My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 4
| My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 4 | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
| No. of episodes | 26[1] |
| Release | |
| Original network | The Hub |
| Original release | November 23, 2013 – TBA |
| Season chronology | |
The fourth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, airs on The Hub in the United States. The series is considered to be the fourth generation (G4) of the My Little Pony franchise, following earlier lines and television show tie-ins in the 1980s and 1990s. Season 4 of the series premiered on November 23, 2013, on the The Hub, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro.
The show follows Princess Twilight Sparkle, a studious alicorn (a pony with both horn and wings; in previous seasons, Twilight was a unicorn) pony as her mentor Princess Celestia guides her to learn about friendship in the town of Ponyville. Twilight continues to learn with her close friends Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Each represents a different face of friendship, and Twilight discovers herself to be a key part of the magical artifacts, the "Elements of Harmony". The ponies share adventures and help out other residents of Ponyville, while working out the troublesome moments in their own friendships.
Hasbro selected animator Lauren Faust as the creative director and executive producer for the show. Faust sought to challenge the established "girly" nature of the existing My Little Pony line, creating more in-depth characters and adventurous settings, incorporating Hasbro's suggestions for marketing of the toy line.
Development
Concept
Season 4 continues from the events of the third season finale, Magical Mystery Cure, where Twilight, shown to have come to hone her magic skills while learning the value of friendship, has been crowned as Equestria's newest princess, becoming an alicorn in the process. Some elements of the season will focus on Twilight coming to terms with her new status; Lead writer Meghan McCarthy stated that "What we didn't want to do was change who [Twilight] is as a character, because she's certainly someone that everyone's proud to know and love",[2] while Tara Strong, the voice actress for Twilight, claimed that the episode is "a birth of a new era for Twilight, but not the end of what makes the show so wonderful".[3] In addition, with the directive of the letters to Princess Celestia now no longer in force, the Mane Six now resolve to keep a collective journal of their formative experiences for posterity's sake.
Production
Investment documents for DHX Media's 2012 financial year indicate that production for a fourth season had been financed.[4] Before the season premiered, aspects of it were discussed by Meghan McCarthy, Tara Strong and other writers and voice actors at various fan conventions.[5][6] Hasbro's vice president for international distribution, Finn Arnesen, had stated that My Little Pony is a "top-priority" brand for the company and expects the series to continue beyond the fourth season.[7] The fourth season of the series premiered on November 23, 2013.[8] This season marks the first time storyboard artist Jim Miller (who also voices King Sombra from the season three premiere) will be co-directing alongside Jayson Thiessen.[9]
At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2013, the writers and voice actors talked about the upcoming season. It is expected to have between 15 and 20 songs, even though the writers had envisioned more, and will include a musical episode centered around Pinkie Pie. Rarity will have her own episode, and Pinkie will have a visit from her sisters. The season will also include a return of Nightmare Moon, the evil version of Princess Luna. The writers have stated that they will include references aimed for its adult audience, and will also include more appearances by the fan-named character Derpy Hooves.[10]
Cast
Main
- Tara Strong as Twilight Sparkle (speaking voice)
- Rebecca Shoichet as Twilight Sparkle (singing voice)
- Tabitha St. Germain as Rarity (speaking voice)
- Kazumi Evans as Rarity (singing voice)
- Ashleigh Ball as Applejack and Rainbow Dash
- Andrea Libman as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie (speaking voice)
- Shannon Chan-Kent as Pinkie Pie (singing voice); Libman occasionally
- Cathy Weseluck as Spike
Supporting
- Nicole Oliver as Princess Celestia and Cheerilee
- Tabitha St. Germain as Princess Luna
- Claire Corlett as Sweetie Belle
- Michelle Creber as Apple Bloom
- Madeleine Peters as Scootaloo
Minor
- Tabitha St. Germain as Granny Smith and Mrs. Cake
- Peter New as Big McIntosh
- Brenda Crichlow as Zecora
- Chantal Strand as Diamond Tiara
- Shannon Chan-Kent as Silver Spoon
