My Little Pony: A New Generation, thoughts.

[Worgen]

So a few days ago the new MLP movie 'My Little Pony: A New Generation' came out and its good. Its got some really good songs, but also some rather standard kinda kids movie songs. To me the two stand outs are a song about how everyone should be afraid and the one that the princess sings. The characters ended up being much more fun then I expected also. Izzy is kind of a Pinkie Pie type, but she seems a bit more aware then Pinkie did in those early episodes. I also liked Hitch more then I expected, he does love the motivational speech but they did a thing with him and animals that is always fun. Zipp and Pipp both end up being really fun too and go past the archtype you kinda expect for them. Kind of the most standard one is Sunny, who seems to have the special talent of not knowing how to read a room, but she's fine. I think the biggest problem with Sunny is also one of the issues that the movie has. Its first half starts out kinda very kids movie feeling, which it sort of has to since its setting up the world, but it still can be kinda rough to get into and we are with Sunny the whole time which doesn't do her many favors early on. It also has a problem with too many characters doing this face.

Fuck that face.

But the movie does manage to pull everything together and end in a satisfying manner and it does make me really curious to see what they will do for the next series. I do think that the MLP:FIM movie is stronger, but mainly because I like the character design more in it and it doesn't have to introduce the world and characters like this one does. Plus it has the time to be awesome song, which is awesome.

 

[Hawki]

Here's a copy-paste of my review from the films thread:

Spoiler

My Little Pony: A New Generation (7/10)

This is a good film. What irks me is that up until the last 10 minutes, I'd call it a great film. And okay, sure, this is coming from someone who already likes MLP, but if anything, if you're familiar with MLP before seeing this, you'll arguably have a slightly worse time, because if you're a lore-hound, you'll be busy asking questions that are never answered.

So, anyway, this takes place in the same continuity as Generation 4, but way, WAY in the future (despite there being no technological progress). At this point, the three tribes have separated, and all fear each other. How and why this happened is never explained, nor is it explained why the windigoes haven't returned as a result (see what I mean about the lore issues?) Nor is it explained where every other non-pony species went, nor are any of them mentioned. This doesn't bother me too much, but if you're looking at this from a pure canon-based standpoint, there's a hundred questions that are never answered. It's arguably to the film's detriment that it's in the same continuity as G4, because it could have kept the premise, and arguably been just as strong, if not stronger for it.

Still, anyway, judging this as a film in of itself, it's good. Good characters, good dialogue (actually burst out laughing quite a few times), and good, if simple themes. It's kind of like Zootopia (if not as good) in terms of theme and how it presents them, but never in a preachy manner - prejudice is bad, prejudice begets paranoia, paranoia begets more prejudice, so on, and so forth. Not quite the same thing, but point is, it's a case of how you can have a "kid's film" that touches on such themes without talking down to them.

Going to touch on some issues with the above though, namely that not all character development is equal. Of the Mane 5, Pipp easily gets the least character development, and sure, she's the last one to be introduced, but even so, there's still a noticable gap. Furthermore, the songs. The songs in of themselves are good, I can't complain, but in a musical, ideally songs should develop plot and/or character. To be frank, not all of the songs do that, or if they do, go on a bit too long.

So, one last thing, the final ten minutes. We're at this weird point where the film presents us a supposed McGuffin, attempts to subvert the McGuffin, but is still using the McGuffin in a sense. Basically, magic (and friendship) can be returned with three crystals (crystals that were never in G4, so this is another example of the links between the two weakening this film), but that doesn't work, but hey, maybe the true friendship wasn't in the crystals, but rather, the friends we made along the way? Right? Well, yeah...except the crystals activate anyway, and do restore magic, and friendship is therefore restored (centuries/millennia of prejudice can apparently be overcome overnight, didn't ya know?), and all's right in the world. Oh, and Sunny's an alicorn now, because apparently alicorns have become to G4 what super saiyans became to DBZ - a dime a dozen.

Actually, in fairness, I can sort of understand the alicorn 'thing,' but I still dislike it in this case.

One last thing, the references to G4 that do work IMO are the ones where you'll blink and you miss. Such as when they go through the ruined station and find the Wonderbolts poster (in the context of shattered glass and old advertisments), and the single tree that they find in the field? My guess is that it's the Tree of Harmony. Which indicates that so much time has passed that the Everfree Forest has become grassland, and that the Tree of Harmony is now standing alone as just a normal tree works as a visual metaphor.

So, yeah. Good. Could have been better. But still good.

To me the two stand outs are a song about how everyone should be afraid and the one that the princess sings.

For me, the stand-outs are Good Morning Sun, the "Mob Song," and "Fit Right In."

Zipp and Pipp both end up being really fun too and go past the archtype you kinda expect for them.

Dunno.

Of the Mane 5, Pipp easily gets the least character development, and while she's the last of them to be introduced, there's material that still feels missing. Zipp was already looking to change the status quo, so I can understand her willingness to join Sunny and co., but Pipp, in less than 12 hours, has lost her fans, lost her stardom, had her secret ratted out, and has seen her mother imprisoned. She agrees to join the 'quest' way too easily, and never really does anything to help them in a particular way.

 

[Worgen]

Of the Mane 5, Pipp easily gets the least character development, and while she's the last of them to be introduced, there's material that still feels missing. Zipp was already looking to change the status quo, so I can understand her willingness to join Sunny and co., but Pipp, in less than 12 hours, has lost her fans, lost her stardom, had her secret ratted out, and has seen her mother imprisoned. She agrees to join the 'quest' way too easily, and never really does anything to help them in a particular way.

You are right, but I think thats one of the things I like about her and makes me think she got past her archtype. In a normal movie thing she would be the sister that is trying to hamper the team, she kinda does but is still quick to join after getting used to them. She could have been made a bad guy so easily.

