My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
| Type | Fashion doll, Film series, Mini-series |
|---|---|
| Company | Hasbro Studios DHX Media/Vancouver |
| Country | United States and Canada |
| Availability | 2012–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)
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 will be 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)
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)
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
Films
| Characters | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| My Little Pony Equestria Girls |
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks |
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Friendship Games | |
| Twilight Sparkle | Tara Strong Rebecca Shoichet (singing) | ||
| Applejack | Ashleigh Ball | ||
| Fluttershy | Andrea Libman | ||
| Pinkie Pie | Andrea Libman Shannon Chan-Kent (singing) | ||
| Rainbow Dash | Ashleigh Ball | ||
| Rarity | Tabitha St. Germain Kazumi Evans (singing) | ||
| Spike | Cathy Weseluck | Cathy Weseluck (dog) | |
| Sunset Shimmer | Rebecca Shoichet | Rebecca Shoichet (human) | |
| Princess / Principal Celestia | Nicole Oliver | Nicole Oliver (Principal) | |
| Princess / Vice Principal Luna | Tabitha St. Germain | Tabitha St. Germain (Vice Principal) | |
| Princess / Dean Cadance | Britt McKillip (Princess) | Britt McKillip (Dean) | |
| Snips | Lee Tockar | cameo | |
| Snails | Richard Ian Cox | cameo | |
| Cheerilee | Nicole Oliver | cameo | |
| Apple Bloom | Michelle Creber (uncredited) | Michelle Creber | cameo |
| Scootaloo | Madeleine Peters (archived audio) | cameo | |
| Sweetie Belle | Claire Corlett (uncredited) | Claire Corlett (credits only) | cameo |
| Big McIntosh | Peter New (uncredited) | Peter New | |
| Mrs. Cake | Tabitha St. Germain (uncredited) | cameo | |
| Trixie Lulamoon | Kathleen Barr (uncredited) | Kathleen Barr | cameo |
| Photo Finish | cameo | Tabitha St. Germain | cameo |
| Granny Smith | cameo | ||
| DJ Pon-3 | N/A | ||
| Sandalwood | cameo | ||
| Micro Chips | cameo | ||
| Adagio Dazzle | Kazumi Evans | cameo | |
| Aria Blaze | Diana Kaarina Shylo Sharity (singing) |
cameo | |
| Sonata Dusk | Maryke Hendrikse Madeline Merlo (singing) |
cameo | |
| Maud Pie | Ingrid Nilson | ||
| Octavia Melody | Kazumi Evans (uncredited) | cameo | |
| Lyra Heartstrings | cameo | ||
| Sweetie Drops | cameo | Andrea Libman | |
| Principal Abacus Cinch | Iris Quinn | ||
| Sugarcoat | Sienna Bohn | ||
| Sour Sweet | Sharon Alexander | ||
| Indigo Zap | Kelly Sheridan | ||
| Sunny Flare | Britt Irvin | ||
| Lemon Zest | Shannon Chan-Kent | ||
| Shining Armor | Andrew Francis | ||
Animated shorts
| Characters | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks |
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Friendship Games | ||
| Twilight Sparkle | Rebecca Shoichet (singing) | ||
| Applejack | Ashleigh Ball | ||
| Fluttershy | Andrea Libman | ||
| Pinkie Pie | Andrea Libman Shannon Chan-Kent (singing) |
Andrea Libman | |
| Rainbow Dash | Ashleigh Ball | ||
| Rarity | Tabitha St. Germain Kazumi Evans (singing) |
Tabitha St. Germain | |
| Spike | cameo | ||
| Sunset Shimmer | Rebecca Shoichet (human) | ||
| Princess / Principal Celestia | cameo | ||
| Princess / Vice Principal Luna | cameo | Tabitha St. Germain | |
| Flash Sentry | cameo | Vincent Tong | |
| Princess / Dean Cadance | |||
| Snips | cameo | ||
| Snails | cameo | ||
| Cheerilee | cameo | ||
| Apple Bloom | cameo | ||
| Scootaloo | cameo | ||
| Sweetie Belle | cameo | ||
| Big McIntosh | cameo | ||
| Mrs. Cake | Tabitha St. Germain | ||
| Trixie Lulamoon | Kathleen Barr | ||
| Photo Finish | cameo | Tabitha St. Germain | |
| Granny Smith | Tabitha St. Germain | ||
| DJ Pon-3 | N/A | ||
| Sandalwood | cameo | Vincent Tong | |
| Micro Chips | cameo | James Kirk | |
| Adagio Dazzle | |||
| Aria Blaze | |||
| Sonata Dusk | |||
| Maud Pie | |||
| Octavia Melody | |||
| Lyra Heartstrings | Ashleigh Ball | ||
| Sweetie Drops | Andrea Libman | ||
| Principal Abacus Cinch | |||
| Sugarcoat | |||
| Sour Sweet | |||
| Indigo Zap | |||
| Sunny Flare | |||
| Lemon Zest | |||
| Shining Armor | |||
| Flim | Samuel Vincent | ||
| Flam | Scott McNeil | ||
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
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 all-new online miniseries of four 16-second shorts featuring the Equestria Girls was uploaded onto the official Equestria Girls YouTube channel from February 11 to April 8, 2016.
