The Hubie (film)

My Little Pony: The Movie is a 2017 animated musical fantasy film based on the television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, which was developed as part of the 2010 re-launch of the My Little Pony franchise by Hasbro. The film was directed by Jayson Thiessen and based on a story and screenplay co-written by Meghan McCarthy, both Friendship Is Magic veterans. The plot follows the alicorn Twilight Sparkle, her five pony friends – collectively known as the "Mane 6" – and her dragon assistant Spike embarking on a quest to save their home of Equestria from an evil conqueror, gaining new friends in the process. In addition to the show's regular voice cast reprising their roles, the film features the voices of Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Liev Schreiber, Michael Peña, Sia, Taye Diggs, Uzo Aduba, and Zoe Saldana as new characters.

The film was produced by Allspark Pictures and DHX Media,[4][5] using traditional animation created with Toon Boom Harmony.[6] It premiered in New York City on September 24, 2017,[7] and was released on October 6, 2017 in North America through Lionsgate.[8] The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $60 million worldwide on a $6.5 million budget.

Plot
One night, the Sprites of the Northern Lights - a group of singing sprites who fly around the North Pole - witness the birth of a baby reindeer named Rudolph, who has an unusual red, shiny nose. Later in the morning, Rudolph and his parents, Blitzen and Mitzi, meet up with Rudolph's three uncles - Dasher, Comet, and Cupid. Cupid tickles Rudolph and inadvertently triggers his glowing nose, which draws attention and causes Rudolph to become the center of scorn and mockery. Meanwhile, two of Santa Claus's elves, Doggle and Boone, cross the ice bridge of the wicked Ice Queen, Stormella, to deliver mail. They accidentally crash into and destroy several ice statues that belong to her. When Stormella finds out, she storms into Santa's workshop and demands him to hand Boone and Doogle over to her to face consequences. When he refuses, she closes her bridge to the public as punishment, and warns that if anybody dares to cross it, she will create a blizzard so strong it will stop Santa from delivering presents to children around the world on Christmas Eve.

Rudolph later starts attending school, where he is ridiculed by his classmates for wanting to be among Santa's reindeer, the Flyers, despite his nose. The only one who doesn't tease him is Zoey, a kind young doe who Rudolph has a crush on, and who reciprocates his feelings. One day Santa Claus meets Rudolph, sad for the mockery, and reassures him that his nose is beautiful and that to be a Flyer a reindeer needs to have a big and honest heart, a trait that he sees in Rudolph, who gains more confidence in himself.

Years later, a teenage Rudolph takes part in the Junior Reindeer Games, which are responsible for selecting new Flyers for Santa. During a sleigh race event, Cupid's son and Rudolph's mean-spirted cousin Arrow (who is in a relationship with Zoey) implicitly causes the other competitors to crash and then tries to distract Rudolph by claiming that Zoey is only nice to him because she feels sorry for him, making Rudolph's nose glow in anger and blind Arrow. Though Rudolph wins the race, he is disqualified for blinding Arrow, and Arrow is made the winner by default. Zoey confronts Arrow for cheating in the race and ends their relationship. As Blitzen tries to defend his son's actions, an eavesdropping Rudolph misinterprets his father's statements as an admission of shame towards him, and decides to run away from home.

At night, unknowingly with the help and guidance of the Sprites of the Northern Lights, Rudolph journeys across the lands of the North Pole, and eventually befriends an Arctic fox named Slyly and a polar bear named Leonard. Meanwhile, Zoey learns from Blitzen and Mitzi that Rudolph ran away from home, and runs off in search of him. She eventually comes across Stormella's bridge the next morning and decides to cross it despite the consequences. However, she is caught by Stormella, who imprisons her. Upon learning about Rudolph and Zoey's disappearances from their parents, Santa sends Boone and Doggle to search for them. After having a bad dream, Rudolph meets the Sprites, who inform him of Zoey's capture and instruct him on how to properly use his nose. Rudolph, Leonard, and Slyly journey to Stormella's castle, but upon arrival, Slyly chooses to stay behind out of fear of Stormella's pet wolves while Rudolph and Leonard enter.

After Rudolph and Leonard are captured and imprisoned by Stormella, she fulfills her vow and unleashes a massive blizzard upon the North Pole. After Stormella goes to sleep, Slyly, having had a change of heart, sneaks into her bedroom and retrieves a key that unlocks the prison cells. However, Stormella wakes up, realizes this, and sends her pack of wolves after Rudolph and his friends, who eventually corner them on a cliff. When she threatens to freeze Zoey first, Rudolph uses his nose to blind Stormella, sending her toppling over the cliff and hanging on for dear life. Rudolph and the others then save Stormella, and she gratefully offers to grant him a wish. Much to the Ice Queen's dismay, Rudolph wishes that Stormella would be nice rather than to have a normal nose like he always would have wanted.

Though the wish takes full effect, Stormella is unable to stop the snowstorm that she created, saying that it has to run its course. Boone and Doggle later find and bring the entire group back to Santa's Village. Because of the blizzard, Santa is unable to carry out his flight this year, but when he sees Rudolph's glowing nose, Santa asks him to lead his team of Flyers. When Rudolph agrees, he is given a Medal of Valor, which all Flyers wear, and his father tells him that he is proud of him. Rudolph guides Santa's sleigh through the storm, and receives a hero's welcome when he returns.

Cast
Kathleen Barr as Guiron and Twinkle

Michael Lloyd provides Rudolph's singing voice John Goodman as Santa Claus

Eric Idle as Slyly the Arctic fox

Bob Newhart as Leonard the polar bear

Myriam Sirois as Zoey (Rudolph's friend and love interest), Glitter, and Schoolroom Doe Debbie Lytton provides Zoey's singing voice

Whoopi Goldberg as Stormella

Garry Chalk as Blitzen (Rudolph's father)

Debbie Reynolds as Mitzi (Rudolph's mother), Mrs. Claus and Mrs. Prancer

Richard Simmons as Boone

Alec Willows as Doggle and Prancer

Lee Tockar as Ridley, Vixen and Milo

Matt Hill as Arrow (Cupid's son and Rudolph's cousin and rival) and Donner

Elizabeth Carol Savenkoff as Aurora

Cathy Weseluck as Sparkle

Paul Dobson as Dasher (Rudolph and Arrow's uncle)

Terry Klassen as Dancer

Colin Murdock as Comet (Rudolph and Arrow's uncle)

David Kaye as Cupid (Arrow's father and Rudolph's uncle)

Tyler Thomson as Schoolroom Buck

Trivia

 * Mark Flood's favorite Christmas film.


 * Canadian actor Scott McNeil originally recorded voices for Slyly and Bernard, before being replaced by Eric Idle and Bob Newhart in the US respectively prior to the film's release.


 * Slyly and Ridley were redesigned only months before the movies release. Ridley was going to have a striped blue and white Butler suit and Slyly was originally going to be red before (the latter was changed to white likely to reflect the movie's North Pole setting).


 * Whilst the film was recorded in Canada by most of the cast, there were a few exceptions that were recorded in the United States. Examples include John Goodman as Santa and Whoopi Goldberg as Stormella.


 * Though Canadian Voice Actor Matt Hill was part of the cast, voicing an older Arrow and Donner, he for unknown reasons went uncredited.


 * The first and only theatrical film released by GoodTimes Entertainment, known more for their direct to DVD animated features.