Chronology of television and movie releases WIP

[joeybuddy96]

As far as I can tell, the original 1984 special "Rescue from Midnight Castle" hasn't been released in unedited format since the VHS Children's Home Library version. Redundant cliffhangers are one thing, but whole songs are another. According to http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Special, "a scene including the 'Little Piece of Rainbow' song had been edited out," aka Moochick's song.
The DVD release of Escape from Catrina edited out a scene with the song 'Those Good (Before You Turned Bad) Old Days'. The special originally had unique bookends. http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_Escape_From_Catrina
Fact check any of this stuff, I'm just going by wiki pages. Is it possible to get a DVD version with the deleted scenes restored? If not, I'm guessing VHS versions have the original unedited TV specials.

[Ponyfan]

I think the VHS that came with movie Firefly (in Heart Throb's pose) was the last time the original "My Little Pony special/"Rescue at Midnight Castle" was released unedited but it was renamed "Firefly's Adventure" for the new Firefly release.


All the official DVDs have used the My Little Pony and Friends versions of both speicals so there is no DVD that has the original versions. "The Glass Princess" also lost a song in part 4 called "Hurry" that hasn't been seen since MLP and Friends first aired on TV.

I think Hasbro/Subbow either lost or destoyed the missing parts of the episodes.  The VHS versions of "My Little Pony/Rescue at Midnight Castle/Firefly's Adventure" and "Escape from Catrina" are complete. The first  VHS release version of "The Glass Princess" (on Little Golden Book VHS) is also missing "Hurry"


Ponyfan

[Sunset]

You are correct.  I would further add that the first special, originally just called “My Little Pony”, had the snippets from the opening and the end credits cut.

I have the original release vhs of RAMC and I keep thinking I ought to see if someone can digitize it.  I don’t watch it often because every time I put it in the vhs player (yes, I still have one!) I’m worried that the player will eat it or that the tape will snap.

I pitched the idea to the Basic Fun Facebook account that they ought to release a gift set with the uncut version on dvd along with the mystery rainbow pony.  The person I talked to seemed to like the idea but I don’t know if it ever went further than that.

[LadyMoondancer]

Correct . . . No DVD release with the full specials.  They just have the "MLP & Friends" versions, which were cut down to make room for commercials etc.  Really sad.

In addition to cutting out a song, the RaMC shorter version edits out a lot of the charming intro to the ponies.

[Shaz]

My girlfriend had the Biggest Ever My Little Pony Video when she was little (this one: http://mylittlewiki.org/w/images/a/ae/Mlp-vhs-biggest.jpg) and it had uncut versions of both Rescue from Midnight Castle and Escape from Catrina. I can't find out when that video was released, but she bought it in 1997.

[Carrehz]

My girlfriend had the Biggest Ever My Little Pony Video when she was little (this one: http://mylittlewiki.org/w/images/a/ae/Mlp-vhs-biggest.jpg) and it had uncut versions of both Rescue from Midnight Castle and Escape from Catrina. I can't find out when that video was released, but she bought it in 1997.

oh neat, I didn't know this! Thanks for sharing!!

The TV edit of "Catrina" cuts the ending credits, too - plus there's a weird glitch/error/whatever in the "Dressed Like A Dream" sequence where some of the animation is erroneously repeated (which isn't present in the original cut). I wish there were DVD releases of the uncut copies... although sadly I do think it's very likely that the originals were destroyed/replaced/no longer exist.

(I wish we could find the animation for "Hurry", too.)

[joeybuddy96]

Thanks for all the replies, people. It's way easier doing this with feedback.
A little bit of background in case someone wants to acquire the intellectual property rights to Rescue at Midnight Castle/Firefly's Adventure/My Little Pony.
Children's Home Library was a division of Vestron Video, which was purchased entirely by LIVE Entertainment, which then sold most of it's Vestron properties to Lion's Gate Entertainment. I assume My Little Pony (1984) is one of those properties (especially considering Lionsgate was the distributor of the modern MLP: The Movie). It's out of print.
Some clarification and disambiguation on what I summarized regarding the My Little Pony Special (which was never called the MLP Special). "It originally aired with the single title only, My Little Pony, a la Star Wars, then had a secondary title applied to it when it aired in two parts during syndication: Rescue at Midnight Castle. At this point, Rescue at Midnight Castle was still airing in its original, uncut version. Rescue at Midnight Castle is not to be confused with the later edited release called Rescue from Midnight Castle. There aren't two versions of RaMC--there's just the unedited aired television special which was never seen on VHS called RaMC, and the edited version that later aired and was eventually put on DVD called RfMC. After it had been in syndication for a while, My Little Pony was released to VHS in its original television special length, this time titled Firefly's Adventure. RaMC was never released to VHS. My Little Pony was released to the PAL VHS format for the UK as My Little Pony in Dreamland.
http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/File:Video14.JPG
In 2003, almost two decades after the original airing of My Little Pony, Disney started airing edited versions of the original series: this particular entry was edited and aired as Rescue from Midnight Castle.
According to http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Special, "a scene including the 'Little Piece of Rainbow' song had been edited out."

