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Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Bekuno on March 29, 2018, 12:43:31 PM

Title: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Bekuno on March 29, 2018, 12:43:31 PM
"Something bad is coming down, Have you heard the news?"

This week's discussion is a doozy, our first full-length My Little Pony film, My Little Pony: The Movie!
The movie was released theatrically in June of 1986. The now defunct studios Sunbow and Marvel Productions were responsible for it's production, and animation by Toei and AKOM!

As with most theatrical films, some guest star voice roles include Danny DeVito, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Rhea Perlman and Tony Randall.

The film was a flop in it's run, making less than $6 million and receiving poor reviews form critics.

Summary:

"The first day of Spring is on its way and the Little Ponies are preparing for it with a big festival. But all the fun may come to an end if the witch Hydia has her way! Can the Ponies defeat Hydia and her evil daughters, Reeka and Draggle? More importantly, can they save Ponyland from the witches’ concoction, the strange purple goo called Smooze, that s threatening to bury the whole town?"


(longer summary in the spoiler)
Spoiler

Our film opens with the arrival of spring and the ponies planning the Spring Festival, including Baby Lickety Split who is coming up with some creative dance moves. Meanwhile, our witchy villains are  watching them through a potion with disgust. Hydia believes her daughters are not living up to her evil standards, and send them to ruin the ponies festival.

We return to the festival to watch the baby ponies dance, and Baby Lickety Split gets ahead of herself with her dance moves, runing the performace and upsetting Buttons and the other baby ponies who berate her until she runs away in tears. Baby Lickety Split decides to run away though Spike does his best to stop her.

Reeka and Draggle have made it to Dream Valley, and are trying to figure out how to ruin the festival. Draggle uses a spell to shoot water from a water fall to drown out the festival, but are thwarted by seaponies. They wash out to the festival where they are called "cute", and leave, offended.

Baby Lickety Split attempts to fly over a cliff but, since she's an earth pony, plummets down with Spike in tow and gets stuck. The other ponies realize the two are missing and believe she may be with the Bushwoolies. 

Disappointed in her daughters' failure, Hydia decides to use the Smooze, a purple goo that previously destroyed Grundleland. First she needs the proper ingredients, and the witches are sent out once again. Baby Lickety Split and Spike try to get up the cliffside with little luck while the sisters explore the swamp for ingredients. Hydia begins prepping the Smooze recipe by throwing the ingredients into the volcano, creating the Smooze despite missing an ingredient. It flows down the volcano and into Dream Valley.

The other ponies pass right by Baby Lickety Split and Spike, unable to hear their cries over the waterfall. They meet up with the Bushwoolies, who are on their way to the Festival. Both parties are stopped when the Smooze rushes in. Magic Star takes the smoozed Gusty and all but one Bushwooly back to Dream Castle, leaving Shady and her Bushwooly companion to continue the search. The smooze has reached the trench where Baby Lickety Split and Spike are trapped, forcing them to retreat into the cave. Magic Star and the others reach Dream Valley just in time, ushering every creature and pony into Dream Castle.

North Star and Wind Whistler go to find Megan, who is with her siblings. They initially come only for the Rainbow of Light, but all three convince the ponies to let them aid in the fight.

Back at Dream Castle, the ponies are attemping to barricade against the Smooze, but it is too strong. The pegasi arrive with Megan and her siblings, and she unleashes the Rainbow of Light, which is eventually defeated after a battle. The Smooze is revealed to be weakened due to the sisters forgetting to get one specific ingredient. Megan, North Star, and Fizzy leave to seek out The Moochick while the sisters work together to get some Flume to strengthen The Smooze.

Megan and her pony companions reach Mr. Moochik, who reveals he has no more Rainbow for them, and instead sings about the types of homes the ponies can find now that Dream Castle has been smoozed. He creates Paradise Estate for them and informs them that the Flutter Ponies are the only ones who can take care of The Smooze.

Spike and Baby Lickety Split are trying to find a way out of the cave the Smooze trapped them in. They come across The Grundles, who convince them that, though they appear scary, they are quite good. Their kingdom has already been destroyed by The Smooze, and they offer to help the two.

The witches toss their acquired Flume into the Smooze so it can reach it's full potential. Back in Dream Valley, the ponies are excited to explore Paradise Estate. The celebration doesn't last, as the smooze is coming back with a vengeance. Shady continues to struggle to find Lickety Split. We cut back to the volcano where the sisters are told to seek out Ogg, bringing an offering of food.

Shady's distress is cut short when the smooze reaches her. Megan, Danny, Molly, Fizzy, Magic Star, and Wind Whistler seek out Flutter Valley, narrowly escaping threats such as The Smooze, evil trees, and a giant spider. They meet up with Shady and her Bushwooly along the way.

The Grundles, Spike, and Baby Lickety Split also have a run in with the smooze that they escape, though Spike gets a little of the goo on his tail. They land in a flower field near a well, and Baby Lickety Split sings into it. At first they believe the voice inside is an echo, but after it sings back they discover it's actually a Flutter pony, Morning Glory. She offers them help since they rescued her from the well, and they head for Flutter Valley. They reach Flutter Valley and meet Rosedust, who turns them down. Suddenly, Morning Glory arrives with Baby Lickety Split and the others, finally reuniting the groups. They beg Rosedust to assist them as The Smooze begins to reach Paradise Estate.

Hope seems all but lost as the Flutter Ponies and the others arrive, pushing back The Smooze with the gusts of magic from their wings. Dream Castle and Dream Valley  are freed from The Smooze as the witches are chased back to their volcano. The Grundles are offered Dream Castle as thanks for their help in keeping Lickety Split safe. The Flutter Ponies return home, the Rainbow returns to it's locket, and Megan and her siblings head home knowing Dream Valley is safe.

For now...
-----------------------------------



Songs:
* My Little Pony Opening Theme
* Evil Witch Like Me
* I'll Go It Alone
* I'll Do the Dirty Work
* Nothing Can Stop the Smooze
* There's Always Another Rainbow
* Home
* Grundles Good
* What Good Will Wishing Do?
* My Little Pony Closing Theme




Ponies: Gusty, North Star, Shady, Sweet Stuff, Gingerbread, Buttons, Lofty, Sundance, Magic Star, Fizzy, Wind Whistler, Ribbon, Paradise, Rosedust, Morning Glory, Baby Lickety Split, Baby Lofty, Baby Sundance, Baby Ribbon, assorted Seaponies.

Villians: Hydia, Reeka, Draggle

Other Characters: Spike, Bushwoolies, Mr. Moochik, The Grundles, The Grundle King

Humans: Megan, Molly, & Danny
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on March 29, 2018, 01:00:52 PM
I love this movie. It's pretty, its got fun villains, its got action and a multi-eyed/armed/mouthed/handed version of The Blob It introduced a new race of ponies. And a new cast of them too.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on March 29, 2018, 02:26:46 PM
I begged and begged and BEGGED my parents to take me to this as a kid.  I knew about it from Fizzy's packaging, if I recall correctly.  It had a small mention of the movie printed on the backcard.  I also had a pamphlet advertising the movie, which either came with Fizzy or else Peach Blossom or Honeysuckle.  (But I think it was Fizzy.)

My parents (or more accurately my mom ;) ) did take me to see the movie in the theater.  But, I gotta be honest, I didn't actually like it upon watching it.  I found it long and pretty boring.  I hated Megan, and this movie had A L-O-T of Megan.  Worse, it had Megan's two siblings.

