There's a new team of powerful ponies to spread the love in "My Little Pony: A New Generation."
The film takes audiences of the beloved "My Little Pony" franchise to a new point in time
for Equestria, when magic has disappeared.
Instead, the world is riddled with division and distrust among the Earth Ponies, Unicorns,
and Pegasi
At the center of the story is Sunny Starscout, an Earth Pony who was raised by her father
to still believe in the legends of magic and the unity of all ponykind -- which makes her
something of an outcast in this new world of fear.
"Earth ponies of Maretime Bay.
Fear is not your friend."
"My Little Pony: A New Generation" is a film that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.
In addition to being a visually dazzling and heartwarming story that'll thrill young viewers,
it also includes some meaningful messaging for the adults who might be tuning in to watch.
Here's a look at some of the things adults are bound to notice about "My Little Pony:
A New Generation."
"My Little Pony" has been a beloved part of pop culture for four decades, and in "A New
Generation," we see Sunny and her new friend Izzy join forces with Earth Pony Hitch and
Pegasi princesses Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals to form the fifth generation of "My Little
Pony" pals.
Before the new team unites, though, the film opens with a tender tribute to the previous
group that made such a splash over the past decade: the Mane 6.
Though an unknown period of time has passed since these "Guardians of Friendship" worked
their magic for Equestria, Sunny is a huge fan of Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy,
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, and she believes the stories about a time when all
ponykind worked together for the greater good.
For grown ups in the couch crowd, the shots of little Sunny playing with the action figures
are bound to be both meta and a shot of nostalgia, especially for anyone who once did the same.
One of the most striking things about the story world in "My Little Pony: A New Generation"
is how ingrained the various prejudices about the other pony species have become in each
of the societies.
Even Sunny and Izzy, who both buck the system to become fast friends and work together,
have to work to find out the truth about each other's physical makeup and magical capabilities.
Over the course of the film, we steadily learn that such misconceptions abound throughout
Equestria.
Earth Ponies think that Unicorns can control their minds and Pegasi will snatch them into
the sky, while both species regard Earth Ponies as dumb and smelly.
"What are you doing?"
"You don't smell."
"Thanks. Wait, what?"
"I was told all you Earth ponies smell like rotten sardines, but you do not.
Hm."
They're all completely wrong, of course, but their biases have divided them all into increasingly
isolated and unhinged little communities.
It's packaged in a fun story, but it's a very clear statement on the perils of intense factionalism
in modern society.
"Yeah, I'm a unicorn and we're eeevil."
Adults are also bound to notice just how effective the use of scare tactics are in riling up
the community into a full-on mob mentality.
The Unicorn- and Pegasi-hating entrepreneur Phyllis Cloverleaf is incredibly
successful at spreading her message of imminent danger as a means of selling her protection
products at Canterlogic.
"To be scared is to be prepared.
Oh, I love it."
We see other forms of control being used throughout the other communities as well, of course.
In Zephyr Hills, Queen Haven and her daughters also manipulate their citizens by pretending
that the royals are the only ones who can still fly.
Meanwhile, in Bridlewood, the influential stallion Alphabittle keeps people under his
hooves by outsmarting them at betting games, and, without any magic running through their
horns, the entire forest is just collectively bummed out.
But when it comes down to it, all of these communities are driven by their distrust and
fears of other pony species.
"There's nothing to fear.
Those nasty little ponies have been captured.
Your queen will protect you.
Shut it off."
There's a point in "A New Generation" when all hope seems lost for Sunny.
Even after she and her new friends manage to gather the two crystals from Zephyr Hills
and Bridlewood, nothing happens, and it seems that everyone is doomed to go their separate
ways into miserably isolated existences without the return of Equestrian magic.
The thing that seems to shatter Sunny's sunny disposition the most is the sight of someone
who reminds her of herself, who's also crushed that the crystals didn't work.
"Why didn't it work, daddy?"
"Because it was all just make believe."
It's a stark contrast from the tales of infinite possibilities and optimism that her own father
regaled her with as a child, and it seems that Sunny is instantly heartbroken and resentful
of her late dad for not giving her that kind of reality check.
She even returns home to literally put away childish things, including the everypony carousel
her dad made her as a kid.
Kids will definitely feel the sadness of the moment, but adults will more fully understand
that turning point where your childhood hopes and dreams get tempered by the gloomier realities
of the world.
In the end, of course, it's Sunny who discovers the missing piece of the puzzle, as there
is another crystal hidden in that very toy and a place in her lighthouse to fit all three
together.
And once she does, Sunny's wildest childhood ambitions come true as she's gifted with the
wings of a Pegasus and the horn of a Unicorn, just like what she wore for fun as a kid.
One thing more mature audiences are likely to notice about Sunny's feat is that she was
always meant for this moment.
It's not just that she is the one who dreamed of uniting all the ponies and even dressed
up as the others for fun.
She also lives in a lighthouse, which is symbolic of her being the one to usher everyone in
safely, and, well, her name is Sunny, which is reflective of the star that tipped everyone
off about the magical crystals in the first place.
In other words, Sunny was always meant to be a guiding light for ponykind, and now she
has quite literally brought them all together, even more than she ever dreamed she could.
"You did it, Sunny."
"No, we did it together!"
Thanks for watching.
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