- Brian Drummond as Mr. Cake
- Lee Tockar as Snips
- Richard Ian Cox as Snails
- John de Lancie as Discord
Guest stars
- Chiara Zanni as Daring Do/A.K. Yearling
- Brian Drummond as Ahuizotl
- Michael Dobson as Dr. Caballeron and Bulk Biceps
- Veena Sood as Ms. Harshwhinny
- Ellen Kennedy as the Mane-iac
- Ashleigh Ball as Prim Hemline
- Tabitha St. Germain as Suri Polomare
- Cathy Weseluck as Coco Pommel
- Peter New as Goldie Delicious
- Trevor Devall as Thunderlane
- Kelly Metzger as Spitfire and Blossomforth[nb 1]
- Matt Hill as Soarin'
- Andrea Libman as Fleetfoot
- Britt McKillip as Princess Cadance
- "Weird Al" Yankovic as Cheese Sandwich
Episodes
Like the first two seasons, this season will have 26 episodes. According to a Twitter post by Meghan McCarthy, this season will have a story arc.[11]
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by[nb 2] | Written by[nb 2] | Original air date | Production code |
Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 1 | "Princess Twilight Sparkle" (Part 1) | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Meghan McCarthy | November 23, 2013 | 401 | 0.733[12] |
| 67 | 2 | "Princess Twilight Sparkle" (Part 2) | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Meghan McCarthy | November 23, 2013 | 402 | 0.709[12] |
| 68 | 3 | "Castle Mane-ia" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Josh Haber | November 30, 2013 | 403 | 0.461[13] |
| 69 | 4 | "Daring Don't" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Dave Polsky | December 7, 2013 | 404 | 0.397[14] |
| 70 | 5 | "Flight to the Finish" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Ed Valentine | December 14, 2013 | 405 | 0.568[15] |
| 71 | 6 | "Power Ponies" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Meghan McCarthy, Charlotte Fullerton & Betsy McGowen | December 21, 2013 | 406 | 0.683[16] |
| 72 | 7 | "Bats!" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Merriwether Williams[nb 3] | December 28, 2013 | 407 | 0.531[18] |
| 73 | 8 | "Rarity Takes Manehattan" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Dave Polsky | January 4, 2014 | 408 | 0.527[19] |
| 74 | 9 | "Pinkie Apple Pie"[nb 4] | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Natasha Levinger | January 11, 2014 | 409 | 0.499[20] |
| 75 | 10 | "Rainbow Falls" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Corey Powell | January 18, 2014 | 410 | 0.514[21] |
| 76 | 11 | "Three's a Crowd" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Meghan McCarthy and Ed Valentine | January 25, 2014 | 411 | 0.483[22] |
| 77 | 12 | "Pinkie Pride" | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Jayson Thiessen (story) Amy Keating Rogers (teleplay) | February 1, 2014 | 412 | 0.459[23] |
| 78 | 13 | "Simple Ways"[24] | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Josh Haber[25] | February 8, 2014[24] | 413 | TBA |
| 79 | 14 | "Filli Vanilli"[26] | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Amy Keating Rogers[25] | February 15, 2014[26] | 414 | TBA |
| 80 | 15 | "Twilight Time"[26] | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Dave Polsky[25] | February 22, 2014[26] | 415 | TBA |
| 81 | 16 | "It Ain't Easy Being Breezies"[27] | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Natasha Levinger[28] | March 1, 2014[27] | 416 | TBA |
| 91 | 26 | TBA | Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller | Meghan McCarthy[29] | TBA | 426 | TBA |
Songs
| No. in series |
Title | Song | Lyrics by | Sung by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | "Flight to the Finish" | "Hearts Strong as Horses" | Daniel Ingram & Ed Valentine |
Cutie Mark Crusaders |
| 72 | "Bats!" | "Bats" | Daniel Ingram & Merriwether Williams |
Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle |
| 73 | "Rarity Takes Manehattan" | "Generosity" | Daniel Ingram & Dave Polsky |
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie; Rarity (reprise) |
| 74 | "Pinkie Apple Pie" | "Apples to the Core" | Daniel Ingram & Natasha Levinger |
Applejack, Apple Bloom, Big McIntosh, Granny Smith, Pinkie Pie |
| 76 | "Three's a Crowd" | "Glass of Water" | Ed Valentine | Discord |
| 77 | "Pinkie Pride" | "Pinkie the Party Planner" | Daniel Ingram & Amy Keating Rogers | Pinkie Pie, Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, Diamond Tiara, and crowd |
| "The Super Duper Party Pony" | Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie | |||
| "Pinkie's Lament" | Daniel Ingram | Pinkie Pie | ||
| "The Goof Off" | Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie | |||
| "Cheese Confesses" | Daniel Ingram & Amy Keating Rogers | Cheese Sandwich | ||
| "Make a Wish"[a] | Daniel Ingram | Pinkie Pie |
Song notes
- ^ Song not orchestrated by Steffan Andrews.
