User blog:A Spy in Concealment/My Review on My Little Pony: The Movie(2017)

At last! After all these months and moments of waiting, I finally got to see My Little Pony: The Movie! Let me just tell you, it was worth the wait!

This movie is based off of the Friendship is Magic TV series, and stars Tara Strong as Princess Twilight Sparkle, Ashleigh Ball as Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Andrea Libman as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, Tabitha St. Germain as Rarity, and Cathy Weseluck as Spike the Dragon. The film also features guest performances by Emily Blunt, Kristen Chenoweth, Michael Pena, Liev Schreiber, Taye Diggs, Uzo Aduba, and Sia.

In this story, the ponies of Equestria are getting ready for the nation’s very first Friendship Festival, with pop star pegasus Songbird Serenade (played by Sia) as the main attraction. But, an evil army commanded by a broken-horned unicorn named Tempest Shadow (played by Emily Blunt), and her sidekick Grubber (played by Michael Pena) crashes the party and takes over Equestria to gain the magic of Equestria’s four princesses, and put it in the hands of their master, the Storm King (played by Liev Schreiber). Now, it’s up to Princess Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike to leave their home and seek help from hippogriff turned seapony royals Queen Novo (played by Uzo Aduba) and Princess Skystar (played by Kristen Chenoweth). Along the way, they encounter a feline con artist named Capper (played by Taye Diggs), and a crew of parrot pirates lead by Captain Celaeno (played by Zoe Saldana).

Now, I would like to note that my review will be the opposite of what other critic reviews have said. They’ve given the movie mixed or negative reviews because of it being a movie related to a toy line. But, you know what I think, I think they didn’t go deep enough to really scratch the surface on the movie they were reviewing.

Everything about this movie was brilliant from start to finish.

The story and screenplay of the movie will make you say something like, “Wow! My mind is totally blown!” It’s epic to the point of suspense, dramatic to where you feel like crying, and funny to the point of laughter! The writers incorporated great messages in the story involving friendship, hope, and leadership. The story was written by veteran MLP writer Meghan McCarthy, and by newcomer and fan Joe Ballarini (best known for contributing to the Blue Sky Studios films “Epic” and “Ice Age: Continental Drift”, and the Dreamworks film “Turbo”). The screenplay was also done by McCarthy, but also by veteran MLP writer Michael Vogel, and newcomer Rita Hsiao(best known for her work on Disney’s “Mulan” and Pixar’s “Toy Story 2”).

The animation was done by an entire team of animators lead by veteran MLP director Jayson Thiessen. One big thing they had to do was replace the equipment they used called Adobe Flash and instead use Toon Boom Harmony. With the new equipment, they were able to make the backgrounds of each scene look real, especially the water. The part where our heroes go underwater and meet the sea ponies is so realistic, you feel like your in the ocean. The character designs were amazing as well, especially with the characters with fur or feathers, such as Capper and Celaeno.

On the directing, Thiessen does it again by making another winner to the franchise, and marking an excellent comeback to theatrical hand-drawn animation. The dramatic and comedy moments are also perfectly timed. The cinematography is colorful, and the camera angling to every scene is so engaging, you don’t want to miss it even when you want to get more popcorn.

The characters were wonderful! Each of them had a quality and personality about them that made them so interesting and lovable. The writers kept the current characters from the show the same. The new characters were well thought out and in all seriousness great!

The voice acting done by the people old and new were top-notch. But the most intriguing performances come from Tara Strong, Emily Blunt, and Liev Schreiber. Their performances made their characters realistic with so much feeling and emotion.

Tara Strong’s performance as Twilight gives a sense of the conflicts she’s going through, and how she’s feeling in certain moments, places, and situations.

And I know Tempest Shadow is a villain, but Emily Blunt’s performance helps give great sympathy towards her character because of what she’s been through in the past involving her horn. To top it off, she even sings!

With Liev Schreiber, his performance as the Storm King delivered the best and most intense MLP villain by far! His character has a range of emotions and personality. He’s sarcastic, comedic, enraged, delighted, and evil, all with a voice that chills your spine. The Storm King was made for him! It makes you wonder why he didn’t star in a family or children’s film before or become a voice actor in the first place!

The music and songs made by veteran MLP musician Daniel Ingram will make you joyfully emotional. The lyrics are heartfelt, and will touch you deep down into your soul.

Overall, by watching it and looking at it closely without falling into stereotypes about movies based on toy lines, you’ll find that this movie and everything about it is one that is worth seeing. It delivers something that hasn’t been seen for a very long time in the animation industry. A movie full of heart, passion, and commitment.