The funny thing is that as an adult I find Megan more annoying than Danny or Molly.  But back then it was the opposite.

I am still unimpressed by the movie.  It was cheaply made (and in only six weeks . . . good planning there, guys), and it sure LOOKS cheap, and it annoys me because Hasbro sunk sooo much care and artistry into Transformers: The Movie.  I mean, TF The Movie tanked financially too, and is narratively messy, but it at least TRIED to be something great.  It had fantastic animation, it had a cool 80s rock soundtrack, and it respected its audience.  It had a villain that ate planets.   MLP got doofy witch "villains" who couldn't have found their own backsides with a map. They are my least favorite G1 villains, except maybe the Gizmonks and Garf.   What happened to the world plagued with demon-centaurs and murderous cat-ladies?

The weird thing is that the two G1 specials and MLP the Movie AND Transformers the Movie were all written by the same guy, George Arthur Bloom.  Which suggests to me that it was the studio pushing the lame villains on MLP, not the writer.

Edit:  Also, the ponies spent half the movie moaning about how much they LOVE Dream Castle and Dream Castle is SO irreplaceable, and then they immediately give it away at the end of the movie.  Really, ponies?  REALLY?  I've got news for you, your magic house is shoddily made and will be falling apart in the space of a couple episodes of the show.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on March 29, 2018, 03:26:50 PM
I now want to see how the Transformers handle the Witches and their Smooze and how the ponies handle Unicron and his lackeys.

And yay! Peter Cullen was in both movies. He voiced Augh the Spider.

To be fair LM, a lot of shows back then had goofy villains. I mean Cobra Commamder, Serpentor, Murky and Lurky, Beastly and Shrieky.



Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on March 29, 2018, 04:04:36 PM
Human villains in TF usually suffered under the weight of their own hubris after trying to help the Decepticons.  Like Doctor Archeville who IIRC ended up blowing some limbs off or something?  And then needing robot limbs?  Or that guy who helped the Decepticons frame the Autobots for crimes because the 'Cons promised he could be in control of "three cities", and after the Autobots were gone the Decepticons enslaved the guy and made him perpetually turn a crank to generate electricity for three cities.

Since the witches' main motivation is to make things wet (dank), I imagine they would try to set up some scheme to make the Autobots rust, and then end up almost drowning themselves.  They would then be sent to jail.

Now the MLPs versus Unicron would be really something!  I think the MLPs could win.  Not with the Matrix of Leadership, though.  Something without fingerholes.  (Or with magic.)
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on March 29, 2018, 04:41:52 PM
Human villains in TF usually suffered under the weight of their own hubris after trying to help the Decepticons.  Like Doctor Archeville who IIRC ended up blowing some limbs off or something?  And then needing robot limbs?  Or that guy who helped the Decepticons frame the Autobots for crimes because the 'Cons promised he could be in control of "three cities", and after the Autobots were gone the Decepticons enslaved the guy and made him perpetually turn a crank to generate electricity for three cities.

Since the witches' main motivation is to make things wet (dank), I imagine they would try to set up some scheme to make the Autobots rust, and then end up almost drowning themselves.  They would then be sent to jail.

Now the MLPs versus Unicron would be really something!  I think the MLPs could win.  Not with the Matrix of Leadership, though.  Something without fingerholes.  (Or with magic.)


I remember that. Crazy old coot. I think this'll do more then make autobots rust.  Would definitely lock em in place for a while.

Ponies vs. Unicron is a battle to tell for generations! May Majesty light their darkest hour.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Al-1701 on March 29, 2018, 05:03:00 PM
This movie suffered from one catastrophic flaw (which led to other flaws).  A lack of focus.  It needed to be about something and someone.  The natural picks would be Wind Whistler and Fizzy (and this is not just my personal bias).  They were the headliners of the commercials of their respective lines and frankly had the most going for them personality wise.  If Hasbro was willing to admit they would be the stars and the movie would be their story with the others playing support, it would have gone a long way to making it an actual feature film.

Baby Lickety-Split was too irritating.  I know everyone is ready to jump on Buttons for yelling at her because she's just a kid, but what about the others?  They probably spent the entire winter practicing for the recital only to be humiliated in front of all their friends because Baby Lickety-Split refused to listen.  They put in the work, why shouldn't they have the right to tear into the one who didn't and made it all a waste of time.  At that point, I was ready for the witches to just snatch her and eat her.

Speaking of the witches, they just didn't cut it as villains.  After Tirac and Catrina, they were pathetic.  They could make as comedic foil villains, but this movie needed an upgrade from what came before to serve as the big bad.

In the end, moving to the big screen magnified the weaknesses in George Arthur Bloom's writing.  Concentrating too much on the villains and not enough on the ponies.  It could be forgiven in the specials where there seemed to be too much story for the time and the villains were at least interesting.  Here, they had all the time in the world and the villains were pathetic.

You can tell this was a movie made by two studios.  The parts animated by Toei is head and shoulders above the lion's share of the movie animated by AKOM.  You can really see it in the few segments with the ponies animated by Toei where the twinkle eyed ponies had beautiful gems in their eyes that actually twinkled.  Compared to AKOM who drew two concentric circles and colored in the space between them.  If only they were willing to give Toei the time and money needed to animated the movie completely.

To add insult to injury, we would get a cinematic plot in the series.  It's called The Return of Tambelon.  It had everything this movie desperately needed (except good animation but we can get into that when we get to that story arc).
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Bekuno on March 29, 2018, 05:05:18 PM
This was my very first introduction to G1 MLP...

I rented it from Netflix back when Netflix was young and still did by-mail deliveries. The only My Little Pony I'd known was the G3 I grew up with.

I don't remember much about my first viewing, but I didn't completely despise it. You know what did happen? I got The Smooze song stuck in my head the rest of my life.  :lol: :lol:

This is certainly not a favorite, the viewing I had today while writing this post was probably only my 3rd or 4th time watching it. Really, my favorite and most watched G1 related media pieces are Rescue at Midnight Castle and the Tales series.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Wildshadow on March 29, 2018, 05:29:49 PM
I have so much to say about the movie!!$@%@#@^% but hard to sit down and type it all out cause I'm just that crazy about it....

I guess I'm the only one that loved the Witches XD Yeah they could have been better but all the stuff around them and just the thought of what their circle of life is away from the ponies. Like I feel like I had dreamt as a kid that they some how had connections with the witches and such from the Smurfs o.O I guess just that feeling has carried me into still enjoying the witches like I do. I LOVE Hydia's song and all the darkness hidden between the lines of the lyrics and I LOVE the animation through out that whole song, like the end when Draggle swirls around and the flashing of magic lightening... just GAH!!!! #$^$&%$#$% -MIND EXPLODES-

Um..... ANYWAY, I didn't see it in theaters like I wanted, I know I got the sticker book and had stickers for it (I loved the smell of those stickers x.X  ) but we probably rented it before I watched it on the Disney Channel and then rented it in the early 90's from a video rental place called Showtime. I was so sad as a kid when I watched it on tv and I felt like it wasn't long enough XD

I loved the Phlume and Ahgg and DANNY. SPIKE. I love all the songs in it too T.T Man the bulling I had at school, when I would sing Licketysplit's song I felt like I wish I could run away from the hell I had in school =P

I have lots of merch from the movie poster, stickers, press kit, button/pin....

I'm manic...

