Netflix - My Little Pony : A New Generation : all you must know about the upcoming movie

By Mulder, 12 august 2021

Entertainment One’s animated adventure film “My Little Pony: A New Generation” gallops onto Netflix, September 24, 2021, and also into theaters in China, Russia, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand on the same day.

The Mane 5 voice cast for the equestrian-themed feature are Vanessa Hudgens (‘Sunny’), Kimiko Glenn (‘Izzy’), James Marsden (‘Hitch’), Sofia Carson (‘Pipp’), and Liza Koshy (‘Zipp’). Additional voice cast members include Ken Jeong (‘Sprout’), Elizabeth Perkins (‘Phyllis’), Jane Krakowski (‘Queen Haven’), Phil LaMarr (‘Alphabittle’), and Michael McKean (‘Argyle’). 

The film is directed by Robert Cullen, José L. Ucha, and co-directed by Mark Fattibene. The story was created by Robert Cullen & José L. Ucha, and Tim Sullivan. The screenplay was written by Tim Sullivan and Gillian Berrow. Cecil Kramer and Peter Lewis serve as producers.

My Little Pony has been beloved for nearly 40 years, ever since the world was introduced to the first six pony characters - Cotton Candy, Blue Belle, Butterscotch, Minty, Snuzzle, and Blossom - in 1983. Since that launch, more than 400 million ponies have been welcomed into homes around the world, and the ponies have become a meaningful part of pop culture, transcending both age and gender.

Each decade, what has remained constant in the universe of My Little Pony is how synonymous they have become with the transcendent magic that radiates from being a good friend to others. Emily Thompson, Hasbro’s Global Brand Lead - and a co-producer on “My Little Pony: A New Generation” - shares, “This is a universe without sexism, racism, or homophobia. It’s an idyllic society. With pastelcolored ponies, everyone is coming together and celebrating their uniqueness and their differences. My Little Pony has stood for friendship and inclusion since the very beginning.”

Three years after the toys debuted came the first feature-length film, “My Little Pony: The Movie” with Danny DeVito, Cloris Leachman, Rhea Perlman, Tony Randall, and Madeline Kahn lending their voices to the pony characters. Other stories soon followed, both on-screen and in print, and in 2010, a series dedicated to telling tales about the importance of friendship - “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” premiered - becoming a global phenomenon and featuring what would be known as the Mane 6 ponies - Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack. These ponies also starred in a theatrical film titled “My Little Pony: The Movie” in 2017. More recently, the Mane 6 ponies and their heartwarming stories of camaraderie can be seen in “My Little Pony: Pony Life.” 

Wonderfully memorable music has also always been associated with the world of My Little Pony. In addition to the iconic theme songs, over 60 albums in 12 different languages have been released in conjunction with past series and films. Now with “My Little Pony: A New Generation,” more showstopping songs will complement this inspiring new story about acceptance and friendship, accompanied for the first time by stunning 3D CGI animation.

As kids and families around the world are introduced to a whole new generation of ponies with distinct personalities, goals, and aspirations, for the first time they will also become acquainted with a male pony in the core group of friends, so every kid will be able to see themselves reflected in this special band of horses. After all, My Little Pony is for everyone.

“My Little Pony: A New Generation” began taking shape shortly after the prior movie debuted in 2017. After numerous discussions about the direction in which to take the ponies next on screen and whether to continue the stories of the Mane 6 in the next feature film, the decision was made to innovate this world by expanding the ponyverse further, jumping ahead in the timeline and allowing audiences to go on a brand new fantastical journey across Equestria alongside a new generation of ponies. This would allow the filmmakers to not only build upon a decade of incredible storytelling and rich lore, but also have a lot of fun connecting these generations and subtly paying homage to what came before.

The team at Hasbro/eOne was also excited by the prospect of evolving the world further to allow the next generation of pony fans to see more of their peer groups represented on screen. This resulting new chapter for My Little Pony will undoubtedly appeal to both those with no prior experience of the ponyverse, as well as the incredibly passionate existing fanbase for these characters.

“Kids today are acutely aware of what is going on in the world and they want to see their lives represented in what they watch,” says Thompson. “The message in this new film is that even though the world can be scary and the people around you can be doing things that you don’t understand or you don’t agree with, but even though you’re little, you still have a voice. You have an opportunity to take part, change the world and make it a better place.”

This became the starting point for a tale that centered on one of the new central pony characters in the Mane 5 - Sunny Starscout - a young Earth Pony who is determined to solve the mystery of why the pony species have all become separated over time and why the magic in Equestria has gone missing. Sunny is an activist pony determined to improve the world by choosing to spread a message of friendship and acceptance, in spite of the challenging circumstances that surround her..

