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My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

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This article is about the franchise as a whole. For the 2013 film of the same name, see My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (film).
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
TypeFashion doll, Film series, Mini-series
CompanyHasbro Studios
DHX Media/Vancouver
CountryUnited States and Canada
Availability2012–present
Official website

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls is a Canadian-American product line of fashion dolls, film series and mini-series manufactured by Hasbro Studios and DHX Media, and is a spin-off of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic animated television series. It includes various doll lines and media spin-offs (including multiple films, music albums, a mini-series, and a mobile app). The films revolve around the main cast, normally ponies, as teenage human characters in a high school setting. The first two films were written by Meghan McCarthy and directed by Jayson Thiessen; the third film was written by Josh Haber and directed by Ishi Rudell. A fourth film is in development and is to be released in 2016.

Film production

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013)

Main article: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (film)

Prior to the film's announcement, Hasbro had used the term "Equestria Girls" as part of a parody song for advertising the show on the Hub Network during 2011, based on Katy Perry's "California Gurls".[1] Though fans had registered the domain name "equestriagirls.com", it was later shut down and taken over by Hasbro.[2]

Initial speculation on the film was found through trademark registrations for the name "Equestria Girls" by Hasbro in late 2012.[3] The film was revealed in the Kidscreen magazine released at the 2013 American International Toy Fair in February 2013.[4] Hasbro's senior vice president of international distribution and development, Finn Arnesen, called My Little Pony a "top-priority" brand for the company; the film was described as "a new companion series" that would "[send] the pony heroes on a mission to a new world where they take on human form".[4] The film was formally announced in The New York Times in May 2013.[5] To maintain continuity with the show, Hasbro used the same writing staff as the show, including the current story editor Meghan McCarthy, who considered the story to be "an extension of our mythology".[5] The film was part of the 30th anniversary of the My Little Pony brand.[5] McCarthy stated that with the Equestria Girls setting, "we might explore different aspects of relationships that in the pony world don't quite work the same as they do when you set it in a high school setting", thus making the work more appealing to older girls that are in high or junior high school.[6]

Along with the film, Hasbro plans to produce related merchandise including toys, apparel, publishing and accessories. Hasbro's chief marketing officer, John A. Frascotti, called the film and associated merchandise a "major strategic initiative" for the company.[5] The human-based toys were developed to appeal to girls in their teens as a means to extend the My Little Pony brand.[7] In addition, Hasbro will continue its licensing deals with book publisher Little, Brown and Company and comic book publisher IDW Publishing to produce works based on the film.[8] A special short story, featuring the origins of Sunset Shimmer, was published in the IDW My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic 2013 San Diego Comic Con comic variant in July 2013. It also included additional stories in a stand-alone issue in October 2013.[9]

In writing the film's script, Meghan McCarthy went back to the television series' pilot episode, where Twilight is sent to Ponyville for the first time and forced to meet new friends. She wanted to do the same with the film, in this case putting Twilight into a new world where she would again be forced to make new friends to succeed in her quest.[10]

Rainbow Rocks (2014)

Main article: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks

The sequel was announced by Hasbro as part of a press kit at the 2014 International Toy Fair.[11] On February 13, 2014, Meghan McCarthy tweeted that she had worked on the film during the summer of 2013.[12] That same day, songwriter Daniel Ingram tweeted that there will be a total of 12 songs in the film;[13] however, only 11 songs were used in the film. The film's opening credits were storyboarded by Tony Cliff.[14] The storybook illustration depictions of the sirens in Equestria were done by Rebecca Dart.[15] The illustrations shown during the ending credits were drawn by Katrina Hadley.[16]

In the audio commentary of the DVD, Equestria Girls was initially not intended to become a franchise, and the thought of a sequel did not cross Meghan McCarthy's mind. Additionally, Sunset did not become a main character until the second draft of the script.[15] The DVD commentary also points out that the midnight snack scene between Twilight and Sunset was actually added late into the film's production, Rarity's line "past...ahem...booboos" was ad-libbed by Germain, and the freestyle rap by Snips and Snails' human counterparts was genuine freestyling courtesy of Lee Tockar and Richard Cox.[15]

Friendship Games (2015)

Main article: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games

A forest clearing, used both for the Friendship Is Magic episode "Bloom & Gloom" and for this film, was previewed in a background image shown online back in November 2014.[17]