I'm going to get Charlie Adler's signature tomorrow! YAY SPIKE!!

I'll have more about other things in the movie later....
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on March 29, 2018, 05:37:36 PM
Eh, its one of my favorites. And the first piece of G1 media I showed to my daughter and young cousins. Hydia, Reeka and Draggle have something ol Tirek doesn't. Personality and screentime. They also have some great lines and three fun songs. I like Nothing Can Stop the Smooze, Dirty Work and to a lesser extent Evil Like Me.

I fail to see why they're ragged on for being goofballs when, as mentioned before, kids shows are full of goofy villains, even today. And for a girl's toon, they did very well. They unleashed a magical, semi-sentient tsunami of instantly hardening goop that, implied, devastated the land and was something you definitely did not want to get caught in. If that crap swept you up in it, you'd be crushed and/or suffocate.

Care Bear's No Heart wasn't particularly threatening, especially with Bumbling henchman, Beastly and spoiled brat Shrieky.

Cobra Commander was a tantrum throwing maniac.

Doofensmirtz is hilarious and likeable.

It's a very rare cartoon villain that's actually hateable and legitimately threatening. They're not all going to be Unicron, or Fire Lord Ozai or Shan Yu.

I fail to see how there was a lack of focus Al. They introduced the ponies and villains, unleashed the Smooze, try to find Baby Lickety-Split and Spike, had to gather reinforcements and bring them back. Sent the villains packing. All diverging plot points got resolved. Sounds pretty focused to me.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on March 29, 2018, 05:46:58 PM
I watch MLP the movie sometimes, but not very often. I’m sure I watched it more growing up. A few years ago I bought the Shout Factory DVD.

Watching as an adult I think Buttons was too harsh on Baby Lickety Split. Yes, Baby Lickety Split ruined the dance and caused the other baby ponies to mess up but did the other adult ponies expect a flawless performance? I can understand why the other baby ponies would be upset with her though. I feel sorry for Spike. During “I’ll Go It Alone!” Baby Lickety steps on his tail and even places most of her weight on it while poor Spike squirms.  Baby Lickety Split also causes Spike to fall off the cliff when she tries to fly. I do think Baby Lickety acts selfish and self -centered during these scenes.
I always get a kick out of half the animals helping  Baby Lickety Split pack and the other half unpacking while she sings.


Why does Megan have the Rainbow of Light if she gave it to Baby Moondancer at the end of Escape from Catrina?

I like Morning Glory and the wishing well scene and how Morning Glory convinces Rosedust to help the Dream Valley ponies.

I do enjoy “Nothing Can Stop the Smooze” “What Good Will Wishing Do?” and “Home” Even as a child I wasn’t a big fan of “Always Another Rainbow” or  the  grumpy snoozed ponies.


Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Shatyr on March 29, 2018, 05:59:31 PM
And yay! Peter Cullen was in both movies. He voiced Augh the Spider.

He also voiced one of the Grundles! That's right, folks. Watch My Little Pony The Movie, hear Peter Cullen sing.

My fondest wish is to have the opening sequence of this movie done in the RaMC style. It was really well done, but the pony designs were a step backwards. More basic geometric shapes compared to RaMC and EfC.

I didn't realize there were two animation studios working on this picture. That actually explains some of the differences I noticed from time to time, often with the eyes. Flutter Valley and all the connected flower areas are some of my favorite. I still hear Fizzy in my head when I smell a nice floral scent, "Smells so sweet".

I will mention my confusion over going through that first flower area, then the barren cavern where Augh was waiting. Where did the flowers go? They ran back into a cave, but there was still no sign of flowers. And how were cattails growing in a cave? Don't they grow in open, watery areas? Y'know, with regular sunlight?

I'm of mixed opinions on Lickety-Split's arc. She "inspired" me to try running away from home twice (Mom didn't even realize, since I made it down to the other side of the apartment complex before realizing I didn't want to miss dinner). However, it's really obvious that she messed up. I mean, Spike even warned her she would mess up everyone else. She's stubborn to the point of potentially hurting herself and Spike. She only really starts turning around once Spike's tail gets smoozed and she realizes it really wouldn't have happened if not for her.

I'm probably reading too much into it, seeing how it's a child's movie from 32 years ago, but I can't help but notice that the major change happens after she helps rescue Morning Glory. She felt sorry for herself because her actions had brought Smooze upon them, but she started looking for ways to help after having had helped someone.

Ugh, can't quite find the way to explain it.

Lickety-Split was self-centered and proud, as we all are, until she helped someone and realized that helping felt better than being selfish. Does that make sense or am I really overthinking this? Curse those AP courses. Decades later and I'm still analyzing everything to death.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on March 29, 2018, 06:15:28 PM
I didn't know he voiced one of the grundles? :3

Glad dinner brought you back.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Shatyr on March 29, 2018, 06:41:06 PM
I didn't know he voiced one of the grundles? :3

Glad dinner brought you back.

Me too! I mentioned it to Mom last year, and she said she had no idea. I had packed up my "most precious" belongings in a toy suitcase, then marched my 8 year old self out of the townhouse and down the apartment complex. Then right back up the hill to unpack before dinner. Pulled that off twice before the toy suitcase fell apart. That was the last time I left home before graduating college.

I believe he voices the bigger Grundle, but he's definitely credited as a Grundle in the movie. I think he's the one who yells, "Hey, wait for Grundle!" Not many lines, but still. Frank Welker did one of the other Grundles and a Bushwoolie. Wonder if they remember that at all.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: tailrustedtealeaf on March 29, 2018, 06:54:40 PM
I do really wish more time was spent on the ponies. I don't care too much for the witches, and overall the movie does feel pretty weak.
I wish I could love it lots but I just...can't get past the plot skipping all over the place.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Khoufu on March 30, 2018, 12:50:25 AM
I can't stand Spike and Baby Lickety-Split's singing voices, especially Spike's. However, I love "Nothing Can Stop The Smooze". I found it to be an enjoyable movie as a kid and it's a staple of my G1 rewatching binge.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Shaz on March 30, 2018, 01:14:20 AM
Hmm, not really one of my favourite pieces of pony media. But I do like the songs "Evil Like Me" and "Nothing Can Stop the Smooze". And I am strangely fond of the Grundles, I don't know why.

It seemed so silly of the ponies to give away their beautiful Dream Castle. I mean, I know they had to because of Marketing, but in-universe it made no sense.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on March 30, 2018, 04:21:26 AM
I find it really interesting that the movie is not as exceptionally popular as maybe the multiple rereleases and attention it gets implies.

I never saw it as a kid. It's not that I didn't know about it. There were adverts in the comic and I had Shady, whose card in the UK is a big glorified advert for the movie - but I didn't even remember Shady's card growing up. I didn't like the cinema as a kid anyway, it was big and loud and dark and smelled of popcorn and that frightened me - so that may be the reason why. Also we moved house a few times in 1986-8 because of my Dad's job and that might have been part of it as well. But I never cared at all really. It was a total irrelevance to me. I remember begging and begging for Baby Lucky, and the Pony Club, and the fact file, and other things which I wasn't able to send off for or acquire - but I never ever once wanted the movie. I never even had it on VHS. I had four episodes which I loved, but never took too seriously because I thought the animation people didn't know enough about ponies to get the names right ;) (US names of course xD).