It was also determined early on that the new film would be produced in theatrical-quality, 3D CGI animation for the first time. This would fully immerse the audience in a lush, fully-realized pony world allowing for an even deeper bond between kids and characters. The film was animated by multi-awardwinning Irish animation studio, Boulder Media, based in Dublin, and “My Little Pony: A New Generation” marks the first 3D animated feature film produced not only by Boulder but in Ireland.

The film is directed by Boulder’s Robert Cullen and José Ucha, and co-directed by Mark Fattibene. Cullen and Ucha, both the parents of young children, were thrilled by the prospect of creating a new adventure for the My Little Pony universe, and couldn’t be more proud to have produced Ireland’s first 3D animated feature.

“We’d never made a feature film before, particularly a full CG theatrical-quality release, so we had to create everything from scratch and also find the talent to make the movie. It’s been a massive undertaking but it’s been one of the best experiences of my professional life,” says Cullen.

Ucha adds that while they knew there were always going to be challenges, they couldn’t wait to take them on, understanding just how important My Little Pony is to so many people around the world. “I remember when ‘Friendship is Magic’ came out and I saw what an impact it had,” he recalls. “It has been so much fun to play in a world with rainbows, glitter, and color. We love the happiness of the brand and we knew we could make this film funny and ultimately surprise people.”

Given the monumental enterprise in front of the animation studio, accomplished producer Cecil Kramer joined the project to help guide the team. Kramer had spent 12 years at Dreamworks and possessed an innate understanding of what was going to be most challenging when it came to setting up a 3D CG pipeline.

“It’s a really hard thing to do and you don’t realize how hard it is until you’re in it,” Kramer explains. “We had a 2D studio who had only ever done TV, in a country that had never done a 3D animated feature and who were now working on launching a 3D CG animated film.”

However, on arriving in Ireland to see Boulder’s initial reel, Kramer says she was amazed by what they had already been able to accomplish. She remembers, “They had all three acts in there only a matter of months after receiving the script for the first time. I thought, ‘Wow, hats off!’ It was entertaining, there was so much in it and I was truly impressed. This project started out as the little engine that could, but there were true believers and the whole team had an open mind about allowing seasoned veterans to come in to support them.”

It was Kramer who brought in co-director Mark Fattibene to complement the work Cullen and Ucha were doing. “Rob’s strength was animation so we knew he would run with that, José’s strength is in story solutions, and then Mark ran with the pipeline and everyone was unified when it came to layout,” she says. “There’s a quiet strength to Rob and José and there’s no ego. They really set the tone for the film.”

“Everyone respected everyone else,” agrees Fattibene. “There were people who may not have had a lot of experience in CG or features but who really rose to the occasion and took up the challenge. We always tried to be really respectful to the essence of My Little Pony and I’m so proud that we made a movie that both felt true to My Little Pony but also felt relevant to the world today.”

As has been the case with most recent productions around the world, work on the film had commenced pre-pandemic so significant adjustments needed to be made during the course of the last 18 months. In the case of “My Little Pony: A New Generation,” this resulted in the production becoming an even more international affair.

“The movie is about embracing diversity and different cultures and this movie was the United Nations,” says Cullen. “We had every nationality involved in this film and everyone brought their own gifts, talents, and viewpoints to the movie as well. It was so great to have people from different upbringings and backgrounds put their own mark on the film because it made it more authentic given the message that ‘My Little Pony: A New Generation’ is delivering.”

The film’s Head of Animation, Graham Gallagher shares, “The animation team started as being all based in Ireland, but after the pandemic, we had 48 animators and we hired people from all over the world. This meant that I was sometimes talking to people in five time zones in a single day.” “I think this film helped us all survive COVID a little better, feel a little happier and be more positive,” adds Fattibene. “The film’s message really permeated with everyone and it’s great to think that this crew - no matter where they’re from - will be able to watch the movie with their families and friends and it will resonate with them. It won’t feel like it’s solely an American film because the references in the movie are really from all over.”

The rei(g)n of a new era of ponies

When it came to the central idea of “My Little Pony: A New Generation,” the story was conceived by Cullen, Ucha, and Tim Sullivan, who also served as co-screenwriter, alongside Gillian Berrow. It was important to the filmmakers that the movie reflected what kids and families around the world could use more of right now: great humor, action, music, and most of all, heart.

While the stories in past pony productions existed within a vague fantasy timeline, the characters in “My Little Pony: A New Generation'' have been brought into our modern world. “The ponies in this generation are very much adjacent to what kids' lives today are like, in terms of both social media and also the social issues that are relevant to today’s kids,” says Berrow.

Cullen says he was always deeply invested in telling Sunny’s story and found inspiration in the actions of young people around the world who are making a difference in their communities. “What happens to a character like Sunny who, deep in her heart, believes that there’s something wrong with her world and no one else believes her?” he says. “What does it take for a character like that to not just say that there’s something wrong, but to go out and do something about it? Greta Thunberg kept coming back to us as an inspiration because she went from being a child protesting at her school to crossing the Atlantic Ocean and addressing a room of the world’s most powerful people. To me, that was an interesting story to tell because it is hard for people to go out and speak their truth.”

