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Hasbro’s My Little Pony has gone through quite a few different overhauls since the popular plaything’s initial creation in the 1980s. Not only have the toys themselves changed, morphing from a traditional cutesy cartoon style to a pushed anime-inspired appearance, but so have each of the films and televised series, progressively modernizing their aesthetics and storytelling. The franchise hit an all-time high when the “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” era began in 2010, ushering in a new congregation of die-hard fans — not just young girls, but also “Bronies,” the affectionate nickname given to the passionate (some to the point of toxic) adult male fanbase.

The latest iteration, “My Little Pony: A New Generation,” lightly taps the reboot button, taking the prior decade’s series sensibilities another step. Paying homage to the past while telling a new tale about a filly’s seemingly impossible quest to reunite three fractured...

Netflix has debuted a trailer for the upcoming animated movie ‘My Little Pony: A New Generation.’

The unimaginable has happened…Equestria has lost its magic! Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi are no longer friends and now live separated by species. But idealistic Earth Pony Sunny (Vanessa Hudgens) is determined to find a way to bring enchantment and unity back to their world. Teaming up with open-hearted Unicorn Izzy (Kimiko Glenn), the pair travel to faraway lands where they encounter the likes of charismatic and brave Pegasi Pipp (Sofia Carson) and Zipp (Liza Koshy) and the ever-responsible fellow Earth Pony Hitch (James Marsden). Their mission is full of misadventures, but these new best friends each possess their own unique and special gifts that may be just what this ponyverse needs to restore magic and prove that even little ponies can make a big difference.

Directed by Robert Cullen, José L. Ucha,...

“High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens will lead the voice cast of “My Little Pony: A New Generation,” a Netflix film based on the popular children’s toy line.

The animated adventure’s cast will also include Kimiko Glenn (“Orange Is the New Black”) and James Marsden (“Enchanted”), with the two playing Izzy Moonbow and Hitch Trailblazer. Hudgens will put her spin on Sunny Starscout — these ponies have quite the surnames.

Entertainment One is backing the film, which debuts on Netflix on September 24, 2021, at which point it will delight parents and kids by joining a heavy rotation of other animated fare. The film was originally intended to be distributed theatrically by Paramount Pictures, but due to the Covid pandemic, those plans were altered and the project wound up at Netflix.

Other cast members include Sofia Carson, Liza Koshy, Ken Jeong, Elizabeth Perkins, Jane Krakowski, Phil Lamarr and Michael McKean.

Here...

Vanessa Hudgens, Kimiko Glenn and James Marsden will star in “My Little Pony: A New Generation,” it was announced Tuesday.

Additional voice cast members include Sofia Carson, Liza Koshy, Ken Jeong, Elizabeth Perkins, Jane Krakowski, Phil Lamarr and Michael McKean.

The film is directed by Robert Cullen and José L. Ucha, and co-directed by Mark Fattibene. The story was created by Cullen, Ucha and Tim Sullivan. The screenplay was written by Sullivan and Gillian Berrow, while Cecil Kramer and Peter Lewis are producing.

The film’s full synopsis is as follows: “The unimaginable has happened… Equestria has lost its magic! Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi are no longer friends and now live separated by species. But idealistic Earth Pony Sunny (Hudgens) is determined to find a way to bring enchantment and unity back to their world. Teaming up with open-hearted Unicorn Izzy (Glenn), the pair travel to faraway lands where...

The next My Little Pony movie has just been picked up by Netflix in a global rights deal excluding China.

Paramount was set to release the movie on Sept. 24.

The pic is from eOne’s animation outfit Boulder Media, directed andby Rob Cullen and Jose Ucha, with co-director Mark Fattibene. Cecil Kramer and Peter Lewis produced.

A streaming date is planned for later this year.

The last My Little Pony: The Movie in 2017, released via 2017, earned $21.9M domestic and $60.3M WW.

The My Little Pony toy franchise was first launched in 1981, with the brand reportedly grossing over $1 billion annually in retail sails by 2014.

Variety first had the news about My Little Pony.

The “My Little Pony” movie is skipping theaters in favor of a streaming debut. The adorable little horsies of Equestria will (Rainbow) dash to Netflix “later this year,” a person with knowledge of the plan told TheWrap.

The movie was originally going to be distributed by Paramount Pictures and had a theatrical release date of Sept. 24, 2021. We do not know yet if that early fall date will remain for Netflix’s launch — we just know “My Little Pony” will bow on the streaming service in ’21.

Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights (excluding China) from Entertainment One (eOne), Hasbro’s entertainment studio, for an all-new, computer-animated feature film based on Hasbro’s popular My Little Pony property, the person said. EOne had previously planned to partner with Paramount for a theatrical release of the film, with the studio collecting a distribution fee.

The animated rom eOne’s animation studio Boulder Media...

“My Little Pony,” an animated movie aimed at family audiences, is heading to Netflix.

Paramount Pictures was originally set to distribute the film, which had been scheduled to open in theaters on Sept. 24, 2021. Hasbro’s entertainment studio Entertainment One produced the movie and sold it to Netflix. It will retain distribution rights in China.

Though the exact release date is unclear, “My Little Pony” is expected to land on Netflix later this year.

In the wake of ongoing movie theater closures, Hollywood studios have continued to either postpone their upcoming films or send them to streaming services. Paramount has sold several titles to streamers amid the pandemic, including Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall’s “Coming 2 America,” Aaron Sorkin’s courtroom drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Without Remorse” starring Michael B. Jordan. Elsewhere, Disney moved “Mulan, “Soul” and “Raya and the Last Dragon” to Disney Plus, and...

China’s Joy Pictures — previously a buyer, marketer and distributor best known for bringing “La La Land” to China — is now turning towards the production and sale of animation, and is at Afm for the first time this year as a seller.

So far a hot title has been one of Joy’s few live-action films: “Libai: Fire in the Sky.” A fantasy martial arts pic jointly produced by Joy, Tencent Penguin Pictures and Ckf, it streamed exclusively on Tencent earlier this year. All rights have been sold to Korea, and discussions are under way for India and Europe.

Highlights from the rest of its almost exclusively animation slate include two titles co-financed by Joy: “The Legend of Hei,” which grossed $44.8 million in China in September and screened at Afm Saturday, and “Gg Bond,” an older IP targeting the 4-to-12-year-old demographic, produced by Winsing Animation.

Joy is also producing...