So when I did see the movie, I was older. Probably mid teens. I dunno. I don't think there's a lot in it I actually like that much. The only thing I do like is the smooze and the song that goes with it. It's iconic. I had a student in one of my classes back when I was a learning support assistant who was mad on G4, and who would tell me all about the new episodes when he learned I was a G1 pony fan. When the smooze appeared in G4 he went and found the G1 clip on youtube and played the song so it came up in discussion. I said to him, nothing can stop the smooze! And he looked right at me and said, "except the flutter ponies." So apparently it had a deeper effect on him as a G4 fan than it did on me as a G1 fan :)

I think the reason I don't like the movie isn't about the witches although they are annoying. It's about the characters. I hated how Magic Star, Gusty and Shady in particular were portrayed. I knew these characters well from the comic. Magic Star was a granter of wishes, magical, wise and sought for her advice and her skills. Gusty was the kind and compassionate ponyland nurse who looked after the baby ponies, and Shady was the abstract and out-of-the-box thinker, with her psychadelic glasses through which she saw many impossible things. In the movie Magic Star is boring, Gusty is bratty and Shady is morose and scared of things.

I wonder if that is the real reason I don't remember Shady's card. It didn't have a proper story and it just had a single sentence about her being lacking in confidence or something. That wasn't Shady to me so I probably disregarded it and any interest in the movie at that point.

I still feel this way about how those ponies are represented, so I haven't watched it in years and probably won't for many to come either.

As for Megan and her siblings, I never liked them much either. But here seems a good place to raise the mysterious Hasbro Sunbow animation coincidence surrounding Danny.

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This is a character called Danny from a 2 part ep of Jem called the Music Awards. He's a runaway and he gets some of Jerrica's girls in trouble when they run away too. He looks a lot like an older version of MLP Danny:
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So my head canon is that this is what happened when Danny hit puberty. He ran away, trying to avoid his annoying sisters and the horde of pastel ponies that kept disrupting his life. He ended up at the Halfway House in Los Angeles as a result ;)

Ok, so it's head canon. But the features and the name just make me wonder. Jem and MLP had a lot of cross-over cast and writing people during the eighties. It wouldn't surprise me if it was a subtle inside joke.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on March 30, 2018, 07:35:47 AM
As for Megan and her siblings, I never liked them much either. But here seems a good place to raise the mysterious Hasbro Sunbow animation coincidence surrounding Danny.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

This is a character called Danny from a 2 part ep of Jem called the Music Awards. He's a runaway and he gets some of Jerrica's girls in trouble when they run away too. He looks a lot like an older version of MLP Danny:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

So my head canon is that this is what happened when Danny hit puberty. He ran away, trying to avoid his annoying sisters and the horde of pastel ponies that kept disrupting his life. He ended up at the Halfway House in Los Angeles as a result ;)

Ok, so it's head canon. But the features and the name just make me wonder. Jem and MLP had a lot of cross-over cast and writing people during the eighties. It wouldn't surprise me if it was a subtle inside joke.

Wow, that is pretty uncanny!

But we need a way to tie in Daniel Witwicky from Transformers too.

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Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Shatyr on March 30, 2018, 08:42:29 AM
As for Megan and her siblings, I never liked them much either. But here seems a good place to raise the mysterious Hasbro Sunbow animation coincidence surrounding Danny.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

This is a character called Danny from a 2 part ep of Jem called the Music Awards. He's a runaway and he gets some of Jerrica's girls in trouble when they run away too. He looks a lot like an older version of MLP Danny:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

So my head canon is that this is what happened when Danny hit puberty. He ran away, trying to avoid his annoying sisters and the horde of pastel ponies that kept disrupting his life. He ended up at the Halfway House in Los Angeles as a result ;)

Ok, so it's head canon. But the features and the name just make me wonder. Jem and MLP had a lot of cross-over cast and writing people during the eighties. It wouldn't surprise me if it was a subtle inside joke.

Wow, that is pretty uncanny!

But we need a way to tie in Daniel Witwicky from Transformers too.

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Cousins, perhaps? Daniel is a family name. Danny was given the nickname as to differentiate between the two in family conversations. They get together at family reunions and Danny is always jealous of Daniel's talking car friends. Daniel, on the other hand, thinks being able to hang out with live dragons and wizards is pretty cool.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Lilja on March 30, 2018, 10:47:58 AM
In short I'd say the movie is a cynical, minimum effort, corporate, toy shilling piece of trash. It makes me sad, because this world and its characters meant so much to me and many others when we were kids. Being from the same writer as the previous two specials, I wonder if he just couldn't handle writing a full length movie, or if he was just fed up with all the mandates pushed on him by Hasbro.

On the positive side, the smooze is a pretty good concept for a threat, and feels fresh. Which is good since several parts of this plot seem rehashed from RaMC.

There is some dark stuff in this movie. It's implied the witches commited many a murders and genocide (having made the grundles go nearly extinct). However, they're so goofy you never really feel like they're a threat. I like that they are female, since these bumbling villain roles are often reserved for male characters. Still pretty bad stereotyped characterization. I like that their looks are unconventional, but it's too bad only evil girls get to be fat, have big noses etc. Hydia's design is especially great. Honestly I think they would've been more charming if they turned good, but kept liking gross stuff, similar to the Addams family. I don't buy them as the big time villains the movie/series want to portray them as.

The smooze song is indeed the highlight of the movie! I find it funny though that the witches get three songs, Baby Lickety-Split gets two, and apart from the MLP theme no other ponies get any songs.

I like the way Habbit acts in the Moochick scene. He is 100% done with everybody. He just wants to move the stupid plot along and get this trainwreck of a movie over with. :lol:

You can tell this was a movie made by two studios.  The parts animated by Toei is head and shoulders above the lion's share of the movie animated by AKOM.  You can really see it in the few segments with the ponies animated by Toei where the twinkle eyed ponies had beautiful gems in their eyes that actually twinkled.  Compared to AKOM who drew two concentric circles and colored in the space between them.  If only they were willing to give Toei the time and money needed to animated the movie completely.

Do you have an example of this? From what I've seen the twinkle eyes sometimes get more detailed in close up shots, but it's kind of inconsistent how they're drawn. None of the pony scenes look Toei animated to me. Many of the scenes with the witches on the other hand look to be animated by Toei. You can really notice the difference in style when they switch animation studios.

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Toei's characters are more well-drawn and the movement is more fluid. Akom's movement is more janky and their characters seem to have thinner/softer outlines. On the plus side, Akom did some great detailed backgrounds in this. Toei's backgrounds are often more simplified. I like Toei's style better, but I think Akom did an ok job with this movie compared to the TV animation they put out.

Why does Megan have the Rainbow of Light if she gave it to Baby Moondancer at the end of Escape from Catrina?

From a writing perspective, it's to give them an excuse to bring Megan and her siblings into the story. In "Escape from Catrina" it seemed like Megan only wore the locket on her visit as an honorary guest. She'd have no reason to bring it back home, especially since the ponies needed it to fight off all the threats they encountered. And in the end she gives it to Baby Lickety-Split and is all "The rainbow belongs here, with you ponies!". Like, duh?! Why did you take it from them to begin with??? It's just another indication that this movie was not very well thought out. :P
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on March 30, 2018, 11:26:06 PM
I agree. The ponies having to retrieve the Rainbow of Light from Megan makes no sense except as a way to bring Megan in to the story. I used to wonder if different people wrote each special and the movie as nothing seems consistent between them except the ponies having the Rainbow of Light, Spike living with the ponies after Rescue at Midnight Castle and Megan continuing to visit the ponies.

