DHX hit with major data breach (beware of spoilers)

[Leave a Whisper]

I also really like the second Rarity design.  But I am also sad that it looks like we will be getting the same characters again.  I've been afraid of that for some time.  I'm afraid that from now on, these are the ponies that are always going to be the face of MLP.

Oh well. At least I can focus on the gens closest to my heart, since Hasbro won't do anything new or interesting.

[Mana Minori]

I also really like the second Rarity design.  But I am also sad that it looks like we will be getting the same characters again.  I've been afraid of that for some time.  I'm afraid that from now on, these are the ponies that are always going to be the face of MLP.

what a major missed opportunity, imo. It breaks my heart that we won't be seeing faces from gens 1-3 as the main cast of gen 5. I can already say that if these concept designs are finalized, I won't be eager to add to my collection anytime soon, especially with the same characters.

[sd_dreamcrystal]

Looking at that list... why are they all still  the current cast? That was my first thought...
Though seeing all the designs if I had to pick which direction in art style.. Well let me sum it up

I really don't like most of these designs/art styles
Really I could live with the 1st and 2nd redesigns... except for Pinkie and RD in the first redesign
I like some of the concepts with the 3rd redesign but really I only like Pink and RD there but I like that the Unicorns have more of the elements of what some think of Unicorns
as for the 4th... NO FLAT FACES PLEASE!
5th.... eh maybe Twilight but not the others
Last row is a no too

So pretty much for me it's a mix but I'm leaning more towards the first 3 concept design rows...

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

I looked at the rest of the stuff from this leak and while I really hope they don't just rehash the Mane 6 for G5 (kinda have a feeling that'll be the case since all of the leaked stuff continues with this), this Fluttershy in the leak is pretty cute:

Spoiler

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[sd_dreamcrystal]

I looked at the rest of the stuff from this leak and while I really hope they don't just rehash the Mane 6 for G5 (kinda have a feeling that'll be the case since all of the leaked stuff continues with this), this Fluttershy in the leak is pretty cute:

Spoiler

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She's cute but I'm not a fan of her horn... it doesn't really seem to... fit

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

I looked at the rest of the stuff from this leak and while I really hope they don't just rehash the Mane 6 for G5 (kinda have a feeling that'll be the case since all of the leaked stuff continues with this), this Fluttershy in the leak is pretty cute:

Spoiler

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She's cute but I'm not a fan of her horn... it doesn't really seem to... fit

It is a tad too large. Longer horns are pretty but I think they can certainly shrink it down a little bit. I just really love the pose and facial expression here a lot (and the flowers in her hair). I want them to keep this artwork and just make it... not Fluttershy.

[sd_dreamcrystal]

I looked at the rest of the stuff from this leak and while I really hope they don't just rehash the Mane 6 for G5 (kinda have a feeling that'll be the case since all of the leaked stuff continues with this), this Fluttershy in the leak is pretty cute:

Spoiler

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She's cute but I'm not a fan of her horn... it doesn't really seem to... fit

It is a tad too large. Longer horns are pretty but I think they can certainly shrink it down a little bit. I just really love the pose and facial expression here a lot (and the flowers in her hair). I want them to keep this artwork and just make it... not Fluttershy.

I think it's more of the color and style of the horn that bothers me But O do like elements from all 3 of those designs

[Dragonflitter]

Oooo new G5 concept art! I really like the idea of Pinkie with wings. I can totally see why they'd want to make that switch, she would be super fun to animate with the ability to flit all over the place and hover upside down and other general craziness lol.

Remember the G5 show is going to be CGI, so even if these concepts were anything like the final designs we'll see, it's not going to look like this in the show, anyway. Let's just hope they don't look like the CGI G3 commercials.

To be honest, though, seeing the full exact same cast for G5 makes me a little doubtful about the authenticity of these pics. Could someone have seen all the hype with the initial breach and done up some fake concepts to get more attention going? I mean, these concepts aren't really that different at all from their G4 designs, other than some species change.

Pinkie still has the bubble-hair and Rainbow still has the lightning hair and the confident smirk, for most of the designs. Rarity still looks elegant. Seems to imply their personalities haven't changed at all from G4 (and we all know how extreme their personalities changed from G3 to G4.) Heck, in 5 of the 6 concepts, AJ still has red ties in her mane and tail!

And didn't the leak talk about an idea of AJ being a city girl born on the wrong side of the tracks? None of these concepts really imply that. With the traditional horse coloring and the braids in her mane and tail, she looks more like a 'farm pony' than ever.