For Ucha, this new story added so much to the My Little Pony canon of tales about Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns. “The set up of this movie is to forget about the past unity between these species because now these colorful, cute ponies don’t get along and they live separately. I thought, ‘Wow, you don’t expect that from a pony movie!’ We are telling the story of how it comes full circle and gets back to a super cute place where they love each other as they should because it’s My Little Pony.”

Berrow had been writing for properties featuring the My Little Pony characters for several years including “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” “Equestria Girls,” and “Pony Life” but in reality, she had been preparing for this role far longer. “I was very into My Little Pony as a child,” she recalls. “Whenever my grandmother would babysit me, I’d have separation anxiety and we’d watch the ‘My Little Pony’ movie on repeat. It was the only thing that would chill me out. I’m so excited for people to fall in love with these new characters and to spend some time in a world of sparkles, rainbows, and magic. I’m also hoping that there will be that next generation of little ones who want to watch it on repeat and be calmed or excited by it like I was when I was little.”

For the directors, it was invaluable to be working with a writer who had had her hooves so deep in this universe for so long. “While we did have a lot of freedom when it came to creating the story of this movie, we also had great advisors,” shares Ucha. “If we ever got to a point that seemed like maybe it was too far out of the pony world, we really relied on people like Gillian.”

Fans of “Friendship is Magic” will also undoubtedly be excited to watch the new film’s opening scene unfold, as it features the previous generation of pony characters and provides a beautiful bridge between the stories. Berrow was ecstatic to work with her old pony friends again for this sequence. “It was very helpful to have written for those characters for years and years so I knew exactly what to write for them,” she says. “It was so wonderful to hear their voices again for a moment.”

Cullen admired the way Berrow infused such vibrancy into all of the ponies. “The film has a really strong female voice, but it’s also a fresh, contemporary voice so it lent authenticity to the characters and their personalities. It didn’t feel forced. It felt natural and likable. She brought a real freshness to these characters.”

Ucha adds that it was imperative to everyone on the creative team that the film never talked down to children or felt condescending in any way. “Kids are used to watching much more sophisticated stuff than we did at their age,” he says. “It’s the same with the music because children today don’t listen to the silly, super young songs that we listened to when we were kids. That’s why I think it will be a surprise for audiences who might not expect what they get from this movie. We also wanted to reward parents for their interest and their time with something that makes them feel like they just had a really fun experience too.”

It was equally crucial to Berrow that while the characters may have elements of previous pony casts - or pay homage to certain archetypes - that they are each truly unique. “Their interests, their mannerisms, and their passions are very different and more aligned with today’s young person,” she explains. “Sunny is this passionate activist and we brought a lot of nuance to her role. My main goal was to make sure that they all really felt like friends by the end of the film, that there was a true bond and some true emotional weight behind it.”

“What still amazes me,” notes Ucha, “is that you watch 83 minutes of colorful talking ponies who are running, drinking, grabbing things, eating, singing, and sleeping, and you don’t question it at all. That’s truly amazing and for that, Gillian, Graham, and the animation team were essential.”

“My Little Pony: A New Generation’”s stunning CG animation is accompanied by beautifully nuanced performances by an all-star cast, allowing the audience to form a connection with these characters in an even deeper way than ever before. “We wanted powerhouse, passionate, fiery, and fun women to bring these ponies to life,” says Thomspon of the initial search for the female leads. “We also wanted to make them feel relatable, like friends that you want to have, and friends that you want to hang out with.” Adds Cullen, “There’s a playfulness and lightheartedness to all of the performances, and they could all sing!”

Sunny Starscout voiced by Vanessa Hudgens

Sunny is an Earth Pony who is curious, adventurous, and determined to make the world a better place.
Pony Kind: Earth Pony, Home: Maretime Bay, Hobby: Roller skating
Passion: Bringing magic and harmony to all pony kinds
Cutie Mark: Shooting star. Sunny’s cutie mark not only reflects her name but also the idea that stars have always been used for navigation. She’s a born explorer who’s leading a whole world to a new way of life.

Earth Ponies like Sunny are known for being honest, hard-working, and practical and they have a strong sense of community. They have never experienced magic - only hearing tales passed down to them - and they have been taught to be very afraid of Unicorns and Pegasi in this new pony world.

However, Sunny doesn’t fit in with the rest of the Earth Ponies because she has an insatiable curiosity about the other species. She feels very strongly that ponies were meant to live united - not divided - and she’ll stop at nothing to change the hearts and minds of the rest of the Earth Ponies. It’s her mission to make the world a better place.