The Rainbow of Light should stay with the ponies. What use does Megan have for it outside of Ponyland?  Right after Megan gives Baby Lickety Split the Rainbow of Light it disappears from around her neck :lol:. And something else I just thought of, why did Megan give it to a baby pony? Wouldn't a full grown pony be more responsible?

This shot of Baby Lickety Split and Spike makes me laugh because Baby Lickety Split is so huge and drawn so badly.  :lol:

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I know the Moochick is supposed to be a little eccentric but why did he mistake Megan for a pony when she's obviously human? He didn't even seem surprised when she showed up in Rescue at Midnight Castle. If the flutter ponies can use utter flutter to get rid of Smooze why didn't the Grundle King ask them to remove the Smooze from Grundleland? (I know it was done so Hasbro could show the ponies continuing to live in Paradise Estate, but still...)

More of this when we get to "The End of Flutter Valley" but how did so many different flutter ponies suddenly turn in to only a few after the events of the movie?


Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: TJgamer on March 31, 2018, 01:42:00 AM
What a crazy mess of a movie this was.

Schizophrenic storytelling, annoying characters (particularly the Grundles  :pout: ), spastic animation and editing, and awful songs (save one or two).

I liked the Smooze, a few of the ponies, and I got a chuckle from the witches once in a while.
But other than that, definitely one of the worst pieces of media G1 had to offer.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Zapper on March 31, 2018, 03:09:18 AM
I'm just sad this movie could have been "Transformers The Movie" (minus the character deaths) but instead they chose to make it one long television episode. The animation looked like it had roughly the same budget.
I'm more disappointed by it than disliking it. At least it gave us the Smooze. And one day Lord Smooze will rise and reign again :lol:
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Al-1701 on March 31, 2018, 03:10:52 AM
It first order of business, kill the radioactive booger that dared to steal its name.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Zapper on March 31, 2018, 03:12:47 AM
It first order of business, kill the radioactive booger that dared to steal its name.

Yeah can we talk about that in here? I never understood why Smooze was green in FiM. It was Smooze in name only. Weird. In before "they lost the copyright to the color" lmao
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Lilja on March 31, 2018, 04:08:09 AM
I agree. The ponies having to retrieve the Rainbow of Light from Megan makes no sense except as a way to bring Megan in to the story. I used to wonder if different people wrote each special and the movie as nothing seems consistent between them except the ponies having the Rainbow of Light, Spike living with the ponies after Rescue at Midnight Castle and Megan continuing to visit the ponies.

And yet Midnight Castle, Catrina and the Movie were all written by the same person, George Arthur Bloom. He should've known it made no sense for Megan to have the rainbow, but probably went with it because he couldn't think of a better reason to bring Megan to Ponyland (could've had Megan be there beforehand as a guest for the sping festival, but that might have been too obvious a rehash of Escape from Catrina).

If the flutter ponies can use utter flutter to get rid of Smooze why didn't the Grundle King ask them to remove the Smooze from Grundleland? (I know it was done so Hasbro could show the ponies continuing to live in Paradise Estate, but still...)

Maybe too much time had passed for Grundle Kingdom to be de-smoozed. The grundles exist mainly for two reasons, to show how destructive the smooze can be, and to have a purpose for Dream Castle after the ponies have moved into Paradise Estate. Maybe a third reason is to have a character for Danny DeVito to voice.

Actually, celebrity voice acting is probably one reason the ponies are kind of pushed aside in their own movie. Celebrity voice characters get most of the songs. So why not give celebrity voices to the ponies? Well, the ponies aren't very distinctive. And the only viewers who care about the celebrity voices would be the parents, and they aren't going to be able to tell the ponies apart.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on March 31, 2018, 09:35:34 AM

This shot of Baby Lickety Split and Spike makes me laugh because Baby Lickety Split is so huge and drawn so badly.  :lol:

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Same.  :lol:

Celebrity voices seem so pointless to me.  Like, how many parents out there really thought, "Oh I wasn't going to see this, but DANNY DEVITO . . ."  LOL, no.  They go because their kids beg them.

I actually think most episodes of the TV series were better (plotwise) because they did focus more on the ponies.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on March 31, 2018, 09:56:18 AM

This shot of Baby Lickety Split and Spike makes me laugh because Baby Lickety Split is so huge and drawn so badly.  :lol:

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Same.  :lol:

Celebrity voices seem so pointless to me.  Like, how many parents out there really thought, "Oh I wasn't going to see this, but DANNY DEVITO . . ."  LOL, no.  They go because their kids beg them.

I actually think most episodes of the TV series were better (plotwise) because they did focus more on the ponies.

Having never seen the GI Joe movie, did they get celebrity actors for that too?
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on March 31, 2018, 10:09:49 AM
Yeah, they got the 'real' Sergeant Slaughter who was a WWE professional wrestler (playing himself . . . except also a Joe).  Although I would say that was a celebrity guest that actually made sense, since a lot of kids were fans of WWE and would know who he was.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on March 31, 2018, 01:03:13 PM
That’s a good point about Grundleland Spikethedragon. The flutter ponies were able to get remove the Smooze pretty quickly from Dream Valley and maybe it’s impossible to remove after a certain length of time.  Why did Hydia send Smooze to Grundleland? Was that ever explained?

Also, how long would poor Morning Glory been stuck in the well if Baby Lickety Split, the Grundles and Spike hadn’t stopped there? It took all of them to pull the bucket up with her in it although it takes several flutter ponies to fly Baby Lickety Split back to Dream Valley and in “The End of Flutter Valley  Morning says flutter ponies can’t carry humans.

Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on March 31, 2018, 02:32:19 PM
Yeah, they got the 'real' Sergeant Slaughter who was a WWE professional wrestler (playing himself . . . except also a Joe).  Although I would say that was a celebrity guest that actually made sense, since a lot of kids were fans of WWE and would know who he was.

Really? How cool. I remember when he guest starred on the Super Mario Bros Super Show.

Post Merge: March 31, 2018, 02:34:02 PM

That’s a good point about Grundleland Spikethedragon. The flutter ponies were able to get remove the Smooze pretty quickly from Dream Valley and maybe it’s impossible to remove after a certain length of time.  Why did Hydia send Smooze to Grundleland? Was that ever explained?

Also, how long would poor Morning Glory been stuck in the well if Baby Lickety Split, the Grundles and Spike hadn’t stopped there? It took all of them to pull the bucket up with her in it although it takes several flutter ponies to fly Baby Lickety Split back to Dream Valley and in “The End of Flutter Valley  Morning says flutter ponies can’t carry humans.

Ponyfan

Cuz she's a mean old lady.

Hopefully somebody would have found her. Though help help I'm down in the well woulda been my preferred words.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on March 31, 2018, 03:49:15 PM
Some things I did like about the movie:

Out of the fat and thin sidekicks (witches), the fat one was the smarter one, which is unusual.

And the wishing well 'echo' song.

Also Rosedust straight up refusing to help, although that's just because it makes me laugh and goes along so perfectly with how snooty and aloof the flutter pony toys look.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on March 31, 2018, 04:16:33 PM
Some things I did like about the movie:

Out of the fat and thin sidekicks (witches), the fat one was the smarter one, which is unusual.

And the wishing well 'echo' song.

Also Rosedust straight up refusing to help, although that's just because it makes me laugh and goes along so perfectly with how snooty and aloof the flutter pony toys look.

