My Little Pony the Movie on Discovery Family

[LadyMoondancer]

I disagree on kids today being "bubblewrapped."  Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, and Avatar: The Last Airbender all have plenty of action / conflicts and are muuuch more sophisticated than any 80s cartoon I can think of.

I think it's less the idea that kids should be bubblewrapped and more this idea that if a show for LITTLE GIRLS has conflict then they will sob in terror because LITTLE GIRLS are such weak, fragile things. 

This attitude is nothing new, it was definitely around in the 80s.  Compare MLP: The Movie where Firefly and the other old cast members mysteriously disappeared versus the 1986 Transformers movie where the old cast members were brutally gunned down on screen.  Or the MLP movie having three bumbling witches who get most of their spells wrong while the TF movie got a demonic-looking, planet-eating monster.

[ladybastilla]

Quoting myself here:

...the two things (bubblewrapped kids and social media) are bound to create an artistic landscape where children--especially girls--are going to get shielded...

While we may not match in delivery, I think we agree on the overall point here. And yes, it was around in the 80s. It's been around for a long, long time and will likely persist for a long time yet.

Avatar was very well done and is very sophisticated, almost anime quality. (Which is another subject I meant to cover and didn't.) I haven't seen the other two shows listed so I can't comment on them.

I wonder how people--kids, parents, even Bronies--are going to react to the G1 movie. I just saw it myself a couple weeks ago and for the most part I enjoyed it. (Exception: Lickety-Split's singing. My ears are almost twitching in horror as a type this...) On top of any ethics questions, there is also the very real fact that not everyone will be coming at this from a nostalgia standpoint. Will kids like the presentation of the movie and be able to get into it? Will Bronies be able to get past technical limitations of the medium at the time the movie was produced?

I hope that when this happens that we will all have an interesting discussion about it. I don't get Discovery Kids, but I'd certainly be up for watching the movie again if that's going to be the case. Figuring out how I'm going to see the new MLP episodes is going to be my challenge. Will they be sold on iTunes or something?

As for whether the G1 cartoon should air, I'd love to see that happen. I'm planning to buy the box set that was released, but having it air would allow even more people to see it. And that would encourage more of us to actively discuss it.

[LadyMoondancer]

Well, I should have read more carefully--I'm sort of skimming while at work.   But yes, it sounds like we're on the same page.

I wonder how the movie will be received too. 

[princessluna11706]

I saw the commercial today and thought it was awesome that G1 is getting some airtime for the first time in ages.  The kids will be able to watch it and hopefully enjoy it!

This makes me think back the the Q&A panel with Hasbro at the 25th anniversary Fair. We were asking why the G3 cartoons didn't have any action or bad guys. Hasbro said that they showed the original cartoons to a test group of moms (of target aged kids). Hasbro claims the moms said that those cartoons were "too scary" for their kids. I can't help wondering if Hasbro still believes that the G1 cartoons are still "too scary" for today's kids. If so... UUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sailorstitch

I was there too!  I remember hearing that and shaking my head..

[scarletjul]

  I can't wait! 

[egyptiondragon]

sounds like a great chance to show it to some of my brony friends.

[sailorstitch]

I disagree on kids today being "bubblewrapped."  Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, and Avatar: The Last Airbender all have plenty of action / conflicts and are muuuch more sophisticated than any 80s cartoon I can think of.

I think it's less the idea that kids should be bubblewrapped and more this idea that if a show for LITTLE GIRLS has conflict then they will sob in terror because LITTLE GIRLS are such weak, fragile things. 

This attitude is nothing new, it was definitely around in the 80s.  Compare MLP: The Movie where Firefly and the other old cast members mysteriously disappeared versus the 1986 Transformers movie where the old cast members were brutally gunned down on screen.  Or the MLP movie having three bumbling witches who get most of their spells wrong while the TF movie got a demonic-looking, planet-eating monster.

I wish Hasbro would talk to some of the girls that grew up in the '80s! I grew up watching not only MLP, Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears, but ALSO He-Man, Thundercats, GI Joe and Transformers. I can't say I ever saw the Transformers movie, but I know I watched the series. I never had a problem with nightmares. And I grew up to be JUST FINE!

sailorstitch

[mlp4me]

I disagree on kids today being "bubblewrapped."  Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, and Avatar: The Last Airbender all have plenty of action / conflicts and are muuuch more sophisticated than any 80s cartoon I can think of.