When it came to finding the perfect actress to bring this wonderfully adventurous, hopeful, and brave character to life on screen, the filmmakers immediately looked to Vanessa Hudgens who they believed would not only play the humor and heart of Sunny beautifully but she would also be able to do justice to the film’s spectacular songs.

Upon taking the role, Hudgens revealed that she had been a fan of My Little Pony since she was “a wee little thing.” She says, “I remember playing with My Little Ponies when I was four or five years old. I distinctly remember sitting in my bedroom and it was just me and my My Little Pony. That little pony meant a lot to me.” 

Hudgens’ co-stars agree that Sunny’s casting was spot on. “Vanessa gave life to Sunny,” says Liza Koshy, who plays the Pegasus princess, Pipp. “She did such a spectacular job. I've been a fan of Vanessa’s for a long time so to be able to be in a movie together was fun and she absolutely crushed it. She is so grounded and she is the heart throughout the entire film. We're so invested in her story and she brought us along with her.”

Aside from her childhood love of My Little Pony, Hudgens says that what drew her to playing Sunny was the character’s persistence in speaking out for something she believes in, even if it’s not the popular opinion. “She has faith that Earth Ponies can be friends with Pegasi and Unicorns and that there doesn't need to be any fear. So she is going to stand her ground and tell that to everyone who's willing to listen, even if it hurts her at times and even if people don't understand her. She stands up for what she believes in and I respect that.”

Hudgens also felt that the ideas running throughout the story couldn’t have been better timed. “I feel like this is the perfect moment for this movie because there is a lot of separation in the world. If some pony - or somebody - doesn't look like you and you may not know a lot about them, you should still treat each other with kindness and love because that's truly magical.”

izzy Moonbow voiced by Kimiko Glenn

Izzy is an energetic Unicorn who loves crafting, creating, and sparkles.
Pony Kind: Unicorn, Home: Bridlewood Forest, Hobby: Arts and crafts, Passion: Uni-cycling (unicorn upcycling!) and creating beauty out of ordinary things
Cutie Mark: Heart with crafting pins and buttons. Izzy’s Cutie Mark reflects her creativity. Izzy is friendship personified and the big heart indicates love and acceptance in its purest form.

Izzy is different from the other Unicorns because even in a world without magic, she has found a way to sparkle brighter than ever. Everypony has a sparkle and finding your sparkle is about discovering the glimmer within you that makes you extraordinary. However, Izzy decides her sparkle may actually be too sparkly for Bridlewood and so she leaves to find a place where she fits in, kicking off the big adventure. She is thrilled to make a new group of friends and immediately accepts the other species without a moment of hesitation.

As the creative team set out on a search for the right person to capture Izzy’s beautiful and unique spirit, Kimiko Glenn came quickly to mind. The filmmakers were fans of the actress’ work on the Broadway musical “Waitress” - and knew that not only would she deliver on the film’s incredibly catchy songs, but that she’d perfectly personify Izzy’s humor, energy, and Unicorn quirkiness. “I think she actually is a Unicorn, to be honest,” laughs Cullen. “She was a revelation. With a lot of the dialogue, we encouraged the actors to go off script and adlib with whatever felt right to them and a lot of the adlibbing made it into the final film. It was absolute gold dust.”

Glenn says she was enraptured by the charming story and like Hudgens, she felt that it was being told at a significant moment in our cultural history. “I was drawn to the storyline of trying to do what's right,” she remembers. “The fact that everyone is so scared of this species, but then you meet Izzy and she is just like, ‘Hi!’ and you see that there is nothing to fear. I think the more we separate ourselves and don't bother to understand one another, the more we're going to fear one another. My Little Pony is all about friendship, love, and acceptance.”

When Izzy and Sunny come together, they make a great pair, complementing each other exquisitely and championing each other’s sparkle. Hudgens says, “This Unicorn shows up and she is curious and bright-eyed and wants to be Sunny's friend. Kimiko’s voice did the perfect job of being so expressive and adorable. You can't help but want to be her friend, plus Kimiko has an amazing singing voice and sounds fantastic on the songs that she sings.”

While Glenn discovered that she and her character had quite a lot in common, she also felt that elements of Izzy’s personality felt aspirational to her. “Izzy and I both care a lot about the earth and she lives with an open heart, which is how I try to live, but I think I could also learn a lot from Izzy. I tend to put my guard up but she has no walls up. She's like, ‘Hi everybody! I love you!’ and I love that about her. I think we can all take a lesson from Izzy in that department.”

The filmmakers were also thrilled that two of the film’s pony friends - Glenn and Liza Koshy - came to the project having already established a close relationship off-screen. “We loved that Kimiko Glenn and Liza Koshy are best friends in real life,” recalls Thompson. “That was our dream cast scenario.” Cullen adds, “I don’t think either of them was initially aware that the other was in the movie for the first couple of recordings because everything was so top secret!”