Now if only they had their noses in the air.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on March 31, 2018, 07:27:15 PM
The wishing well  scene/song and finding the flutter ponies are some of my favorite scenes too. :)  I'm amused by the fact that no one caught on that Morning Glory wasn't just an echo in the well when she sang "In here" instead of "inn near"  :)

Also all the things that are in the last drawer Baby Lickety Split dumps during "Ill Go it Alone"

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Where is she going to plug in the toaster?   :lol:

It's been quite a while since I've watched the film. I think it's time to rewatch it.


Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Broken Irishwoman on April 01, 2018, 03:07:43 AM
Now if only they had their noses in the air.

Some do. Pink Dreams, Wind Drifter, Wing Song... They look less aloof than the first wave of Flutters, though. XD

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Haha, this is exactly the shot I was talking about in the fakie thread, where I said that that one fakie reminded me of her. :P
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 01, 2018, 03:26:36 PM
I watched the movie earlier and my options about the movie remain the same. It had been so long since I’d seen it that I’d forgotten about the scene where the Grundles are trying to help Spike and Baby Lickety Split find Dream Castle.

Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Esbayne on April 01, 2018, 11:18:02 PM
I just watched this for the first time!

It was cute, but definitely not my fave pony movie.

I have to admit I  was almost waiting for Gusty to say "Don't have a cow, man" or something the whole movie, lol. Nancy Cartwright voices her and the voice she does for Gusty sounds exactly like Bart Simpson. It made me laugh how cynical she was being the whole time, really. Angsty little pony.

The songs were very cute, Baby Lickety Split was being so ornery though! Baby Lickety Split, chill!!

The movie did focus a bit too much on the witches and stuff though. More ponies!


Overall I thought it was very cute and a nice addition to the MLP movie/TV series but definitely not the best.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on April 02, 2018, 08:07:25 AM
I just watched this for the first time!

It was cute, but definitely not my fave pony movie.

I have to admit I  was almost waiting for Gusty to say "Don't have a cow, man" or something the whole movie, lol. Nancy Cartwright voices her and the voice she does for Gusty sounds exactly like Bart Simpson. It made me laugh how cynical she was being the whole time, really. Angsty little pony.

The songs were very cute, Baby Lickety Split was being so ornery though! Baby Lickety Split, chill!!

The movie did focus a bit too much on the witches and stuff though. More ponies!


Overall I thought it was very cute and a nice addition to the MLP movie/TV series but definitely not the best.

Haha yeah. Gusty is pretty ornery. Aye Carumba!
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Khoufu on April 02, 2018, 09:20:21 PM
I forgot about Gusty's voice! I wanted Gusty even more after hearing her voice.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Wildshadow on April 03, 2018, 01:36:45 PM
The wishing well  scene/song and finding the flutter ponies are some of my favorite scenes too. :)  I'm amused by the fact that no one caught on that Morning Glory wasn't just an echo in the well when she sang "In here" instead of "inn near"  :)

Also all the things that are in the last drawer Baby Lickety Split dumps during "Ill Go it Alone"

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Where is she going to plug in the toaster?   :lol:

It's been quite a while since I've watched the film. I think it's time to rewatch it.

Ponyfan

I love when she takes a out a lone feather to make it less heavy XD

My sister pointed out how she liked when Morning Glory was starting to get agitated in her responses to Licketysplit not getting that she's not an echo. =D

You can tell this was a movie made by two studios.  The parts animated by Toei is head and shoulders above the lion's share of the movie animated by AKOM.  You can really see it in the few segments with the ponies animated by Toei where the twinkle eyed ponies had beautiful gems in their eyes that actually twinkled.  Compared to AKOM who drew two concentric circles and colored in the space between them.  If only they were willing to give Toei the time and money needed to animated the movie completely.

Do you have an example of this? From what I've seen the twinkle eyes sometimes get more detailed in close up shots, but it's kind of inconsistent how they're drawn. None of the pony scenes look Toei animated to me. Many of the scenes with the witches on the other hand look to be animated by Toei. You can really notice the difference in style when they switch animation studios.

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Toei's characters are more well-drawn and the movement is more fluid. Akom's movement is more janky and their characters seem to have thinner/softer outlines. On the plus side, Akom did some great detailed backgrounds in this. Toei's backgrounds are often more simplified. I like Toei's style better, but I think Akom did an ok job with this movie compared to the TV animation they put out.


I knew unconsciously that some of the animation was off on some scenes but all this time I didn't realize two studios animated it XD

Oh well I still love the movie even with pointed out flaws in the story that I've read in this thread. I love all the songs and LOVE singing every one of them as I try to mimic the character's voices =P My favorite thing to do when re-watching the movie and such. AND talking along with them as well =P I love it so much T.T

For the longest time I didn't realize about Gusty's voice until much later, even with me watching a lot of Simpsons at the time, as a kid I watched a show talking about Nancy Cartwright and who she voiced and I was like 'I wish they would do an episode with some of the people that voiced the ponies." which I probably said aloud to my mom at the time, and then some time later I was watching Glass Princess and was 'Gusty sounds familiar!!!!!" and my kid mind was "duh!!! check the credits!" and low and behold I was shocked XD Yay dumb kid mind! =P
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on April 03, 2018, 02:09:38 PM
Now if only they had their noses in the air.

Some do. Pink Dreams, Wind Drifter, Wing Song... They look less aloof than the first wave of Flutters, though. XD

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Haha, this is exactly the shot I was talking about in the fakie thread, where I said that that one fakie reminded me of her. :P

Please, post a picture of that fakie.  :P

Oh, thinking back to that scene with Morning Glory and the wishing well . . . Who else noticed the awkward cut off to that scene?  Morning Glory says something like:

"I'll take you to Flutter Valle--" and she gets out a SMIDGE of the ending "ee" sound of 'valley' before being cut-off, obviously mid-sentence.  Just terrible editing.  I think this happens in another scene too but I can't recall which.  Possibly the one where North Star is watching the Smooze from the roof?

The scenes where the TE pony eyes twinkle were IMO corporate mandate to sell the audience on the gimmick, not the animators going the extra mile of their own volition. Kind of like how the plot revolves around the flutter ponies fluttering their wings which, coincidence of coincidences, just happens to be the gimmick of the flutter ponies.

(Except then it turned out the actual gimmick of the flutter ponies was for their wings to very quickly break off, ha ha.)
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Esbayne on April 03, 2018, 02:15:49 PM
Oh, thinking back to that scene with Morning Glory and the wishing well . . . Who else noticed the awkward cut off to that scene?  Morning Glory says something like:

"I'll take you to Flutter Valle--" and she gets out a SMIDGE of the ending "ee" sound of 'valley' before being cut-off, obviously mid-sentence.  Just terrible editing.  I think this happens in another scene too but I can't recall which.  Possibly the one where North Star is watching the Smooze from the roof?