The third installment was first teased by Rainbow Rocks co-director, Ishi Rudell on December 12, 2014. Brony Donald "Dusty Katt" Rhoades tweeted wondering about Rudell's silence on Twitter, and Rudell replied that he was "too busy working on #3".[18]

On January 29, 2015, Australian home media distributor Beyond Home Entertainment stated via Facebook that they had obtained distribution rights for seasons 4 and 5 of Friendship Is Magic, in addition to Rainbow Rocks and the "third Equestria Girls [movie]".[19] Further confirmation was given during Hasbro's investor presentation at the 2015 New York Toy Fair.[20]

The concept designs for the film's ending credits were done by Katrina Hadley with Chris Lienonin and Jerremy Mah on the layouts.[21]

Legend of Everfree (2016)

On October 3, 2015, CEO of Hasbro Studios Stephen Davis said that a fourth film, subtitled "Legend of Everfree", was in development and will release sometime in late 2016.[22][23]

Cast and characters

Characters

Main article: List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic characters

The following characters made their debut in the Equestria Girls series, which is primarily set in a fictional human world parallel to the pony-inhabited fantasy setting of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, accessible via a magic mirror. The series additionally features alternate human versions of pony characters in roles similar to the television series, such as the "Mane Six" characters—Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity—as teenage high school students, the princesses as school principals, various adult characters as faculty members, and the dragon Spike as a dog. Characters from the television series who travel between worlds, such as Princess Twilight and Spike, assume similar forms in the human setting.

  • Sunset Shimmer (voiced by Rebecca Shoichet) – Sunset is a unicorn from Equestria and a renegade student of Princess Celestia's who appears in the Equestria Girls films as a resident of the human world. She is the antagonist of the first film, where she is the school bully of Canterlot High School who steals Princess Twilight's crown and Element of Magic to control the school. After Twilight pursues and defeats her alongside her friends' human counterparts, Sunset becomes remorseful and befriends them. Later films follow her efforts to fit in among the student body.
  • Flash Sentry (voiced by Vincent Tong) – Flash Sentry is a human guitar player who appears in all Equestria Girls films as a Canterlot High student and Sunset Shimmer's ex-boyfriend who takes a romantic interest in Twilight Sparkle. His Equestrian counterpart, a royal pegasus guard at the Crystal Empire, also appears briefly in the first film and the television series' fourth season.
  • The Dazzlings – The Dazzlings are a "villainous band" of sirens banished from Equestria who appear as the antagonists of Rainbow Rocks, aiming to control the residents of the human world through their enchanted singing. They are composed of the leader Adagio Dazzle (voiced by Kazumi Evans) and her two backup singers, the airheaded Sonata Dusk (voiced by Maryke Hendrikse, singing voice by Madeline Merlo) and abrasive Aria Blaze (voiced by Diana Kaarina, singing voice by Shylo Sharity).
  • Principal Cinch (voiced by Iris Quinn) – Abacus Cinch is the strict principal of Crystal Prep Academy, a prestigious school that rivals Canterlot High School, and is the main antagonist of Friendship Games. In the film, Cinch is obsessed with maintaining her school's reputation by manipulating her prized student, the human world's version of Twilight Sparkle.
  • The Shadowbolts – The Shadowbolts in Friendship Games are Crystal Prep's sports team that opposes Canterlot High's Wondercolts team. Their name is shared with Nightmare Moon's illusion based on the Wonderbolts from the television series' opening episodes. Apart from the human world's version of Twilight Sparkle, the team includes the blunt Sugarcoat (voiced by Sienna Bohn), two-faced Sour Sweet (voiced by Sharon Alexander), hyper-competitive Indigo Zap (voiced by Kelly Sheridan), disdainful Sunny Flare (voiced by Britt Irvin), and obnoxious Lemon Zest (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent).