These look less like concept art for a new show, and more like when fanartists draw "my interpretation of the Mane 6." I'm not saying this is the case, these probably are legitimate. It just strikes me as weird that they would do a reset of the show and keep so much the same.

[Leave a Whisper]

I looked at the rest of the stuff from this leak and while I really hope they don't just rehash the Mane 6 for G5 (kinda have a feeling that'll be the case since all of the leaked stuff continues with this), this Fluttershy in the leak is pretty cute:

Spoiler

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Where is her nose?    I swear I've seen that expression before? Ugh! Head is still too round, neck doesn't look right. The legs, barrel, fetlocks and hocks are alright. Bit too low to the ground.

[KarentheUnicorn]

As much as most of us long time collectors dislike the whole concept of 6 ponies to rule them all, i do have a hard time seeing hasbro and the cartoon abandoning that right up front. Theyve invested way to much into the recognizable characters at this point to totally be bold and really change it.

As a toy collector its boring, but for a company its cheap and safe.

And if they are considering this change im thinking they want to try to inovate the toy line but they dont want to get to far away from what has been sucessful.

They're not exactly going bold...theyre changing it just enough to potentially pull in new fans while still keeping it close enough to FIM to keep the masses relatively happy.

[Wardah]

And didn't the leak talk about an idea of AJ being a city girl born on the wrong side of the tracks? None of these concepts really imply that. With the traditional horse coloring and the braids in her mane and tail, she looks more like a 'farm pony' than ever.

They ditched the hat so now she looks less country (And now they won't hear "where's her hat?" a million times) I guess I feel a bit of a Katniss vibe with her now.

As much as most of us long time collectors dislike the whole concept of 6 ponies to rule them all, i do have a hard time seeing hasbro and the cartoon abandoning that right up front. Theyve invested way to much into the recognizable characters at this point to totally be bold and really change it.

As a toy collector its boring, but for a company its cheap and safe.

And if they are considering this change im thinking they want to try to inovate the toy line but they dont want to get to far away from what has been sucessful.

They're not exactly going bold...theyre changing it just enough to potentially pull in new fans while still keeping it close enough to FIM to keep the masses relatively happy.

For me it doesn't matter if they are the same characters it just matters what they do with them. I just want the show to have good characterization and plots and for the toys to look good and for them to expand beyond the main cast.

[Mana Minori]

As much as most of us long time collectors dislike the whole concept of 6 ponies to rule them all, i do have a hard time seeing hasbro and the cartoon abandoning that right up front. Theyve invested way to much into the recognizable characters at this point to totally be bold and really change it.

As a toy collector its boring, but for a company its cheap and safe.

And if they are considering this change im thinking they want to try to inovate the toy line but they dont want to get to far away from what has been sucessful.

They're not exactly going bold...theyre changing it just enough to potentially pull in new fans while still keeping it close enough to FIM to keep the masses relatively happy.

I don't get it. For well over 30 years, Hasbro has always, ALWAYS switched up the ponies. MLP N' Friends had a different cast than g1, g2 had a different cast, g3 had a different cast, and g4 has a semi-different cast. To outright keep the same characters that g4 had IS new for them, and I can't see how thisis going to help their merch sales, when they've already done every gimmick under the sun for the mane6 of g4. switching some horns and wings around on the same characters, I can't see making a difference. No kid is going to want millions of copies of the same characters, with different gimmicks and parts.

[Wardah]

As much as most of us long time collectors dislike the whole concept of 6 ponies to rule them all, i do have a hard time seeing hasbro and the cartoon abandoning that right up front. Theyve invested way to much into the recognizable characters at this point to totally be bold and really change it.

As a toy collector its boring, but for a company its cheap and safe.

And if they are considering this change im thinking they want to try to inovate the toy line but they dont want to get to far away from what has been sucessful.

They're not exactly going bold...theyre changing it just enough to potentially pull in new fans while still keeping it close enough to FIM to keep the masses relatively happy.

I don't get it. For well over 30 years, Hasbro has always, ALWAYS switched up the ponies. MLP N' Friends had a different cast than g1, g2 had a different cast, g3 had a different cast, and g4 has a semi-different cast. To outright keep the same characters that g4 had IS new for them, and I can't see how thisis going to help their merch sales, when they've already done every gimmick under the sun for the mane6 of g4. switching some horns and wings around on the same characters, I can't see making a difference. No kid is going to want millions of copies of the same characters, with different gimmicks and parts.