The pair were thrilled to inhabit this magical world together. “What a great casting choice with Kimiko Glenn,” says Koshy. “And what a great friend choice on my part to be friends with Kimiko Glenn! I love her. She did an amazing job with this film. She brought so much life and breath into every moment. She is one of my closest friends and to live, eat and breathe with her both in real life and through animation is just an absolute dream. You can tell that the joy and heart that she brought to Izzy is really special and is done so well. I'm proud of my pony friend.”

Hitch Trailblazer is voiced by James Marsden

Hitch is dedicated to helping everypony in Maretime Bay as their caring sheriff.
Pony Kind: Earth Pony, Home: Maretime Bay, Hobby: Listening to music
Passion: Helping ponies and critters as sheriff of Maretime Bay
Cutie Mark: Shield, horseshoe, and hearts. The shield indicates his role as a protector, the hearts stand for kindness, and the horseshoe is a symbol of luck and protection – all perfect for a born nurturer like Hitch.

Hitch Trailblazer is the epitome of an Earth Pony – he loves rules, embraces the status quo, and is perfectly content never to leave the safety of Maretime Bay. Hitch has also been Sunny’s best friend ever since foalhood and they even have a secret hoofshake! However, while Hitch believes in following all the rules, Sunny can be a rule-breaker which creates some friction in their relationship. But he is always looking out for Sunny and he just wants her to be happy.

Hitch is also the first male central character in the ponyverse, something that the creative team felt was incredibly important in terms of reflecting the diversity of friend groups for young people. “It used to be the case that things were designated as being just for boys or just for girls and everything was kept very separate,” says Berrow. “However, as our world changes, people are realizing that we don’t need to define things like that anymore. Everything is for everyone. We wanted to display relationships that are real and that kids would have.” Adds Thompson, “Girls want to see their peer groups represented and girls don’t just hang out with other girls.”

James Marsden came on board to play Hitch, bringing humor, warmth and tenderness to the role. His performance creates a character who completes this group of five friends. Marsden relished being a key part of the evolution of this brand. “My Little Pony has been around for nearly 40 years and times continue to change and evolve,” he says. “The themes of acceptance, inclusion, and embracing each other for our differences are the heartbeat of this movie and they have been part of this universe for a long time. Throughout the movie, we learn that if we connect and embrace each other's differences we're a much stronger unit.”

“James is the most charming, loveliest guy you could ever meet,” shares Cullen. “In another movie Hitch might not be as likable a character because he can sometimes be vain, he has an ego and he thinks he’s the real deal, but he’s likable because of James’ performance. He might say things that you don’t always agree with but you still grow to love him.”

Marsden describes the film as being a big epic adventure story at its core. “And Hitch is a guy who could probably use an adventure because he likes rules and he likes order,” he says. “But there’s a very nurturing element to him where he cares for Sunny and all of the other ponies in Maretime Bay in a very positive way. He’s probably one of the characters who changes the most throughout the film because he’s the most reluctant pony to change.”

“For Hitch to come around and really see the importance of what all the different species brought to the table was nice,” says Thompson. “There’s a warmth and sincerity to James Marsden’s voice but he is also really great with comedy - he makes Hitch funnier than I ever thought Hitch could be.” Marsden, who is also known for having a lovely singing voice, had the opportunity to croon in the movie too. In fact, that was one of the aspects of the role he was most drawn to. He also notes that after acting for 28 years, this is the project that his sister has been most excited about him being a part of. “When I was growing up, my younger sister had a full collection of My Little Pony,” he says. “She was obsessed with them. There are certain things that reach iconic status and the My Little Pony universe is definitely one of them. I never thought I'd be sitting here talking about being in this movie. The ponyverse continues to evolve and you will now have a whole new, younger generation who get to experience My Little Pony with cutting-edge technology and animation.”

Princess Pipp petals voiced by Sofia Carson

Pipp is the stylish and talented pop princess of Zephyr Heights.
Pony Kind: Pegasus, Home: Zephyr Heights, Hobby: Singing and social media
Passion: Entertaining everypony - especially her fans!
Cutie Mark: Music note with a crown. Like her sister Zipp,the crown indicates royalty and their bond as sisters. The music note is for Pipp’s love of music and her career as a joyful, playful pop star.

Pipp Petals is the popstar princess of Zephyr Heights and she’s also an influencer. She is confident, charismatic, wildly popular, but also incredibly kind. She’s always advocating for various causes and uses her celebrity platform to help others. She cares deeply for her fans - the Pippsqueaks - and she takes her responsibilities very seriously.

As a globally beloved pop star herself, Sofia Carson was an impeccable fit for Pipp Petals. Her bubbly and joyful take on Pipp brings the character to life beautifully – and the contrast between Zipp and Pipp feels incredibly believable. Like many members of the cast, Carson had spent a lot of time inadvertently prepping for the role during her childhood. “My Little Pony is iconic,” she says. “I don't think I know any boy or girl that didn’t grow up singing the My Little Pony theme song. My sister and I had ponies and we would brush their hair. There was something magical about it because it made you believe in magic and in something greater than you.”
Carson says that beyond their mutual love of music, she related to the character in a lot of other ways.

