it's got some very feel good vibes and feels very My Little Pony. The exploration of settings outside Equestria was pretty good and made the movie feel A bit more significant, these new places are pretty average but do feel very different from any of the other locations seen in the show as of Season 7. The animation looks great although it does get A bit janky when it's mashed with CG environments in some scenes.

Villains The villains are probably the film's greatest flaw. Tempest is alright but her backstory is lazy and uninteresting, it would have been much better if it was left alone. Storm king's henchmen look pretty interesting but do nothing but stand around. Storm King himself is just utter garbage, the hostile winds surrounding the Crystal Empire are A better villain than him. He is shown very little, shoots lightning at A wall and falls over. Overall the militaristic appearance of the villains is intriguing but is not utilised at all resulting in them feeling like the least threatening and most underwhelming villains in the series. They are treated like the greatest threat to ever face Equestria which feels very forced, I believe they had the potential to be A great threat and A movie worthy set of villains but they weren't properly developed.

New Characters And The Mane Six New characters aren't given enough time to be made memorable and they don't do much in the grand scheme of things, they feel more like scenery and don't really serve much of A purpose. The Mane Six have some pretty out of character moments and in some scenes are treated like they are much younger than they are in the show, the conflict that arises among them feels very forced, has very little significance and is resolved very quickly.

The Plot The plot is very standard. Bad guy comes, bad guy wants power, bad guy gets 75% of the power, bad guy hunts remaining 25% of power as that power flees. The climax is very basic and proves that the entire journey the Mane Six go was entirely unnecessary and pointless.

I'd probably watch it again tho, I'd rate it A 6.5 if I could. Flawed but not A war crime.

Eh, it was okay I guess.

[jonsefcik · 5/10 · 8 October 2017]

I don't consider myself a brony, even though I've seen some episodes of Friendship Is Magic. I haven't seen every episode, but I've seen enough from each season that I have a good idea of what the show is all about. I personally don't like the first few seasons but the series does get better as it goes along. Overall, it's fine. It's a fine show. It's not the most amazing thing ever like some would lead you to believe, and it's not cancer like others make it out to be. Considering it's a show aimed at 5-year-old girls, this is the best show aimed specifically at that demographic I've ever seen. The strongest aspects of the show are it's good voice acting, relatively complex plots for a little kids show, and character arcs that span multiple episodes. You can tell a lot of effort was put into it, the creators have respect for their audience, and it doesn't feel cynically pandering at all.

For this reason, I decided to give the first theatrical movie based on the series a chance.

So how does the movie hold up? Eh, it was okay I guess. The animation reminds me of the Spongebob Squarepants movies where it's a little different from the TV show, and the cinematography is more traditionally cinematic, but it still captures the same spirit of the show's universe. Out of the six new songs featured in the film, at least half of them advance the plot in one way or another, and aren't there just to pad things out. Yes, you guessed it, the lyrics of all the songs are about friendship. The female villain pony has a decent amount of depth to her character, although she does have the generic scar over one eye that every villain seems to have these days.

This seems to be a movie designed for people already familiar with the series since little is done to develop the main six or establish the world of Equestria. Imagine the show didn't exist. You'd know almost nothing about the main characters or the film's universe. None of the characters really have an arc. With the exception of one character, no one changes or learns anything that they didn't already know at the beginning.

The dialogue in the show was fairly timeless, but the dialogue in the film is more modernized, which felt a little weird since its directed by a guy who's directed a bunch of other MLP stuff, so you'd think they'd try to keep things consistent. The cat character felt like a Puss In Boots ripoff at first, that is until he opened his mouth. I can't say I was expecting that voice to come from that character. I know the FIM universe has other nations with species other than ponies, but this still felt like a move to appeal to the furry demographic as well as the bronies. Why did the bird pirates still have all their pirate stuff on board their airship? They presumably got employed and their ship would have to fit regulations, right? The movie ends Zootopia-style with a pop song no one's gonna remember.

Since I compared this to the Spongebob movie earlier, one point I wanna bring up is that this movie doesn't have much of an emotional center. Now you may be wondering "what emotional scenes were in the Spongebob movie?". Well you watch the scene where Spongebob and Patrick are "dying" on the drying table in Shell City and tell me you don't get at least a little teary eyed! The best family movies are the ones with a certain level of emotional maturity and treat their audience like thinking adults. Half the MLP fan base is 25-year-old males. You might as well give them something more.

If you or your children are die hard fans of the franchise, go knock yourselves out. If this was surprisingly great like the LEGO movie, I would have no problem recommending it. Unfortunately, My Little Pony: The Movie doesn't offer much to entice the average moviegoer.

A worthwhile animated movie

[bakkahentai · 8/10 · 4 October 2017]

My Little Pony's current iteration has been a strange if not fascinating family friendly product, and their movie continues this trend. Make no mistake, this movie is definitely written mainly with children in mind but with enough thoughtfulness that adults should be able to adequately enjoy it to at least a modest degree.

