Mon petit poney: Le film

I thought I might be in a decent position to review this movie because I used to be a big fan of the show, but stopped watching a few years ago. Which means I'm very familiar with the universe and characters, but no longer look at it through rose-tinted glasses.

All in all, I would say the movie was OK. It's not a classic Pixar, but not a Sony Pictures Animation movie either. There are two big issues that (in my opinion) holds the movie back; Character abundance and pacing.

This is a fairly short movie, yet it is jam-packed with characters, both old and new. We are re-introduced to the main characters at the beginning of the movie, but because there are so many, we don't have time to truly get to know them. Someone who isn't familiar with the show's cast would probably just see their caricature from this rushed introduction.

The same problem arise when our main characters are thrown into their adventure. We go from place to place and meet all kinds of new characters. Both the new locations and cast are interesting, but we just don't have enough time to become familiar with any of them. The main cast's interactions in these new environments are as you'd expect from who they are and the themes of the show, which works very well. Sadly, the super speedy pace took away some of the plausibility of their influence. You'll ask yourself "would this/these character(s) really change as quick as that?". If only we had another scene or two, a change of heart would fit the narrative perfectly, but it just felt too quick and easy.

And then there's a pivotal moment in the movie that could have been so much better if only the movie had taken its time to build up to it. Twilight Sparkle's home is in dire peril. As Equestria's last hope, it's only natural that she is getting more and more worried and desperate. So much so that she might do something drastic. Unfortunately this growing desperation isn't shown, so when the moment comes, it doesn't feel like she has earned it. I thought this was the largest problem with the movie, which is really too bad, because I don't think it would have taken all that many added scenes to show that much needed character growth throughout the film.

Of all the new characters, Tempest (the villainous pony) was clearly the most interesting and fleshed out. Her arc in the movie was great, yet I would personally have liked to know even more had there been time. The Storm King was fine. We didn't get to know him as well as Tempest, but he was the kind of character that benefits from our ignorance, so I thought they did a decent job with him.

Other than these points, I'd like to mention the animation, music and performances were all great. It's faithful to the show and throws a ton of references in there without letting them get in the way of the movie's progression. While some of the gags and visual humor were fun and fit the source material, I thought they gobbled up a bit too much screen-time considering how short and fast-paced the movie was.

In summary: I don't think there's any doubt fans of the show would enjoy the movie. The rest of its target audience probably would as well, but would a parent or friend who isn't familiar with the source material like it? My guess is, there are too many characters and too little time spent on each of them to really get into it. However, I think most people will be entertained enough to sit through it without any discomfort. You might have to brace yourself for a bunch of pony-puns though. Also, Pinkie Pie.

The movie is great and is praiseworthy. The animation is engaging to the eye, and it enables to arouse interest in going along with the characters & plot.

The characters are great, such that there's a diverse disposition for each array of character. This is probably an exaggeration, once you realize in the end that Fluttershy is voiced also by the same person who voiced Pinkie Pie, and Apple Jack & Rainbow Dash being voiced by one person as well.

The main character is Twilight Sparkle (consistent enough with the movie poster), and we get to explore her power as a princess, which is Power of Friendship. The antagonist is a new/guest character named Tempest (Emily Blunt), a disenfranchised pony who has become calloused and driven. If you don't care about My Little Pony at all, Tempest is the powerful character you'd like to watch. The character of Tempest however will take you on a journey to an unexpected destination, because Tempest's interaction with Twilight Sparkle becomes very important. Another antagonist, Stormking is just as important as Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Candence.

There is a cat character, Capper, who you'd soon realize is a smooth talking cat. Capper would fall into the male prototype character category in the midst of female characters, worthy of their fancy, disdain and then fancy again.

There are various absurd situations (mostly because of Pinky Pie) the characters are put into, and as a group, you are able to assess, compare and contrast the reactions of each member of the group. Again, the animation conveys the situation well, and because of its comical effect, it engages the mind into hilarity.

The movie is quite an adventurous one, and would appeal to any audience other than young girls. The plot is a rather good one, and the pacing moves along quite well. For those who have seen adventure films before, one may realize that the movie captures recognizable thrilling, and momentous stages of an adventure. Again, the coloring of each backdrop, background, is lucid & vibrant, with a great use of acute hues.

The animation quality of the movie is good; it appears to be a mixture of rotoscoping, mixed with 2D hand animation (I guess by computer). The coloring is with a balanced saturation and hues.

I could digress about the movie in its trivialities, but in summary, the movie is great. I enjoy it. It didn't make me into a brony though (that's probably because I don't know what brony really is or what he does).

My Little Pony's current iteration has been a strange if not fascinating family friendly product, and their movie continues this trend. Make no mistake, this movie is definitely written mainly with children in mind but with enough thoughtfulness that adults should be able to adequately enjoy it to at least a modest degree.

The songs are catchy and worth remembering, and the characters are distinct enough to be memorable. Although the main seven characters are not equally distributed in terms of screen time, they still get enough screen time to remember who they are for even a new watcher.

The movie is mainly straight forward with very few twists, but it makes up for it with strong writing. The pacing can be a bit too fast at a couple of points, but only just so.

Unlike most current Disney movies, however, the villains are quite straightforward in who they are. If you are a fan of twist villains, you'll be disappointed, but if you enjoy a good villain, you'll enjoy two out of the three villains shown. The weakest member - Grubber - at the very least only suffers from not being funny enough as the comedic sidekick to the serious Tempest.

As for the comedy, the movie goes for a more hi jinks, silly comedy with a few deadpan jokes here and there. Don't expect to a lot of sarcastic remarks or much in the way of deprecation towards their series or its ideals.

Finally, the soundtrack is quite good. There are six sung songs in the movie and they all keep a different beat and genre. Their distinct style keep them memorable, and not only help progress the plot but explain certain characters in an easily digestible fashion.

Overall, it's more of a classical styled Disney movie, and wholly enjoyable to anyone looking for a solidly written film.

The animation is really well made, the ponies look great.... could've done without the anthro characters. The script is terrible. Like BAD.

Below average, it's just not as good as the show. The animation is great but the story leaves A LOT to be desired.