“We're both devoted to those that we're lucky enough to call our fans - or Pippsqueaks - in Pipp's case,” she says. “But I would also say that we're different in that Pipp is learning about the world of social media and how it can be a bit consuming at times. I think her devotion to her followers and to social media has made her live through her phone rather than being present and that's a big lesson that she learns throughout our film.”

When it came to portraying the complicated sibling relationship, Carson says that these characters could not be more different, as is often the case with sisters. “Pipp takes her princess duties and the expectations and the responsibilities of being a princess very seriously,” she shares. “She loves being a princess, while Zipp resents the expectations and is redefining what it means to be a modern princess, which is a cool example to set for her younger sister. I think they might fear that they'll never understand each other, but in this journey that they go on, their relationship changes forever and I think their love and their bond becomes much stronger.” Liza Koshy, who plays Zipp, describes Carson as being “ ridiculously talented.” She says, “Sofia has this amazing pop song - or Pippsong - in the middle of the movie and it’s a huge turning point in the story and it's so beautifully done. She is such an icon and a pop star sensation so she was the perfect casting for Pipp.”

Reflecting on the stories that have come from My Little Pony over the decades, Carson says what she appreciates most is that the ponies are each unique and always fearlessly themselves. “I know that everyone is going to find a piece of themselves in each pony,” she says. “I hope that when kids watch this movie they really feel that message of hope, unity, and the true power of choosing to love. These ponies grew up in a world that had been taught to be divided and taught to fear and hate, but the magic comes from choosing to love. That's such a beautiful thing.”

Zipp Storm is voiced by Liza Koshy

Zipp is the rebellious and athletic daredevil princess of Zephyr Heights.
Pony Kind: Pegasus, Home: Zephyr Heights, Hobby: Science and athletics
Passion: Being true to herself and encouraging that in others Cutie Mark: A crown with a lightning bolt. The crown in both

Zipp and Pipp’s Cutie Marks indicate royalty and sisterhood. Lightning has traditionally symbolized strength, enlightenment, intelligence, and intuition – all traits of Zipp’s. Princess Zephyrina Storm - or Zipp for short - is the film’s courageous royal rebel Pegasus, and the sister of pop star Pipp. Zipp doesn’t fit the stereotypical princess mold as her sister does and she’s a total daredevil and adrenaline junkie. She’s also loyal and can be a little sarcastic at times, but she’s always got her friends’ backs, no matter what.

“Zipp doesn’t want to be a princess because of the way she perceives what it means to be a princess and what the world needs from other princesses,” explains Thompson. “She goes to great lengths to go in the other direction, but that also means that she’s been hiding her true self from the world. The message in the film is that you can be any kind of princess that you want to be. If you want to be pink, fluffy with big wings and jewelry, there’s a pony for you. But if you want to be a rebel, an athlete with attitude who is snarky, funny, and edgy - you can be that too.”

As the filmmakers sought out a charismatic, young entertainer to bring this courageous character to life, they landed on Liza Koshy, who brought her hilarious, dry humor to the performance. Koshy gives Zipp a tough exterior, but you can hear the love and tenderness in her portrayal.

“What drew me to the film was the way Zipp Storm was drawn,” shares Koshy. “The animators did such a fantastic job. It's a beautiful world and having grown up with My Little Pony, it’s been great to see this transition in technology as well as the talent on-screen and behind-the-scenes. This story has parallels with our world today and messages that kids need to hear, but also adults need to be reminded of them, too. To raise a new generation of leaders and teachers and so much more with this kind of message is really important to me.”

Koshy says that she found that she didn’t have that much in common with Zipp - only because she felt her character was so much cooler than her and says she finished the film striving to be more like Zipp. “She's a super grounded, confident, calm, focused character who wants to empower and assure others of their truths. That's what I aspire to do too. I think she's dope. She's the cool older sister that you want to impress. It was so much fun to play her.”

Zipp and her sister Pipp are nothing alike, and that creates some friction early in the story, even though the siblings clearly love each other. Pipp is looking for her older sister’s attention and acceptance, but Zipp can sometimes be a little dismissive of her. Fortunately, the two have the chance to go on a lifechanging adventure to work on these issues! Carson felt that Koshy was absolutely perfect for the role. “No one is funnier or has more perfect sarcasm than Liza, but also what captured me when I watched the film is the heart and tenderness that she infused into every single word that Zipp speaks,” she says. “It's the perfect opposition to Pipp.” Koshy also loves that Zipp is in her power, knows her truth, and is not afraid to live it. “She stands up for herself and she fights for what she loves, which is love. Zipp has this amazing energy, essence, and the independence that she exudes is something that I think is so important for kids and adults to see in this pony and to know that they can be that in their own lives. This film is all about friendship and the powers that come with friendship.”