Film cast

List indicator(s)
  • A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
  • An * indicates the character was introduced in the Equestria Girls series.
  • An E indicates a character who originates from the television series' setting of Equestria.
  • An H indicates a counterpart character from the films' human / high school setting.
Characters
Equestria Girls (2013) Rainbow Rocks (2014) Friendship Games (2015)
Twilight Sparkle Tara Strong,
Rebecca Shoichet (singing)E 		Tara Strong,
Rebecca Shoichet (singing)E H
Sunset Shimmer* Rebecca ShoichetE
Applejack Ashleigh BallE H Ashleigh BallH
Fluttershy Andrea LibmanE H Andrea LibmanH
Pinkie Pie Andrea Libman,
Shannon Chan-Kent (singing)E H 		Andrea Libman,
Shannon Chan-Kent (singing)H
Rainbow Dash Ashleigh BallE H Ashleigh BallH
Rarity Tabitha St. Germain,
Kazumi Evans (singing)E H 		Tabitha St. Germain,
Kazumi Evans (singing)H
Spike Cathy WeseluckE Cathy WeseluckE H Cathy WeseluckH
PrincessE / PrincipalH Celestia Nicole OliverE H Nicole OliverH
PrincessE / Vice PrincipalH Luna Tabitha St. GermainE H Tabitha St. GermainH
PrincessE / DeanH Cadance Britt McKillipE   Britt McKillipH
Trixie Lulamoon Kathleen Barr (uncredited)H Kathleen BarrH cameoH
Apple Bloom Michelle Creber (uncredited)H Michelle CreberH cameoH
Scootaloo Madeleine Peters (archived audio)H cameoH
Sweetie Belle Claire Corlett (uncredited)H Claire Corlett (credits only)H cameoH
Big McIntosh Peter New (uncredited)H Peter NewH  
Cheerilee Nicole OliverH   cameoH
Mrs. Cup Cake Tabitha St. Germain (uncredited)H cameoH  
Photo Finish cameoH Tabitha St. GermainH cameoH
Flash Sentry* Vincent TongE H Vincent TongH
Snips Lee TockarH cameoH
Snails Richard Ian CoxH cameoH
Octavia Melody   Kazumi Evans (uncredited)H cameoH
Maud Pie   Ingrid NilsonH  
Sweetie Drops   cameoH Andrea LibmanH
Adagio Dazzle*   Kazumi EvansE cameoE
Aria Blaze*   Diana Kaarina,
Shylo Sharity (singing)E 		cameoE
Sonata Dusk*   Maryke Hendrikse,
Madeline Merlo (singing)E 		cameoE
Shining Armor   Andrew FrancisH
Principal Abacus Cinch*   Iris QuinnH
Indigo Zap*   Kelly SheridanH
Lemon Zest*   Shannon Chan-KentH
Sour Sweet*   Sharon AlexanderH
Sugarcoat*   Sienna BohnH
Sunny Flare*   Britt IrvinH

Animated short cast

List indicator(s)
  • A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the short.
  • An * indicates the character was introduced in the Equestria Girls series.
  • An E indicates a character who originates from the television series' setting of Equestria.
  • An H indicates a counterpart character from the shorts' human / high school setting.
Characters
Rainbow Rocks (2014) Friendship Games (2015)
Twilight Sparkle Rebecca Shoichet (singing)E  
Sunset Shimmer* Rebecca ShoichetE
Applejack Ashleigh BallH
Fluttershy Andrea LibmanH
Pinkie Pie Andrea Libman,
Shannon Chan-Kent (singing)H		 Andrea LibmanH
Rainbow Dash Ashleigh BallH
Rarity Tabitha St. Germain,
Kazumi Evans (singing)H		 Tabitha St. GermainH
Vice Principal Luna cameoH Tabitha St. GermainH
Trixie Lulamoon Kathleen BarrH  
Mrs. Cup Cake Tabitha St. GermainH  
Granny Smith Tabitha St. GermainH  
Flim Samuel VincentH  
Flam Scott McNeilH  
Photo Finish cameoH Tabitha St. GermainH
Lyra Heartstrings cameoH Ashleigh BallH
Sweetie Drops cameoH Andrea LibmanH
Flash Sentry* cameoH Vincent TongH
Micro Chips* cameoH James KirkH
Sandalwood* cameoH Vincent TongH

Media

Film series

Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Producer(s) Status
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls June 16, 2013[nb 1] Jayson Thiessen Meghan McCarthy Sarah Wall and Devon Cody Released
Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks September 27, 2014[nb 1]
Equestria Girls: Friendship Games September 26, 2015[nb 2] Ishi Rudell Josh Haber Devon Cody
Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree TBA 2016 TBA In production

Notes

  1. ^ a b Released in select theaters.
  2. ^ Television network premiere on Discovery Family.

