30th Anniversary of the MLP Movie (TODAY!!!)

[Deep Purple Crystal]

Today, 30 years ago, a milestone in MLP history occurred: the franchise's first (and so far only major) foray into theatrical film: the G1 movie (love it, hate it or find it forgettable, you cannot really deny its importance).

And as for myself... eh.

I mean, it's a technically beautiful movie animation-wise (the movements are fluid and the animators are clearly skilled at their craft), but the biggest weight dragging the film down was probably its horrendous pacing, where essentially nothing happens for the first 45 or so minutes, then we reach the final half-hour when George Arthur Bloom and Michael Joens suddenly decided that the film should be an adventure/quest, resulting in an uneven final product (lacking a clearly defined central protagonist as well).

Also, way too much time was devoted to the witches in the first half of the film - yet they have maybe 2 short scenes in the second half. Although a lot of the witches' dialogue is kinda funny, I do feel some scenes should have been cut out from the final product - but then again, if you have to cobble together an 85-minute animated film in only three or four months, this is to be expected. On the other hand - the Grundles suffered from being given way too little to do - you've spent a sizeable amount of your budget on hiring Danny DeVito, do something with him! Other than giving him a small role in the second half of the film uttering a few lines of broken English.

However, the songs were decent, the Shadow Forest scene was awesome, and I could tolerate Baby Lickety-Split. Yes, I really mean it. At least she doesn't speak in broken English in the film. Now try to get that nightmare out of your head...

[Al-1701]

It still made more than The Transformers Movie when all was said and done.

I have to imagine Hasbro was afraid to make a main protagonist because they didn't want any one or few ponies to outshine the others as the stars of the movie.  Ironically, the two most proactive ponies were Wind Whistler and Fizzy, who were the main ponies featured in the animated segments of their lines' respective commercials.  They really needed to bite the bullet and say, "Fizzy and Wind Whistler are the stars of the movie, they're the heroes who save the day it is there characters this movie explores."  Really, the line had been out on shelves for moths beforehand, so it's not like they would have tainted the views of buyers going into a completely new line.

The concentration on the witches is probably because of the big stars voicing them.  Though, Sarah Partridge probably had more lines than Danny DaVito and Tony Randal combined.  Yet, those two were top billed and she didn't even get a co-star credit (yet the guy who made constipated groans for the smooze was).

Where the movie was finished, it was a beautiful movie.  I particularly liked where they made the Twinkle Eyed ponies' eyes actually twinkle.  However, they were never able to fully finish the movie, partly because it was divided between Toei and AKOM.  Most of the time, the TE ponies just had a colored circle with lines in them.  Even the television show made them at least look like gems.

The story itself was also subpar.  The Return of Tambelon felt more cinematic with its story than the movie or even The End of Flutter Valley did.  Bad pacing, wrong focus, you name it.  This was the movie and it should have had the best story possible.

[brighteyes]

That's really cool!  Seems like a good excuse for a re-watch.

[LadyMoondancer]

I'm a big G1 MLP fan, I was a kid during their heyday and grew up playing with them and loving them.  But I just cannot love the movie.  I saw it in the movie theater as a kid and it was boring.  It either needed to be much shorter (it ran for 1 hour 45 minutes) or have a LOT more action and a tighter script.

Also, I just don't like most of the pony characters.  Spike was the one I felt the most empathy for, mostly because he was stuck being around horrible Baby Lickety-Split.  Watching the movie as an adult, she doesn't annoy me as much as she used to.  But she is exactly the kind of kid-character that real kids hate.

Also, terrible villains.  Not in the sense of "scary", but in the sense of "did you fish these guys out of the bargain bin or what?"

[Sapling]

Haha I love the movie! The songs are awesome and the smooze is really cool

[Mermaid]

Happy anniversary pony movie!

[Shaiyeh]

If you think it's terrible to watch in English, try watching the swedish dub. xD
Though I think the movie is sweet Sort of want to put it on in the background now! But then I'll be stuck with "I'll go it ALOOOONE" in my head for a few days.

[Miniature Sheep]

Hmm, I have mixed feelings about the movie. The painted backgrounds are beautiful and I really love traditional animation, so it certainly delivered the goods on that front, but the songs put me off too much (those voices - oy...) Cute ponies are always a plus, though - especially Fizzy!

[Kiwi]

I like the movie - it's not meant to be a top special effects movie, it's meant to be enjoyed by kids. For what it's target is, it does great. I always loved it growing up, and I still get a huge smile watching it now (and trying to copy it to recreate in Minecraft). Love the songs too. Poor hubby gets annoyed because I can do the full dialogue with the movie....ok, so I may have watched it a *few* times as a kid.

[hathorcat]

I like the movie - it's not meant to be a top special effects movie, it's meant to be enjoyed by kids. For what it's target is, it does great. I always loved it growing up, and I still get a huge smile watching it now (and trying to copy it to recreate in Minecraft). Love the songs too. Poor hubby gets annoyed because I can do the full dialogue with the movie....ok, so I may have watched it a *few* times as a kid.

This sums it up for me as well.

For what it is supposed to be...its golden

I have so many special memories connected to this movie as well. No one can say ill about it for me - its perfect - perfect movie, perfect memories

[Mermaid]

The flutter valley scene always takes my breath away! Those flowers!!!

[Ringlets]

30 years already?     

I like the movie - it's not meant to be a top special effects movie, it's meant to be enjoyed by kids. For what it's target is, it does great. I always loved it growing up, and I still get a huge smile watching it now (and trying to copy it to recreate in Minecraft). Love the songs too. Poor hubby gets annoyed because I can do the full dialogue with the movie....ok, so I may have watched it a *few* times as a kid.

This sums it up for me as well.

For what it is supposed to be...its golden

I have so many special memories connected to this movie as well. No one can say ill about it for me - its perfect - perfect movie, perfect memories

same here   I watched it sooo many times as a kid! before I actually got it on video myself I kept on to my parents to rent it from the local video hire shop for me    I have great memories of those times watching it and I loved the songs. Maybe it isn't perfect - especially when you look back at it as an adult , but it was perfect for me at the time when I was a kid and I'll always think its awesome