Glenn agrees, having experienced what it means to be friends with Koshy firsthand. ”Liza is the best,” she shares. “She's one of my besties. She has an iconic voice because it's so low and as soon as she comes on the screen, you're like, ‘Whoa, who is that?’ There's something about her vocal quality that's so impressive and so fun. She's so good! ”

Introducing some new pony neigh-bors

Also featured in the talented vocal ensemble is Ken Jeong who portrays Deputy Sheriff Sprout, who works with Hitch Trailblazer and becomes more than a little power-hungry while Hitch is off on his adventure; Emmy nominated actress Elizabeth Perkins as Sprout’s mother Phyllis, who runs the factory in Maretime Bay; Emmy nominee Jane Krakowski who voices Queen Haven, the Pegasus queen, and mother to princesses Pipp and Zipp; Phil LaMarr as Alphabittle, the gamble-happy, Unicorn owner of the Crystal Tea Room in Bridlewood Forest, and Oscar and Emmy Award nominee Michael McKean who plays Sunny’s father, Argyle.

A guide to the spectacular pony lands of equestria

While fans of previous My Little Pony stories have grown to know the pony world of Equestria incredibly well over the years, in “My Little Pony: A New Generation'' audiences will now get to experience three spectacular new pony lands within Equestria: Maretime Bay, Bridlewood, and Zephyr Heights. In the time that has passed, Equestria has become a lot more contemporary with the latest technology and some of the same challenges the human world faces today. However, the biggest difference is that all of the magic has been lost across all the lands.

The starting point for the creative team was to create magical, different worlds that felt newer and fresher than anyone had ever seen before. The different districts also showcase the contrasts between the way each of the species is living, their unique belief systems, and the stereotypes they have formed of one another. Production Designer Pablo Mayer was charged with building out these magical new locales and the elaborate details that would make up each of these cities. Throughout the project, Mayer says he never stopped learning about the legacy of this pony world, these characters, and their environments. “There's so much history,” he says of the incredible depth of lore woven through the past 40 years of My Little Pony. “Because this is a reboot we were able to take some liberties, but we definitely wanted to respect everything that was created before because the fans loved that so much. We didn't want to throw everything out the window.”

The challenge became how to maintain some continuation of the past while being set hundreds of years later. One of the ways Mayer and his team achieved this was to keep some of the key attributes of the places fans loved from past stories. “Maretime Bay has some elements from Ponyville. You can see some design details like the window shapes that we brought from Ponyville,” he explains. “We thought that over time they moved to the coast, but they kept some of the design from the city. Bridlewood is an evolution of Everfree Forest from ‘Friendship is Magic,’ especially when it came to the shape of the trees. Zephyr Heights comes from Cloudsdale. Now that the magic has gone, they can’t live in the clouds anymore so the next place they could go were the mountains above the clouds. They still keep the same feeling in the clouds even though they’re now grounded since they can’t fly.”

Another way to pay homage to the past was to infuse the film with enough easter eggs that fans could watch the film over and over again, never ceasing to discover new things that relate to both the current and previous ponies. “I think the biggest ones were in Sunny’s house,” Mayer reveals. “We decided to put a huge amount of easter eggs in there because we thought of her father Argyle as an Indiana Jones kind of guy, an archaeologist or a professor. He collected things that he had found over the years so his office is full of easter eggs. ”

Welcome to maretime bay

Maretime Bay is a happy town but they care about keeping up appearances in order to hide how fearful they really are. Mayer says that in some ways it felt like a phony place so he drew inspiration from one television series in particular. “‘The Good Place’ was a big inspiration because it’s almost like a fake city, and there are some elements in the center of the town that from an architectural perspective don’t make a lot of sense. The houses in Maretime Bay are not perfectly straight.” Cullen adds that the filmmakers also envisaged a 1950s, small-town America vibe to Maretime Bay. “There’s one factory that everyone works at and everyone knows each other.”

“We had a lot of conversations about where the Earth Ponies live in Maretime Bay,” says Fattibene. “We discussed how tall they are and how they walk through the doors in a certain way, so there’s wear on the doors because they brush up against them. They’re also really good at maintenance in Maretime Bay. There are little patches of paint that have been repainted so they’re not quite the same color as the old paint. It gives the world a certain richness even if people don’t initially see it. I think it feels more real.”

“As we went back through the past stories, we noticed that they had never had a seaside city,” adds Ucha. “Coming from the south of Spain, I always lived by the sea. Dublin is also by the sea and so we felt like this film should feature a city by the water. Maretime Bay is a smaller city. Things are the way they have always been there. No one wants to complicate their lives and they take it easy.”