The songs are catchy and worth remembering, and the characters are distinct enough to be memorable. Although the main seven characters are not equally distributed in terms of screen time, they still get enough screen time to remember who they are for even a new watcher.

The movie is mainly straight forward with very few twists, but it makes up for it with strong writing. The pacing can be a bit too fast at a couple of points, but only just so.

Unlike most current Disney movies, however, the villains are quite straightforward in who they are. If you are a fan of twist villains, you'll be disappointed, but if you enjoy a good villain, you'll enjoy two out of the three villains shown. The weakest member - Grubber - at the very least only suffers from not being funny enough as the comedic sidekick to the serious Tempest.

As for the comedy, the movie goes for a more hi jinks, silly comedy with a few deadpan jokes here and there. Don't expect to a lot of sarcastic remarks or much in the way of deprecation towards their series or its ideals.

Finally, the soundtrack is quite good. There are six sung songs in the movie and they all keep a different beat and genre. Their distinct style keep them memorable, and not only help progress the plot but explain certain characters in an easily digestible fashion.

Overall, it's more of a classical styled Disney movie, and wholly enjoyable to anyone looking for a solidly written film.

Not as bad as I was told it was

[thcookie-82802 · 6/10 · 11 October 2021]

I went into this thing expecting the worst but with A bit of hope that it would be good. Overall it's just an extra long very basic double episode with some very out of character moments from the Mane Six with two or three good songs and some upgraded animation. Some parts I enjoyed, some parts I did not enjoy, if you've come to the end of season seven I'd say just give it A watch, it's flawed but it's not A war crime.

Songs In total its got 5 songs not counting Rainbow by Sia. Two songs are rather drab but passable, two songs are above average when ranked amongst the songs from the show and Time To Be Awesome is A banger but is still overshadowed by the best songs from the show. Most of the songs just happen and the movie is very much aware of this and even makes A joke about it. The BGM is alright nothing really stood out however the title card music is one of the most hype things to ever accompany A title and that leads into a nice quick and simple intro song.

Miscellaneous Positives The start of the movie is pretty good with tons of nods to characters from the show, it's got some very feel good vibes and feels very My Little Pony. The exploration of settings outside Equestria was pretty good and made the movie feel A bit more significant, these new places are pretty average but do feel very different from any of the other locations seen in the show as of Season 7. The animation looks great although it does get A bit janky when it's mashed with CG environments in some scenes.

Villains The villains are probably the film's greatest flaw. Tempest is alright but her backstory is lazy and uninteresting, it would have been much better if it was left alone. Storm king's henchmen look pretty interesting but do nothing but stand around. Storm King himself is just utter garbage, the hostile winds surrounding the Crystal Empire are A better villain than him. He is shown very little, shoots lightning at A wall and falls over. Overall the militaristic appearance of the villains is intriguing but is not utilised at all resulting in them feeling like the least threatening and most underwhelming villains in the series. They are treated like the greatest threat to ever face Equestria which feels very forced, I believe they had the potential to be A great threat and A movie worthy set of villains but they weren't properly developed.

New Characters And The Mane Six New characters aren't given enough time to be made memorable and they don't do much in the grand scheme of things, they feel more like scenery and don't really serve much of A purpose. The Mane Six have some pretty out of character moments and in some scenes are treated like they are much younger than they are in the show, the conflict that arises among them feels very forced, has very little significance and is resolved very quickly.

The Plot The plot is very standard. Bad guy comes, bad guy wants power, bad guy gets 75% of the power, bad guy hunts remaining 25% of power as that power flees. The climax is very basic and proves that the entire journey the Mane Six go was entirely unnecessary and pointless.

I'd probably watch it again tho, I'd rate it A 6.5 if I could. Flawed but not A war crime.

A Downgrade from TV

[rs403404 · 4/10 · 14 October 2017]

Well, if you ever watched an episode of this series and thought, I wonder what it would be like if they made this four times longer, gave it a much bigger budget, and half assed the story. Then this movie is for you.

I definitely wouldn't call myself a brony, but I've seen plenty of episodes and my daughter loves the show. This movie feels so much more hollow and isolated then the show. Ponyville is attacked by the Storm King (Live Schriber) with the help of his second in command Tempest (Emily Blunt). The six main characters flee and attempt to find allies that will help them defeat this foe.

We follow the six leads on this adventure, but their characters that are very distinguished and defined on the series are muted here. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity all get one brief character moment and that's it. Pinky Pie and Twilight Sparkle have a fair bit to do and Fluttershy… well she gets nothing. You could cut her from the movie and have it bare no impact on the story. Actually, you can cut everyone but Pinky Pie and Twilight Sparkle and have the same story. The whole TV series is about friendship, but this movie opts to ignore most of the key friendships in the series.