With regard to getting it backed up and archived, it's probably best to use a US NTSC copy of the tape anyway. Pretty sure transferring something from NTSC to PAL introduces data loss. They're selling for around $25 online. I couldn't find any copies of Firefly's Adventure online. There's a company called digitalfaq that does tape to digital storage transfers. I looked into buying the equipment and doing it myself, but in order to preserve the quality of the media as much as possible it would take about $1000 worth of equipment. I don't have that in my budget right now. I imagine the tape transfer expenses would be pretty affordable if a video transfer company was to be hired, especially for a half-hour tape. That would only produce a personal copy and wouldn't settle the IP rights issue for mass distribution.
http://www.digitalfaq.com/services/video-conversion-streaming.htm

[kitkatvintage]

I really doubt that the intellectual property rights would be up for grabs to mass produce unedited versions off a VHS tape. Hasbro surely still holds the rights to their most popular 80's cartoons for DVD releases, airing on Netflix, and any other possible uses.

[LadyMoondancer]

Hasbro reacquired the entire Sunbow library, including the G1 specials, MLP & Friends, and MLP Tales, in 2008.  There is 0% chance they will sell off any of the rights.  (However that doesn't mean a complete version couldn't be snuck onto KissCartoon or other sites of questionable legality, if someone were able to make a clean rip from a VHS.)

My guess is Hasbro does have the full copy of the specials somewhere, but are not versed enough in pony lore to actually know that the syndicated versions are missing footage.

[Carrehz]

there's just the unedited aired television special which was never seen on VHS called RaMC, and the edited version that later aired and was eventually put on DVD called RfMC. After it

.....what? No, I'm pretty sure all TV versions of the original special were edited..

Not sure what you're trying to do tbh but FWIW here's what I have written down for the specials:

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.

There are uncut versions of the specials floating around out there... your best bet really is to find a decent VHS and copy it onto a DVD like I have, lol.

semi-related - anyone know when "Hurry" got edited? Was it edited after the first airing or when the show came to the Disney Channel? I've heard both so idk. It's hard to find anything about that one...

[Ponyfan]

In 2003, almost two decades after the original airing of My Little Pony, Disney started airing edited versions of the original series: this particular entry was edited and aired as Rescue from Midnight Castle.
According to http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Special, "a scene including the 'Little Piece of Rainbow' song had been edited out."

Disney Channel aired the My Little Pony and Friends episodes and My Little Pony Tales in early 90's. Sometiems they aired two parts of the My Little Pony and friends episodes and sometiems it was two Tales episodes but I think all of the episodes had the MLP Tales opening whether it was Tales or MLP n Friends.


 

there's just the unedited aired television special which was never seen on VHS called RaMC, and the edited version that later aired and was eventually put on DVD called RfMC. After it

.....what? No, I'm pretty sure all TV versions of the original special were edited..

Not sure what you're trying to do tbh but FWIW here's what I have written down for the specials:

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.

There are uncut versions of the specials floating around out there... your best bet really is to find a decent VHS and copy it onto a DVD like I have, lol.

semi-related - anyone know when "Hurry" got edited? Was it edited after the first airing or when the show came to the Disney Channel? I've heard both so idk. It's hard to find anything about that one...

Also there are two versions of the original US box, a clamshell case and a regular slipcase.   I never realized there were different title cards for Rescue at Midnight Castle.


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I'd love to know about "Hurry" and why it was cut. I'm pretty sure I didn't see it when it was airing on Disney Chanel.


This audio seems to be all that's left of "Hurry"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4jPBKVShFg


Ponyfan

[LadyMoondancer]

Kim Shriner used to sell VHS (copied from her home recordings) of the old MLP & Friends series.  I imagine the animation for "Hurry" was on them since, from what I remember, her site was the source of the Hurry audio.  (She used to have a 'song of the week' feature, which was quite a novelty at the time because Youtube etc didn't exist.)

So if anyone knows someone who bought the MLP & Friends copies from Kim . . .

[Taffeta]

My girlfriend had the Biggest Ever My Little Pony Video when she was little (this one: http://mylittlewiki.org/w/images/a/ae/Mlp-vhs-biggest.jpg) and it had uncut versions of both Rescue from Midnight Castle and Escape from Catrina. I can't find out when that video was released, but she bought it in 1997.

I was actually just wondering how the UK slipped into this being that I don't believe we ever had MLP air on TV in the eighties and only had the eps all released on VHS. (I think we were also missing one episode in those releases, maybe Through the Door). I do remember that we had MLP airing on...possibly Sky 1...in the middle 1990s. My sister had that biggest ever vhs and that would probably have been around the same time to be honest. Still have it somewhere.

@LM- ironically I have some stuff on VHS from Kim but only MLP Tales. Ironic because I'm kind of on the wrong side of the world xD. I have a VHS with all her adverts on but I'm pretty sure I don't have one with the basic friends series.