| Title | Release Date | Starring | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slumber Party: Episode 1 | February 11, 2016 | Pinkie Pie | When Pinkie gets a text that the girls are going to have a slumber party, she gets things ready — with messy results. |
| Slumber Party: Episode 2 | February 11, 2016 | Twilight Sparkle & Spike | As the party draws nearer, Twilight is in charge of making the popcorn. Unfortunately, she gets a little too distracted, and everything explodes in a messy pile — much to the surprising approval of Spike. |
| Slumber Party: Episode 3 | February 11, 2016 | Rarity | With the popcorn ready and the party just moments from starting, Rarity decides to make herself look beautiful – but when she powders too much, she makes things worse by accidentally using Pinkie Pie's crazy string can. |
| Slumber Party: Episode 4 | April 8, 2016 | The Main Cast (The Mane Six) | After all the preparations, it's time to party! The girls have pillow fights, funny pranks and, of course, the bestest time EVER! |
References
- ^ Watercutter, Angela (2011-06-09). "My Little Pony Corrals Unlikely Fanboys Known as 'Bronies'". Wired. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- ^ "Friendship is Witchcraft & Equestria Girls Taken Down". Equestria Daily. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- ^ "USPTO TSDR Case Viewer". Tsdr.uspto.gov. 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
- ^ a b Christie, Brendan (February–March 2013). "Hasbro Hits its Stride" (PDF). Kidscreen. pp. 33–34. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
- ^ a b c d Schmidt, Gregory (2013-05-12). "A New Direction for a Hasbro Stalwart". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ^ Bryan, Steven (2013-06-26). "'My Little Pony: Equestria Girls' Takes the Ponies to a Brand-New Universe". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
- ^ Chalker, Anne Marie (2014-02-16). "Toy Makers Look to Extend the Run of Classic Girls' Characters". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
- ^ "Hasbro Builds on MY LITTLE PONY Brand Growth Catering to Fans Worldwide" (Press release). Hasbro. 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Hasbro Reveals My Little Pony Lineup At Toy Fair 2014". ToyBuzz.org. 2014-02-18. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ 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) - ^ 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) - ^ 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) - ^ 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.
- ^ 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) - ^ Caesar, Phil (November 2014). "Untitled". phils portfolio. Blogger. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ^ Rudell, Ishi (December 12, 2014). "#3 confirmation tweet". Twitter. Retrieved December 12, 2014. (Archived locally)
- ^ "Mark Davenport - Have you taken over taken the rights of..." Facebook. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ^ Hasbro (February 13, 2015). "2015 Investor Update at Toy Fair" (PDF). p. 63.
- ^ 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) - ^ The Ferret (February 12, 2016). "New Equestria Girls - Legends of the Everfree Coming Fall 2016". Equestria Daily. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ Keynote: Stephen Davis, Hasbro – MIPJunior 2015. YouTube. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015. Note: Confirmation at 18:37.
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