Oh yeah, Fit Right in was good also.

You are also right about the ending and the convenient nature of it, but ehh, MLP is a series based on mcguffins. Would be interesting if it needed more, but its fine.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

I was pleasantly surprised by it, honestly! I agree, the characters were a lot more fun than I expected. Izzy's probably my fave, cause she feels like a Pinkie Pie that had her cocaine taken away. She's the right mix of weird while actually feeling like she's in this current universe. Looking at the promotional pictures, I expected Hitch to be really lame, but... he works just fine and has more personality than I thought.
What really did it for me was the G4 references. I was expecting G5 to simply start anew and act like none of the previous generation happened. But not only did it actually happen, but it has toooooooons of little plot hooks and visual details that makes my lore-loving side freak out. It makes me wonder what happened to make the world the way it is, ESPECIALLY after everything the main case of FiM went through to unite Equestria.
It shows a ton of promise, so I hope that it keeps this momentum!

 

[Worgen]

What really did it for me was the G4 references. I was expecting G5 to simply start anew and act like none of the previous generation happened. But not only did it actually happen, but it has toooooooons of little plot hooks and visual details that makes my lore-loving side freak out. It makes me wonder what happened to make the world the way it is, ESPECIALLY after everything the main case of FiM went through to unite Equestria.

Yeah, I was expecting them to just start fresh also, but not only did it set it in the same universe as g4, but it made it work pretty well. Although I was half expecting Celestia to show up at the end instead of what happened. She would show up and be like "I can't leave you ponies alone for 900 years without something going wrong can I?"

I am really curious to see what they do with the other species like griffins, dragons, hippogrifs and yaks.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Yeah, I was expecting them to just start fresh also, but not only did it set it in the same universe as g4, but it made it work pretty well.

With how scattered everyone was and how against each other they were, and how messed up Canterlot was, it was giving me post apocalyptic vibes. Almost like a war broke out and scattered the pony races. We've heard the stories of the ponies being split apart from each other before, like that story with the windigos. Something seriously huge must've happened to make the world what it is now, especially if they went against everything Twilight worked for... That's probably the part I'm most excited to see right now.

I am really curious to see what they do with the other species like griffins, dragons, hippogrifs and yaks.

Oh jeez, I totally forgot about them. Now you've got me extra curious

 

[Worgen]

With how scattered everyone was and how against each other they were, and how messed up Canterlot was, it was giving me post apocalyptic vibes. Almost like a war broke out and scattered the pony races. We've heard the stories of the ponies being split apart from each other before, like that story with the windigos. Something seriously huge must've happened to make the world what it is now, especially if they went against everything Twilight worked for... That's probably the part I'm most excited to see right now.



Oh jeez, I totally forgot about them. Now you've got me extra curious

Wait, was pegasus land on old Canterlot or was it earthpony land? I do remember the factory was canter... something, but I wasn't paying quite enough attention to catch what area was supposed to be old canterlot.

 

[Hawki]

Wait, was pegasus land on old Canterlot or was it earthpony land? I do remember the factory was canter... something, but I wasn't paying quite enough attention to catch what area was supposed to be old canterlot.

The factory was called Canterlogic.

However, the three locations we see (Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights, Bridlewood) don't seem to correspond to any location from G4. It seems that so much time has passed that the entire landscape has shifted (see my earlier comments about the Tree of Harmony for instance).

 

[Worgen]

The factory was called Canterlogic.

However, the three locations we see (Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights, Bridlewood) don't seem to correspond to any location from G4. It seems that so much time has passed that the entire landscape has shifted (see my earlier comments about the Tree of Harmony for instance).

I think that Zephyr Heights is named in FIM... although I might be thinking of something else. I was thinking Canterlot might now be Zephyr since they did have that area of old pony artifacts and such there.

 

[Hawki]

I think that Zephyr Heights is named in FIM... although I might be thinking of something else. I was thinking Canterlot might now be Zephyr since they did have that area of old pony artifacts and such there.

I'm not sure how it could be. The characters have to climb a mountain just to get to the city. Canterlot was easily accessible from ground level in G4.

 

[Worgen]

I'm not sure how it could be. The characters have to climb a mountain just to get to the city. Canterlot was easily accessible from ground level in G4.

Canterlot was kinda both on a moutain and on the ground. Gen4 didn't really do much to establish architecture or maps of areas.

 

[Hawki]

Canterlot was kinda both on a moutain and on the ground. Gen4 didn't really do much to establish architecture or maps of areas.
View attachment 4555

It's still not nearly high enough for Zephyr Heights though. We're talking about a city literally among the clouds, versus one that, at best, is simply fairly high up.

 

[Worgen]

It's still not nearly high enough for Zephyr Heights though. We're talking about a city literally among the clouds, versus one that, at best, is simply fairly high up.

It could have just been foggy or before the pegasi lost their flight they might have wrapped it in clouds to protect it from earth ponies and unicorns.

 

[Hawki]

Tree of Harmony Confirmed in My Little Pony: A New Generation!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic News, Brony and bronies, my little pony merchandise, pony art, pony music, pony media

www.equestriadaily.com

I was right about the Tree of Harmony.

 

[Worgen]

Tree of Harmony Confirmed in My Little Pony: A New Generation!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic News, Brony and bronies, my little pony merchandise, pony art, pony music, pony media

www.equestriadaily.com

I was right about the Tree of Harmony.

Yeah, I really want to see what they do with a series.

 

[BrawlMan]

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[BrawlMan]

Btw @Worgen, Korey gave the rating a low full price. He likes the movie; just a heads up.

 

[Worgen]

Btw @Worgen, Korey gave the rating a low full price. You like the movie. Just a heads up.

I mean, I can see it being worth that rating.