I enjoyed the first movie, sure it was a bit cliche, but still thanks to it's fantasy-high school mix, it became more than that and managed to entertain me and other fans around the globe. So obviously, Hasbro would make not 1, but 3 sequels, each having a different theme. This one is about music and battles!
Some time after the first movie, the group of 3 sirens notice that there's Equestria magic, since it's exactly what they wanted, the trio decided to step in and try to get it. Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer from the last movie tries to redeem herself, but outside of the mane 5, nobody would want to hang out. Later, when Sunset wanted to introduce Canterlot high to the Dazzlings (sirens), she noticed that they were after the magic and to get, they have to make everyone go against each other. So, Twilight Sparkle has to go back to the human world, create a song spell and banish the sirens. The plot is a big improvement over the first movie, since it has 2 things, that make the experience worthwhile. First the songs, they were upbeat and fun! Each one has a memorable melody and lyrics, except the spell song, but that one was intended to be bad! I especially love Shake your tail from Rainbooms and Under your spell from Dazzlings. They are different, since the latter one comes from the villains, and it sounds more evil in general, but I like how distinctive they are. Even Trixie got a song, but sadly, we barely heard it, because of Rainbooms arguing scene. But luckily, it's available online separately. And I especially loved the Welcome to the show song, which is a final battle scene between Rainbooms and Dazzlings. And the first time both would be face to face with each other. Speaking of the sirens, they are actually my favorite villains of the whole MLP Franchise. It consists of Adagio Dazzle, the leader who wants the power so bad, Aria Blaze, the more sarcastic type, and Sonata Dusk that is barely evil and rather eat tacos and have fun than taking goals seriously. All of them are surprisingly interesting, and I especially love their singing skills. The mane 7 characters still remain the same, except for Sunset. She used to be the meanest student, but now changed a lot, and wants everyone to see the good side of hers. I like how she progressed, thus making her seem real and relatable to some people. Yes, she did a lot of mistakes in the past, but we see that everyone can learn from their mistakes and start a new life. She's extremely different from her past self, and I'm proud of this decision of both the character and the writers.
The story is mostly focused on the battle of the bands and trying to stop the villains from making everyone angry! Sure, still cliche, but even if that, it's at least more creative with the new music theming and even more mythology. The jokes aren't the strongest part of it, but it has moments, like Sonata just wanting to celebrate Taco Tuesday or when Maud pie (Pinkie's sister) would feed her pet rock. Lastly, the animation got better as well. I love the new costumes, since they are neon rainbow themed, and I noticed that the animation is more fluid since last time. Not to mention, they even added more background characters, like Photo Finish, Lyra and Bon bon, Derpy, Bulk Biceps, Octavia and even Cloud Kicker. This proves that Hasbro also cares about the fans who watch both the show and the movies, so they would add some fan favorites!
This is honestly a great follow up to the first film, thanks to it's improved animation, more great friends and foes, amazing songs and a more entertaining plot. Definitely a must watch for Equestria girls and My little pony fans. Even if you never watched the first movie, you'd still like this one, but only of you either liked MLP or at least fine with it. Haters wouldn't like much though, maybe for the exception of the Dazzlings, cause I believe they can make anyone fall in love with them. Still, I'm very impressed by it, especially the soundtrack!