I think it's less the idea that kids should be bubblewrapped and more this idea that if a show for LITTLE GIRLS has conflict then they will sob in terror because LITTLE GIRLS are such weak, fragile things. 

This attitude is nothing new, it was definitely around in the 80s.  Compare MLP: The Movie where Firefly and the other old cast members mysteriously disappeared versus the 1986 Transformers movie where the old cast members were brutally gunned down on screen.  Or the MLP movie having three bumbling witches who get most of their spells wrong while the TF movie got a demonic-looking, planet-eating monster.

I wish Hasbro would talk to some of the girls that grew up in the '80s! I grew up watching not only MLP, Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears, but ALSO He-Man, Thundercats, GI Joe and Transformers. I can't say I ever saw the Transformers movie, but I know I watched the series. I never had a problem with nightmares. And I grew up to be JUST FINE!

sailorstitch

Agreed, I was raised on 80's/early 90's cartoons and on TV Land. I turned out (a little bizarre to some, but still) OK!! LOL.


I've had a grudge against Discovery after they took over the HUB so I haven't checked the programming for a few months. Those late night episodes will be DVR'd!

[princessluna11706]

I disagree on kids today being "bubblewrapped."  Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, and Avatar: The Last Airbender all have plenty of action / conflicts and are muuuch more sophisticated than any 80s cartoon I can think of.

I think it's less the idea that kids should be bubblewrapped and more this idea that if a show for LITTLE GIRLS has conflict then they will sob in terror because LITTLE GIRLS are such weak, fragile things. 

This attitude is nothing new, it was definitely around in the 80s.  Compare MLP: The Movie where Firefly and the other old cast members mysteriously disappeared versus the 1986 Transformers movie where the old cast members were brutally gunned down on screen.  Or the MLP movie having three bumbling witches who get most of their spells wrong while the TF movie got a demonic-looking, planet-eating monster.

I wish Hasbro would talk to some of the girls that grew up in the '80s! I grew up watching not only MLP, Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears, but ALSO He-Man, Thundercats, GI Joe and Transformers. I can't say I ever saw the Transformers movie, but I know I watched the series. I never had a problem with nightmares. And I grew up to be JUST FINE!

sailorstitch

Agreed, I was raised on 80's/early 90's cartoons and on TV Land. I turned out (a little bizarre to some, but still) OK!! LOL.


I've had a grudge against Discovery after they took over the HUB so I haven't checked the programming for a few months. Those late night episodes will be DVR'd!

Ditto on both points lol.  Still annoyed about the loss of the hub and some of the good programming.  Def will be DVRing those late nite eps!

[Al-1701]

Compare MLP: The Movie where Firefly and the other old cast members mysteriously disappeared versus the 1986 Transformers movie where the old cast members were brutally gunned down on screen.

It should noted that gunning down old cast members on screen in the Transformers movie was a "Wouldn't it be cool if" idea after G.I. Joe was given permission to kill off Duke in their movie.  However, doing this (especially Prime's death) did not go over well with fans and contributed to the Transformers cartoon taking a nosedive in 1986.  Ironically, Duke ended up surviving his injuries when the G.I. Joe movie was completed as a direct to video.

So, it wasn't so much a girl/boy thing is this regard.  Firefly and the others were put on the bus long before the "kill 'em on screen" experiment was even thought of, and it turned out to be a misguided move even with a male audience.

Now the witches were a disgrace.  When your movie and series pilot star some of the weakest rogues in your gallery, you have a problem.

[Strawberry Swirl]

Ahhh!!! So excite!
I'm liking this "force the older gens into bronies' faces" trend that DF has got goin' on lately.

[Alzatia]

Aw, I don't have cable. But still pretty sweet news for those that do. Hopefully we see more from animated G1 on the channel.

[LittleSpiffy]

This still doesn't make up for them taking Alf off of the rotation... LOL.

OMG, they had Alf and I MISSED IT?!