Omg I noticed that too! There was also one scene it cut to that was like 15 seconds long if that and it went back to the other guys. It kind of made me laugh because I think how it went was Bad guys scene, 15 second scene of ponies traversing some dangerous trail and someone got cut off at the end of their sentence, bad guy scene again. Made me chuckle because I had already noticed by that point that oddly the ponies were not getting as much screen time as everyone else.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 04, 2018, 01:22:58 AM

I love when she takes a out a lone feather to make it less heavy XD

My sister pointed out how she liked when Morning Glory was starting to get agitated in her responses to Licketysplit not getting that she's not an echo. =D

For the longest time I didn't realize about Gusty's voice until much later, even with me watching a lot of Simpsons at the time, as a kid I watched a show talking about Nancy Cartwright and who she voiced and I was like 'I wish they would do an episode with some of the people that voiced the ponies." which I probably said aloud to my mom at the time, and then some time later I was watching Glass Princess and was 'Gusty sounds familiar!!!!!" and my kid mind was "duh!!! check the credits!" and low and behold I was shocked XD Yay dumb kid mind! =P

I noticed that recently as well. If you listen closely you can really hear how Morning Glory's voice changes in the last few lines. She's probably getting more desperate to get Baby Lickety Split, Spike and the Grundles to realize she's stuck in the well. 

Rewatching the movie the other night I noticed a lot of strange cuts and fade outs. There's one right after Gusty tried to rescue the bushwoolies  and they get smoozed. There's  a sudden a fade out to black and then the next scene shows them covered in smooze.

There's also a quick cut back to the witches afer Buttons yells "To the roof!"  and then all of the ponies left at Paradise Estate are shown on the roof.

I was beginning to wonder if Hasbro did so many fade outs to black to make room for commerical breaks  even this was a theatrical release.  :lol:

Russi Taylor, the voice of the 80's animated Strawberry Shortcake also does the voices for Morning Glory and Rosedust. Sometimes I can hear Strawberry Shortcake in Morning Glory's voice.

I think I like Morning Glory better in MLP the movie than I do in "The End of Flutter Vallley"


Ponyfan





 
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Al-1701 on April 04, 2018, 02:15:26 AM
When the TE ponies have actual gem eyes with the twinkling, you can also tell the animation in general has better quality.  Really, it's like Toei was halfway done with the movie and they suddenly decided to take it over to Korea to have AKOM do the rest because they could do it faster and cheaper.  The parts animated by AKOM were also where you were more likely to see coloring errors or wrong lips moving.

Really, this was a movie that needed more time at every aspect from script to animation.  However, it was the precursor to the series, so it had to come out that summer.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Broken Irishwoman on April 04, 2018, 06:01:58 AM
Please, post a picture of that fakie.  :P

From the fakie thread:

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 :lol:
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on April 04, 2018, 06:42:07 AM
WOW, she is a dead ringer!   :happy:
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Lilja on April 04, 2018, 06:52:57 AM
When the TE ponies have actual gem eyes with the twinkling, you can also tell the animation in general has better quality.  Really, it's like Toei was halfway done with the movie and they suddenly decided to take it over to Korea to have AKOM do the rest because they could do it faster and cheaper.  The parts animated by AKOM were also where you were more likely to see coloring errors or wrong lips moving.

I can kind of see what you mean. For example at the near end, right after Sweet Stuff has been de-smoozed, the close up-shot where Molly hugs her and her eye sparkles looks very good, almost out of place with the rest. However, I still think Akom animated that. It just happens to be one of their better shots (and there's very little movement there, so not much to mess up on). Everything before and after that shot has the Akom look, and I doubt they would have Toei step in to do just that one shot in the middle of a longer sequence.

I'm still of the opinion that Toei only did the witches' scenes. Akom animated the witches only when they were in scenes together with the ponies, and it's in those scenes it becomes apparent that the animation studio has switched. Not just in the way the witches are drawn, but also how the movement looks. That might have been a deliberate choice, because it was deemed more important that the ponies looked "consistent" than the witches. In the "Nothing can stop the Smooze" song sequence, which I'm very sure is animated by Toei, you strangely barely see any ponies. You mostly see animals and bushwoolies fleeing from the smooze. You do get a few brief glimpses of ponies, like Lofty saving a rabbit at the end. I do think they kind of differ from what they look like in the rest of the movie

Not the best comparison, but:
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Also note Akom's thinner/softer outlines are still very visible here. It kind of looks like they used brown outlines, while Toei's are black. The Lofty on the right also reminds me more of how the ponies looked in Escape from Catrina.

(I feel like I'm entering dangerously high nerd levels here, but I love animation! Especially the Toei-animated MLP stuff! :lol:)
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 04, 2018, 07:20:07 AM
Another thing I like is that when the flutter ponies fly they move their legs and not just their wings. I guess it helps them maintain the momentum to fly since they’re so small.


Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on April 04, 2018, 01:04:55 PM
I genuinely didn't know Toei were involved in this. Having had to study more than my fair share of their film stuff, that's oddly appropriate.

I also never thought about the fact that many of the ponies get sidelined from a film that is essentially meant to market them (although maybe not so much in the US as the UK and Europe, I mean, they actively made certain characters here to go alongside the movie release because they didn't already exist). If I am right that MLP did not air on TV in the UK, the movie would've been the big media explosee of the characters - but those ponies are pretty common all the same. I can only think it's down to the comic and the really vivid artwork on the cards rather than the movie...which let the ponies down wholesale.

MIND YOU. I am imagining the next one of these threads will be End of FV. And in comparison to that, the Movie is amazing ><.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on April 04, 2018, 01:09:00 PM
I genuinely didn't know Toei were involved in this. Having had to study more than my fair share of their film stuff, that's oddly appropriate.

I also never thought about the fact that many of the ponies get sidelined from a film that is essentially meant to market them (although maybe not so much in the US as the UK and Europe, I mean, they actively made certain characters here to go alongside the movie release because they didn't already exist). If I am right that MLP did not air on TV in the UK, the movie would've been the big media explosee of the characters - but those ponies are pretty common all the same. I can only think it's down to the comic and the really vivid artwork on the cards rather than the movie...which let the ponies down wholesale.

MIND YOU. I am imagining the next one of these threads will be End of FV. And in comparison to that, the Movie is amazing ><.


Ooh. I'm not looking forward to that. It dragged on and on and ooooonnn... :hot:
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on April 04, 2018, 01:12:21 PM
I genuinely didn't know Toei were involved in this. Having had to study more than my fair share of their film stuff, that's oddly appropriate.

I also never thought about the fact that many of the ponies get sidelined from a film that is essentially meant to market them (although maybe not so much in the US as the UK and Europe, I mean, they actively made certain characters here to go alongside the movie release because they didn't already exist). If I am right that MLP did not air on TV in the UK, the movie would've been the big media explosee of the characters - but those ponies are pretty common all the same. I can only think it's down to the comic and the really vivid artwork on the cards rather than the movie...which let the ponies down wholesale.

MIND YOU. I am imagining the next one of these threads will be End of FV. And in comparison to that, the Movie is amazing ><.


Ooh. I'm not looking forward to that. It dragged on and on and ooooonnn... :hot:

Ironic for a film with 'end' in the title, as it seemed to never end.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 04, 2018, 01:16:57 PM
I’m looking forward to the “End of Flutter Valley” dicussion just because I have so much to say about it, but most of it won’t  be positive.  :lol:

Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on April 04, 2018, 01:17:06 PM
I genuinely didn't know Toei were involved in this. Having had to study more than my fair share of their film stuff, that's oddly appropriate.

I also never thought about the fact that many of the ponies get sidelined from a film that is essentially meant to market them (although maybe not so much in the US as the UK and Europe, I mean, they actively made certain characters here to go alongside the movie release because they didn't already exist). If I am right that MLP did not air on TV in the UK, the movie would've been the big media explosee of the characters - but those ponies are pretty common all the same. I can only think it's down to the comic and the really vivid artwork on the cards rather than the movie...which let the ponies down wholesale.