Let's look at villains. In the series easily one of the best villains is Discord voiced wonderfully by John De Lancie essentially reprising Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation. We also got Nightmare Moon and the Changelings. All of which were far better villains than the bumbling Storm King. Discord is a very silly villain, but he still has menace. While Storm King was just silly but without the menace. How does a character like that build an army and invade with no warning? I get doing a new villain, but shouldn't this villain feel like more of a threat. As it is, he feels like a lesser threat than the six have already beaten dozens of times.

If you think this isn't a movie made for me. This is a movie made for fans. My 9 year old daughter who loves the series spent a fair bit of time after the movie complaining about how it took elements for the series and squandered them. She seems a heartbeat away from screaming betrayal. And if the movie can't satisfy non-fans or fans, then who was it possibly made for?

Recommended for all viewers of the show

[charlottemiller-88324 · 8/10 · 4 October 2017]

First time reviewing a film . There are some bits that the pace does feel fast but the rest lives up to it's standards. the animation and visuals are amazing and gives the feel of like watching classic Disney films and the 2D works very well with the 3D. The songs are great as well and the voice acting fits very well. Highly recommended film for fans of the show and for family's and younger audience.

Everything I Wanted In An Animated Film, Except...

[sxft_pqstls · 7/10 · 18 January 2022]

2017 was a crazy year for animation. On one hand, we got some of the best animated series and films ever made. And on the other hand, we also got some of the worst animated series and films ever made. As a long time fan of My Little Pony : Friendship Is Magic, I was very excited to see this film. I watched it with my parents in theatres and younger me thought it was okay, like a 5\10 or 6\10. I'm still a fan of the franchise and a fan of cartoons, but ever since quarantine started, I started watching more anime. Of course, I still watch cartoons tho. Rewatching this film was a great idea. Now that I'm a different person with opinions that were different from my younger self's opinion, I was surprised. The film was better than what I remembered. Of course, it's not a masterpiece, it has many flaws.

This film is basically everything I wanted in an animated film. But sadly, some parts make me drag it down. I wouldn't say it was a massive disappoinment like Emily In Paris, but there were some parts that disappointed me.

To my points :

1. Story Good Story Traits - The film mixes everything I want in a film. A film about 6 friends going on an engaging adventure to stop an evil corrupted force and using magic to stop villains while balancing great musical sequences and hilarious jokes is a film I would kill to watch. This concept would possibly create my favorite film of all time.

Bad Story Traits - The adventure is a little bit predictable. I'm kinda mad that Tempest or whatever the name of this film's antagonist is wasn't explored a lot. Her backstory is sympathetic but I really want more besides "My horn broke so now I'm evil". The film also focused way to much on friendship. Sure, friendship was a huge theme in the series, but the film focuses on it way to much. I would love this film more if it had less "Friendship can save the universe!" things and more character development. Not to mention Tempest's redemption kinda falls flat. It kinda upsets me that the villain had another redemption thing. Even tho I love the series, a big issue had with it was that the villains always redeem themselves. Sure, villains redeeming does push the friendship is magic message more but it's very repetitive and predictable. Not to mention, the pacing goes everywhere. It goes from slow to fast to slow to fast to very slow to very fast to very slow.

2. Animation Good Animation Traits - It's been a while since I last saw a mainstream western cartoon use 2D animation. The main 2D animated films I watch nowadays are just anime. It's refreshing to see these beautiful visuals that could absolutely never work in 3D. The magic sequences and the fluid animation is so good.

Bad Animation Traits - Honestly, there's nothing for me to complain about. My only complaint is that the cat guy who's name forget has a character design that doesn't really hit the My Little Pony : Friendship Is Magic aesthetic. His color pallette is bland and hits more of a pirate or cowboy film aesthetic than a fantasy adventure about different kinds of horses aesthetic.

Overall, this film was good. I don't know why it has such a low score. The visuals are easily the best part of the film. The film has a concept that can create my all time favorite film. However, a lot of things that I didn't like about the film drag the score down from a possible 10\10 to a 7\10. I kinda realized that I had the same problem with Boku No Hero Academia. Boku No Hero Academia had a bit of an identity problem. It had both boring and uninteresting characters and fun and interesting characters. But my biggest problem in Boku No Hero Academia is the pacing that goes from super slow to super fast. My Little Pony : The Movie just feels like the American animated adventure fantasy film version of Boku No Hero Academia. It had a good concept, an okay story, amazing animation, good and bad character and horrible pacing, just like Boku No Hero Academia.

Beautiful animation and camera direction can't save an otherwise soulless screenplay

[tammyobraun · 4/10 · 15 April 2021]

The animation is gorgeous, I wish more 2D films were being made. The story however is pointless. It holds no connection to the show, the events of this film are never mentioned again, despite there being several seasons after. Daniel Ingram's songs are toetapping, but that's par for the course, he's very good at what he does. Ashleigh Ball and Andrea Libman are the only voice actors who sound like they're actually into the story.

The screenplay is bad. The story really has no structure, the ponies just go place to place and then back to the starting point and then the movie's over, and we never see the new characters again.