Notes
- ^ Not seen, but is credited in the closing credits of "Rainbow Falls"; Metzger voiced a similar-looking character.
- ^ a b Information about the directors and writers are taken from the episodes' opening credits.
- ^ The episode miscredited Meghan McCarthy as the writer in initial airings,[17] but was later corrected for reruns.
- ^ Within the episode, the title is spelled as "Pinky Apple Pie".
References
- ^ Miller, Jim (2013-11-24), [Number of episodes confirmation], Twitter, retrieved 2013-11-24.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|separator=ignored (help); templatestyles stripmarker in|title=at position 1 (help) - ^ Busis, Hillary (2013-01-29). "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic exclusive: Twilight's becoming a princess!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
- ^ Busis, Hillary (2013-02-15). "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Exclusive clip from season 3's royal finale". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
- ^ "Management Discussion and Analysis" (PDF). Fiscal 2012 (Press release). DHX Media. 2012-06-30. p. 11. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
- ^ Watercutter, Angela (2013-02-15). "Exclusive: Watch a Clip from the Controversial My Little Pony Season 3 Finale". Wired.
- ^ Busis, Hillary (2013-01-31). "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: A Brony explains why fans say 'neigh' to Princess Twilight". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
- ^ Christie, Brendan (February–March 2013). Lana, Castleman (ed.). "Hasbro hits its stride" (PDF). Kidscreen: 33–34.
- ^ Busis, Hillary (2013-07-25). "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic exclusive: Season 4 premieres on..." Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
- ^ Miller, Jim (2013-04-12), [Co-director credit confirmation], Twitter, retrieved 2013-04-12.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|separator=ignored (help); templatestyles stripmarker in|title=at position 1 (help) - ^ Nyugen, Hanh (2013-07-20). "My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie Lands a Musical Episode and More Season 4 Scoop". TV Guide. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
- ^ Meghan McCarthy (2013-11-23), [Season-long story arc confirmation], Twitter, retrieved 2013-11-24.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|separator=ignored (help); templatestyles stripmarker in|title=at position 1 (help) - ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (2013-11-29). "Hub Network Weekly Ratings Scorecard (November 18–24, 2013)". Son of the Bronx. Blogger. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2013-12-06). "Hub Network Weekly Ratings Scorecard (November 25 – December 1, 2013)". Son of the Bronx. Blogger. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2013-12-13). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Dec. 2, 2013". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2013-12-20). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Dec. 9, 2013". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2013-12-26). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Dec. 16–22, 2013". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
- ^ McCarthy, Meghan (2013-12-28), [Writing confirmation following error in episode credits], Twitter.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|separator=ignored (help); templatestyles stripmarker in|title=at position 1 (help) - ^ Pucci, Douglas (2014-01-02). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Dec. 23–29, 2013". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2014-01-09). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Dec. 30, 2013". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2014-01-16). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Jan. 6, 2014". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2014-01-24). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Jan. 13, 2014". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2014-01-31). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Jan. 20, 2014". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (2014-02-07). "The Hub Ratings Scorecard—Week of Jan. 27, 2014". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- ^ a b Maloney, Amy (2014-01-17). "Rarity has a 'fa-tail' attraction to the new pony in town, on My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, Feb. 8" (PDF). Discovery Press Web (Press release). Discovery Communications. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
- ^ a b c McCarthy, Meghan (2014-01-22), ["Simple Ways", "Filli Vanilli", and "Twilight Time" writing credit confirmation], Twitter, retrieved 2014-01-22.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|separator=ignored (help); templatestyles stripmarker in|title=at position 1 (help) Cite error: The named reference "McCarthy 2014-01-22" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b c d Sorenson, Laura (2014-01-22). "The Hub Network's February 2014 Highlights" (PDF). Discovery Press Web (Press release). Discovery Communications. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ a b "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: 'It Ain't Easy Being Breezies'". Zap2it. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
- ^ McCarthy, Meghan (2014-01-23), ["It Ain't Easy Being Breezies" writing credit confirmation], Twitter, retrieved 2014-01-23.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|separator=ignored (help); templatestyles stripmarker in|title=at position 1 (help) - ^ McCarthy, Meghan (2013-11-07), [Episode 26 writing credit confirmation], Twitter, retrieved 2013-11-07.
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