Discography

  • My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Soundtrack (2013)
  • Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks – Soundtrack (2014)
  • My Little Pony: 2015 Convention Collection (2015)
  • Equestria Girls: Friendship Games – Soundtrack (2015)

Equestria Girls miniseries

An online miniseries of four 16-second shorts was uploaded onto the official Equestria Girls YouTube channel from February 11 to April 8, 2016 to promote the "Equestria Girls Minis" toy line. The shorts focus on the main characters preparing for a slumber party.

Title Release Date Starring
Slumber Party: Episode 1 February 11, 2016 Pinkie Pie
Slumber Party: Episode 2 February 11, 2016 Twilight Sparkle & Spike
Slumber Party: Episode 3 February 11, 2016 Rarity
Slumber Party: Episode 4 April 8, 2016 The Main Cast (The Mane Six)

References

  1. ^ Watercutter, Angela (2011-06-09). "My Little Pony Corrals Unlikely Fanboys Known as 'Bronies'". Wired. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  2. ^ "Friendship is Witchcraft & Equestria Girls Taken Down". Equestria Daily. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  3. ^ "USPTO TSDR Case Viewer". Tsdr.uspto.gov. 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  4. ^ a b Christie, Brendan (February–March 2013). "Hasbro Hits its Stride" (PDF). Kidscreen. pp. 33–34. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  5. ^ a b c d Schmidt, Gregory (2013-05-12). "A New Direction for a Hasbro Stalwart". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  6. ^ Bryan, Steven (2013-06-26). "'My Little Pony: Equestria Girls' Takes the Ponies to a Brand-New Universe". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  7. ^ Chalker, Anne Marie (2014-02-16). "Toy Makers Look to Extend the Run of Classic Girls' Characters". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  8. ^ "Hasbro Builds on MY LITTLE PONY Brand Growth Catering to Fans Worldwide" (Press release). Hasbro. 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  9. ^ Johnson, Rich (2013-07-11). "Samurai Jack Joins Doctor Who, Khan And My Little Pony As Locke & Key Comes To An End In IDW's October Solicitations For 2013". Bleeding Cool News. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
  10. ^ Busis, Hilary (2013-07-30). "'Equestria Girls': Go behind the scenes of 'My Little Pony' spin-off in exclusive clip". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  11. ^ "Hasbro Reveals My Little Pony Lineup At Toy Fair 2014". ToyBuzz.org. 2014-02-18. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  12. ^ McCarthy, Meghan (2014-02-13), "["Rainbow Rocks" Production Work Confirmation]", (Self-published), Twitter, retrieved 2014-02-13. {{citation}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |title= at position 1 (help)
  13. ^ Ingram, Daniel (2014-02-13), "[Number of Songs in "Rainbow Rocks" Confirmation]", (Self-published), Twitter, retrieved 2014-02-13. {{citation}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |title= at position 1 (help)
  14. ^ Rudell, Ishi (2014-09-27), "["Rainbow Rocks" Opening Credits Storyboard Artist Confirmation]", (Self-published), Twitter, retrieved 2014-09-27. {{citation}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |title= at position 1 (help)
  15. ^ a b c Connelly, Sherrily (2014-10-22). "The 14 Coolest Things from the My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks DVD Commentary". Topless Robot. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  16. ^ Rudell, Ishi (2014-09-27), "["Rainbow Rocks" Ending Credits Illustrations Artist Confirmation]", (Self-published), Twitter, retrieved 2014-09-27. {{citation}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |title= at position 1 (help)
  17. ^ Caesar, Phil (November 2014). "Untitled". phils portfolio. Blogger. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  18. ^ Rudell, Ishi (December 12, 2014). "#3 confirmation tweet". Twitter. Retrieved December 12, 2014. (Archived locally)
  19. ^ "Mark Davenport - Have you taken over taken the rights of..." Facebook. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  20. ^ Hasbro (February 13, 2015). "2015 Investor Update at Toy Fair" (PDF). p. 63.
  21. ^ Rudell, Ishi (September 28, 2015), "[Film's ending credits crew confirmation]", Twitter, retrieved September 28, 2015 {{citation}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |title= at position 1 (help)
  22. ^ The Ferret (February 12, 2016). "New Equestria Girls - Legends of the Everfree Coming Fall 2016". Equestria Daily. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  23. ^ Keynote: Stephen Davis, Hasbro – MIPJunior 2015. YouTube. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015. Note: Confirmation at 18:37.


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