It might be new for MLP but it's business as usual for Transformers. Switching parts around might not make much difference but I think as long as these have a new aesthetic they will get new fans. The new Equestria Girls dolls are the same Mane 6 characters but they been flying off the shelves.

[Minty_Magic]

I've been following the leaks for a while now but haven't really said much about them so far. I'm hoping a lot will change before the settle on any designs, but honestly with the new wave of leaks it looks like they're pretty set on a few aspects of it.
Mostly, I'm really disappointed we aren't getting new characters. Like, at all. Changing the species of half the cast and not much else doesn't really count as a whole new generation imo. It's hardly even a reboot, the concept art really makes it look like they have pretty similar personalities to the ones they have now. I get why Hasbro want's a recognizable cast of characters, but with most of these "redesigns" what was the point of even touching the current ones? They're hardly different, I think this is more confusing to fans and kids alike than say, G3 and G4 Rainbow Dash. Even though they have similar colors, they're totally different characters.
As far as the new leak goes, I'm really fond of the art style in the second row of the most recent leaked image as well as the 3rd and 4th rows. I adore the new Applejack designs and furry feet across all of them! I found some interesting images that appear to be part of the leak on a less reputable pony site, but based on what we've seen so far they appear to match the current trends and I think they're probably legitimate. They bring up some more interesting concepts if they are real!

Spoiler

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In this one it looks like they were throwing around some different style ideas. I adore the 1st row, but unfortunately it sounds like they plan to go with either style 9 or 10, which I personally think look the worst. At least they have snouts again?
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I'm not a fan of the art style in this one, but it raises an interesting idea. Will magic no longer be limited to just unicorns? It looks like the earth ponies may have like, "magical girl" markings that allow them to use magic as well? I would love to see magic being used by all types of ponies honestly.
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There's nothing too new in this one. I just really adore the style this one is in and kind of wish the reboot could go with a less cutesy look and more more traditional, elegant, magical horse look!

[Dragonflitter]

Warning: Long post--ahoy!

Okay, so I went to the place where they post the leaks and dug around for a few hours. (I dunno if we're allowed to say the name of the site here, so I won't). Suffice to say, my suggestion is to stay away if you're not used to that place...there's a lot of bile and very, very toxic talk that goes on there. It's not all bad, but...it's bad enough that I'm not going to go back and read any more. (Like, someone posted an e-mail from Meghan McCarthy where she's suggesting a black actress to be the new VA of Applejack and... the reactions in the comments just made me sick.)

And of course, like all places with 'mature' conversations, there's already multiple calls to mobilize together and boycott the new movie and new show so we can all "ruin Hasbro." -eye roll-

Although one sane person did post this, which I found refreshing: "Meghan is level-headed and trying to make all these changes work, and is pissed at Hasbro for trying to rush her with unrealistic times, knowing that rushing will make something inherently inferior. Honestly, these leaks gave me more respect for her. For all of our criticism about her choices, she's TRYING to give us something good in the end, at the very least. Meanwhile, Hasbro is so up its own butt analyzing competitor product timelines and consumer data that they're flipping over their pony staff instead of focusing on making a quality product with what they already have. In light of this, how often do you think we rag on the wrong people entirely for problems with MLP?"

Also some are theorizing that these leaks are all being done on purpose so that they can see how the fans will react before they make an official announcement.

But anyway... what I basically realized from reading all the leaked information is exactly what Minty_Magic is saying. This is not really G5. Not the way that we understand it, the way we think of previous gens. This is literally going to be a reboot of G4.

It seems to me like it's similar to how so many movies get rebooted these days. Like the first Spider-Man trilogy, the Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2, and then Spider-Man Homecoming. Same basic plot, same basic characters, just a reimagined story.

I mean, technically, when we say G1, G2, G3, etc we're talking about the toyline, not any of the cartoons. We coined G3.5 when Hasbro changed the molds for G3 toys. We did the same for G4.5. But we don't refer to MLP Tales as G1.5. So this reboot isn't G5--but the toys that will come from this reboot will be G5 toys. ...Which means we will probably end up calling the show G5, too.


Here's most of the images I found on my search, minus the ones Minty_Magic just posted. And I left out all the posted emails from the show's team because I'm not comfortable sharing their private email addresses to the general public.

Some new series info:

Spoiler

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Pics from the 'visual brand' document that got leaked:

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(I like the "real horseyness" line lol)

More G5 concept art:

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Upcoming EG stuff:

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(From the emails, apparently the 'choose your own adventure' are going to be youtube videos. Click on the video to choose your own ending to the EG episode, I guess? I think that's a cute idea.)