My Little Pony: A New Generation in a new computer animated film which features new ponies and adventures in the land of Equestria. Directed by Robert Cullen and Jose Ucha, the film is the start of the fifth generation of the My Little Pony franchise. Voice talents include Vanessa Hudgens, Kimiko Glenn, James Marsden, Sofia Carson and Liza Koshy. The film was released on Netflix on September 24, 2021 with limited theatrical releases in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Russia. What is the main story? What was good about the film and what fell short?
Set many, many years after the events of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Twilight Sparkle’s teachings on friendship and harmony have been replaced with mistrust, paranoia and false beliefs about each other. Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns have lived isolated from one another. In the Earth pony town of Maretime Bay, Argyle Starshine (voiced by Michael McKean) tells stories of Twilight Sparkle and her friends to his young daughter, Sunny Starscout (voiced by Vanessa Hudgens), who shares his dream of reuniting the three pony kinds. One day, when Sunny has grown up, a unicorn named Izzy Moonbow walks into Maretime Bay. As the town’s residents panic, thinking that Izzy is a hostile invader, Sunny sees the opportunity to make friends with a unicorn. She shelters Izzy in her home and discovers that the unicorns have lost their magic. Together, they embark on an adventure where they meet royal sisters, Pipp (voiced by Sofia Carson) and Zipp (voiced by Liza Koshy) from Zephyr Heights, and joined by Maretime Bay’s sheriff, Hitch (voiced by James Marsden) to restore magic to the land.
There were many aspects of the film that I enjoyed. First, the story itself. It is an enjoyable, funny, and yes even a bit predictable, film with a great message. A message that friendship is what brings us together and friendship is what helps bridge our differences and bring magic to our lives. Second, the voice acting. Each actor is a great fit for their character. I thoroughly enjoyed Kimko Glenn’s Izzy Moonbow, the innocent and goofy unicorn, who was simply looking for a friend. Izzy reminds me of Pinkie Pie, the fun-loving Earth pony from Friendship is Magic. Third, what would a My Little Pony show be without music? And the music in this film is catchy and enjoyable. My favorite song is Sunny’s song, “Gonna Be My Day.” A song in which Sunny affirms that she will not be held back by the fear that has gripped other Earth ponies and to forge ahead with the change she desires to see. There wasn’t much that I didn’t like about this film. At a runtime of 90 minutes, the story and its resolution happens fairly quickly. This aspect can be forgiven as it is a children’s film that only has a short amount of time to capture and keep their attention. I didn’t like one song, “Danger, Danger (Angry Mob). It reminded me of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” I don't know if the similarities were intentional or not. One aspect of the story I did not care for is when Hitch goes after Sunny, his deputy, Sprout (voiced by Ken Jeong) morphs into a dictator, and is ultimately the antagonist the ponies must overcome, gets off scot-free with no consequences. At least that we don’t see in the film. One critic criticized the film for its “creepily-anthropomorphized" design of the ponies (Loayza, 2021). I didn’t find the design of the ponies creepy at all. It is definitely a change from the original ponies of the 1980s (which today I find a bit creepy) to the ponies of Friendship is Magic. The film garnered many positive reviews. The film was “paying homage to the past while telling a new tale” and “delivering an innovative, subtly subversive family-friendly product” (Howard, 2021).
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. My preschool daughter enjoyed it as well. As we have watched it multiple times a day since it’s release. Even my older daughter, who grew up with Friendship is Magic, enjoyed this film. I see many more views in our future. I look forward to further films or shows they may have planned for this new generation. My Little Pony: A New Generation is a family friendly and fun film. If you are a fan of Friendship is Magic, you will enjoy A New Generation.
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