MIND YOU. I am imagining the next one of these threads will be End of FV. And in comparison to that, the Movie is amazing ><.


Ooh. I'm not looking forward to that. It dragged on and on and ooooonnn... :hot:

Ironic for a film with 'end' in the title, as it seemed to never end.

 Tell me about it.

*raises hand* Bekuno,  are we eventually gonna do Tales too? Or is this just MLP n Friends.

Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on April 04, 2018, 01:20:05 PM
I’m looking forward to the “End of Flutter Valley” dicussion just because I have so much to say about it, but most of it won’t  be positive.  :lol:

Ponyfan

I literally remember nothing about the plot, except that it went round in more repetitive cycles than your average Korean drama...

Oh, I remember it had something to do with a sunstone. I think that's it.

I really hope we get to do MLP Tales O.o. I would so re-watch those for that discussion.

Also looking forward to my childhood episodes that I watched to death, Ice Cream Wars and Revolt of PE...
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 04, 2018, 01:30:09 PM
There’s one part where all of the main characters are captured and they escape only to get recaptured at the end of that part.

I also hope we get to do Tales discussions. :)


Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Wildshadow on April 04, 2018, 01:50:53 PM
Also looking forward to my childhood episodes that I watched to death, Ice Cream Wars and Revolt of PE...

It's funny that I never seen Ice Cream Wars until early 2000's, so I don't get the nostalgic feeling from it XD

I guess I'm going to be the only one that enjoys The End Of Flutter Valley...
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 04, 2018, 02:26:00 PM
I enjoy Morning Glory and Sting’s interactions in “The End of Flutter Valley” :)

Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on April 04, 2018, 03:00:05 PM
I just remember the flutter ponies getting caught and escaping and getting caught about a million times.  :P
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on April 04, 2018, 03:38:09 PM
I just remember the flutter ponies getting caught and escaping and getting caught about a million times.  :P

I think that's all most of us remember. That and the furbobs.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Al-1701 on April 04, 2018, 04:22:34 PM
Furbobs.  Interesting they were almost ready to hit store shelves and then shoved into a deep dark place to never seen the light of the day.  I wonder if their introduction in the series was so terrible they figured they'd never sell.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on April 04, 2018, 04:28:44 PM
Furbobs.  Interesting they were almost ready to hit store shelves and then shoved into a deep dark place to never seen the light of the day.  I wonder if their introduction in the series was so terrible they figured they'd never sell.

Really. Thank goodness we were spared that.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 04, 2018, 05:34:13 PM
I wish we’d gotten the Flutter Pony Hideaway.


Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on April 04, 2018, 05:59:47 PM
I wish we’d gotten the Flutter Pony Hideaway.


Ponyfan

Me too.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on April 04, 2018, 08:48:40 PM
I feel like the reason furbobs didn't get toys was simply Hasbro wanting to redo the packaging and save some $$$ on the 2nd set of princesses.  IIRC they come in a smaller box than the first set, and have a royal barrette--much smaller than a damsel hat.

I really doubt anyone at Hasbro even watched the cartoons, tbh.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on April 05, 2018, 01:42:24 AM
I haven't ever had a US Princess box from the first set, but I have seen variant princesses in those boxes at Ponycon and I think you are right, I'm pretty sure the second set boxes (which I do have) are much smaller. The UK first set boxes are also bigger than the second set ones, which makes sense too.

It's also interesting that the first set were sold here in the UK with dragons, also in Italy and probably scandinavia? and in the US and Canada with Bushwoolies, but in some other countries, like France and I think Germany, they were sold on cards without either dragon or bushwoolie. The style of that card indicates they came out in 1988 in those places, at the same time as the 2nd set were out in the US, so it looks like a whole lot of saving happened overall, not just with that one set release.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Khoufu on April 05, 2018, 12:49:43 PM
At least the Bushwoolies came with little crowns like the episode about the Quest of the Princess Ponies. I would have preferred the dragons here though.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on April 05, 2018, 01:00:46 PM
At least the Bushwoolies came with little crowns like the episode about the Quest of the Princess Ponies. I would have preferred the dragons here though.

More likely the whole story of that episode was constructed to explain why the toys had crowns. I am a cynic. :)

Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on April 05, 2018, 07:05:40 PM
At least the Bushwoolies came with little crowns like the episode about the Quest of the Princess Ponies. I would have preferred the dragons here though.

More likely the whole story of that episode was constructed to explain why the toys had crowns. I am a cynic. :)



LOL . . . I agree.   Pretty sure in the 80s the toys were always designed first, then the writers were expected to come up with a rationalization within the show.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on April 06, 2018, 01:22:13 AM
At least the Bushwoolies came with little crowns like the episode about the Quest of the Princess Ponies. I would have preferred the dragons here though.

More likely the whole story of that episode was constructed to explain why the toys had crowns. I am a cynic. :)



LOL . . . I agree.   Pretty sure in the 80s the toys were always designed first, then the writers were expected to come up with a rationalization within the show.

Yes. Having seen how many unnecessary costume changes Glitter and Gold the Jem ep has, not to mention the sudden appearance of the Glitter n Gold Roadster and Jem in her GnG outfit...not to mention that Clash suddenly appears with long purple hair the moment the doll comes out with long purple hair instead of red/aqua rats tails...then you know that it's all being driven by the marketing dept.

Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 07, 2018, 02:31:58 PM
Will we see the “End of Flutter Valley dicussion soon? :)


Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Al-1701 on April 07, 2018, 02:41:55 PM
Will we see the “End of Flutter Valley dicussion soon? :)


Ponyfan
Do we really have to?  Can't we pretend they didn't throw a sixth of the episodes they ordered in a dumpster and light them on fire?
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Bekuno on April 08, 2018, 09:04:06 AM
Will we see the “End of Flutter Valley dicussion soon? :)


Ponyfan

Yes, I just haven't had the time to sit down and watch it. My life is a mess right now...

I may just copy the summary for My Little Wiki to save me some time.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Leave a Whisper on April 08, 2018, 10:35:12 AM
Will we see the “End of Flutter Valley dicussion soon? :)


Ponyfan

Yes, I just haven't had the time to sit down and watch it. My life is a mess right now...

I may just copy the summary for My Little Wiki to save me some time.

Hope things get better or settle down soon Bekuno.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Ponyfan on April 08, 2018, 10:46:07 AM
Will we see the “End of Flutter Valley dicussion soon? :)


Ponyfan

Yes, I just haven't had the time to sit down and watch it. My life is a mess right now...

I may just copy the summary for My Little Wiki to save me some time.


No worries Bekuno. Real life comes first.


Ponyfan
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Al-1701 on April 08, 2018, 11:03:10 AM
The End of Flutter Valley.

Summary: Nothing happens.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Khoufu on April 08, 2018, 11:39:48 AM
Ugh too true. I preferred having the TV off while folding clothes when I tried watching that a couple years ago. Somehow I sat through the whole thing this year but remains just enough to know I made it to the end and that's it.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: LadyMoondancer on April 08, 2018, 01:03:16 PM
The End of Flutter Valley.

Summary: Nothing happens.

It's funny because it's true.
Title: Re: G1 Media Retrospective: My Little Pony: The Movie
Post by: Taffeta on April 08, 2018, 03:05:35 PM
The End of Flutter Valley.

Summary: Nothing happens.

It's funny because it's true.

Also, The title is false advertising. Nothing ends. Including the series >.>
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