On a note re My Little Pony in Dreamland. I think we also still have that VHS and I may be wrong but I am 99.9% sure it's not called that on the episode. And paying attention to what the UK puts on its video and DVD cases is a bad idea given that somewhere along the line it starts using G2 ponies on its DVD cases for MLP Tales...xd

Regarding NTSC and PAL I think it's the case that NTSC has fewer frames per second and lines than PAL. That's why it's fine for people who have a PAL VHS system to watch NTSC video but it doesn't work the other way. I think with modern systems its possible to do a lot more than it was in the past, but I do have some old VHS from the US and from Japan (also NTSC) which I can play just fine. However with video of the adverts that I mentioned before, I wasn't able to put them onto the PC to back them up to DVD without them losing their colour. So you probably need some kind of compatible equipment. I think it's probably harder to do from the US with UK videos, though, given the fact that I don't think US machines have ever been able to play PAL video. Even with DVDs today, I think I'm right that although Japan has region 2 like Europe, their DVDs are still NTSC and ours are still PAL...

I am not a technical person though so may be totally wrong with that. It's been a long time since I tried to back up a VHS and certainly a non-UK one, since mostly we've backed up family tapes.

[joeybuddy96]

Hasbro reacquired the entire Sunbow library, including the G1 specials, MLP & Friends, and MLP Tales, in 2008.  There is 0% chance they will sell off any of the rights.  (However that doesn't mean a complete version couldn't be snuck onto KissCartoon or other sites of questionable legality, if someone were able to make a clean rip from a VHS.)

My guess is Hasbro does have the full copy of the specials somewhere, but are not versed enough in pony lore to actually know that the syndicated versions are missing footage.

Eeyup. Even if Hasbro did have the missing footage and did know about it, Hasbro probably doesn't realize (or maybe just doesn't care) that the unedited version is worth something to collectors.

Thanks for all that info, Carrehz. I was trying to bring consistency to the naming convention and make sense out of why it kept changing, but what I'm seeing instead is that it's been inconsistent since the edited-for-time version aired under the title Rescue from Midnight Castle during the MLP 'n Friends run. Now I'm wondering where the title "Rescue at Midnight Castle" first appeared, since the special originally had no title beyond "My Little Pony." If I go by your notes, it looks like the title Rescue at Midnight Castle first appeared on the first run of the US DVD.

Ponyfan, since MLP Tales started its cable broadcast July 3, 1992 and finished its original episode run September 25, 1992, they couldn't have broadcast any episodes of MLP 'n friends before then. Since they started mixing in MLP 'n Friends episodes in at some point between then and 1996, the timeframe for when all of the various specials and episodes started being cut for time is sometime between October, 1992 and December, 1996.
http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/Category:My_Little_Pony_Tales

Kim Shriner used to sell VHS (copied from her home recordings) of the old MLP & Friends series.  I imagine the animation for "Hurry" was on them since, from what I remember, her site was the source of the Hurry audio.  (She used to have a 'song of the week' feature, which was quite a novelty at the time because Youtube etc didn't exist.)

So if anyone knows someone who bought the MLP & Friends copies from Kim . . .

:O Anyone with that specific tape could probably sell it for upwards of $100, at least.

[Taffeta]

Kim Shriner used to sell VHS (copied from her home recordings) of the old MLP & Friends series.  I imagine the animation for "Hurry" was on them since, from what I remember, her site was the source of the Hurry audio.  (She used to have a 'song of the week' feature, which was quite a novelty at the time because Youtube etc didn't exist.)

So if anyone knows someone who bought the MLP & Friends copies from Kim . . .

:O Anyone with that specific tape could probably sell it for upwards of $100, at least.

I wonder about that. I'm not sure that the G1 animation is so sought after/popular that someone would shell out three figures to acquire a taped-off-air copy of an episode because of one missing song. I feel like if that was such a priority then someone would've digitised her episode copies already, since there'd have been a demand...

The VHS I have from Kim (MLP Tales and the adverts) were clearly recorded in the eighties as the adverts were also taped by coincidence in breaks from MLP and also Jem (which she also had a full set of episodes for). So it makes sense that she would've had whatever originally aired prior to any cutting done for cable.

So I know nothing about the production of MLP specifically but I am trying to remember exactly how it worked for Jem since the writer and other individuals associated with the show have interacted heavily with the fandom for years and lots of information has therefore been transmitted about the workings of that show. Since Jem ran at the same time and featured crossovers in artists and writers, as well as the same company of production, it makes sense...albeit Jem was not so longlived in terms of its material success. IN any case, I know that the scripts for episodes in Jem's case were with the writers. And that master tapes for the songs were with the music production people. It thus makes sense that any master recordings of animation would not have been with Hasbro but with Sunbow or the studios that produced them. There's no real reason for Hasbro to have copies of something which was created essentially as a form of advertising for the product that mattered back then, which was the toy. Whereas now I can see them keeping heavy logs of animation as the crux of their toyline, I am not sure that happened back then.

Hasbro R.I also seem to have reconstructed aspects of their G1 database since the 1990s. I imagine they kept SOME stuff but aside from selling the moulds off (which are arguably more important to G1 MLP production than the shortlived and sporadic animated adventures) they also made it clear when I wrote to them in 1995-6ish that they no longer had anything relating to G1 in their records. So if the tapes existed, they may not do so now. Or they may be in the hands of the people involved in the production.