Greetings from bridlewood

Unicorns are known to be whimsical with a deep appreciation for art and nature. Bridlewood was once a magical, enchanted forest community but since magic disappeared, the city is a shadow of its former brilliance. “Unicorns always come from a beautiful forest, but we wanted to put a twist on it to make it different because it’s become a bit of a depressing place,” says Ucha. Adds Cullen, “We thought about it as a Beatnik commune in the forests with the crystals and nature.”

For the houses, the team chose to incorporate Art Nouveau elements and a more organic design for the details within the homes. For Izzy’s house in particular, it was important to convey just how much she adores crafting and uni-cycling in the set design, something the art department had a lot of fun establishing. “We wanted Izzy’s art to be very crafted, sculptural and textural, not just paintings and drawings,” shares Mayer. “The idea is that Izzy collected everything around her to make it into art. Nothing goes wasted - especially macaroni! She doodles on the walls as she gets bored and that adds a lot of color to the set too. All of the furniture and the picture frames should feel relatable but have that unique handmade feel to them. My favorite thing was how we connected the mosaic on the ground to the walls and tree structure. The mosaic starts to break it up more as it gets closer to the walls and we added some small plants and grass between the cracks which help to remind us that we are still in a forest.”

Mayer also notes that one of the biggest differences between locations is the lack of color and vibrancy in Bridlewood. “We pushed back the color variation,” he says. “It’s still nice, but you could imagine that this place was really beautiful a hundred years ago. It’s decayed over the years.”

It is within Bridlewood that Mayer’s favorite set can also be found. “I love the Crystal Tea Room,” he shares. “We were inspired by ‘The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel’ and their bar scenes with the atmospheric lighting so we tried to capture that kind of atmosphere and that’s a big change within the look of the movie. There are a lot of frames on the wall and the walls are not straight so we made everything a bit  rregular. They don’t fix things up in Bridlewood anymore so things have been starting to break.”

Soar to zephyr heights

In contrast to Bridlewood and Maretime Bay, the Pegasus land of Zephyr Heights is opulent, a stunningly beautiful, modern city in the sky. Pegasi are the most technologically advanced of the three species and their surroundings reflect that. “For Zephyr Heights, there was a sense of New York or LA, but also Ancient Rome as well,” explains Cullen. “It is elegant, pompous, glittery, and social media savvy. It’s all about what you wear.”

Mayer notes that it’s a more organized city, so, from a design perspective, the team was inspired by Art Deco qualities. “We went crazy with gold and marble,” he laughs. “The whole city is mainly made of those two surface elements. It is a place that shines and there are colors everywhere in the oversized screens that continuously play commercials.”

The filmmakers also had to think of these lands from a pony perspective in terms of both the eye lines and the fact that the inhabitants walk on four legs. “We ponified the environments, like taking out escalators in Zephyr Heights because it felt too human and adjusting the proportions of windows and doors,” says Ucha. “The designers did a great job of studying that and making sure everything was adjusted for the pony anatomy which is super tricky.”

Designing the first 3d my little ponies

Long-standing Disney veteran Graham Gallagher held the twin roles of Animation Director and Head of Character on “My Little Pony: A New Generation.” Given that this was the first time the ponies would be appearing in 3D, Gallagher and his team had to initially throw out any preconceptions of how My Little Pony had looked in 2D. They would need to ensure that these 3D ponies were going to be able to move properly, reinventing the way their anatomy was going to work.

Gallagher was excited by the challenge and set about injecting personality into each character. “In the past series, they have really huge eyes, but if you want to do full facial animation and make them move, if they’re too big then when they blink their eyelashes start to look like window wipers. We had to keep reducing aspects of the original pony and adding more reality into the anatomy.”

He notes that it was often the simplest things that proved to be the most challenging to address. “It’s hard for ponies to carry things and still walk around because they can’t hop along on three legs,” Gallagher explains. “An early call I made with the directors was that they weren’t going to stand on two feet. We wanted to keep them on four legs and they could hold things or talk when they’re sitting down. We came up with a lot of workarounds, visual cheats, and shortcuts so that they could pick up objects and still move from point A to point B without showing how they did it. When you have restrictions you have to think outside the box.”

Gallagher says that it was helpful to oversee both character design and animation for the production for many reasons, not the least of which was to be able to infuse the emotional state of the characters into the design. “As an Animation Director I know emotion and so I can pull that across because it’s what I do for my bread and butter. When I was designing these characters I thought about what the animators could do and what they needed to make that better. I was confident that we could pull it off when we needed to make them look super sad or endearing. We wanted to keep the pupils in the eyes to keep it appealing and it was so cute. When you could get those two elements connected - the character design and the animation - and they work as one, then it all worked. The second part of my job was to bring them to life and design the style of the animation so that they looked somewhat believable.” Fattibene says that the team were in agreement from the very beginning that everything started and finished with the characters. “They really needed to be appealing so the team continued to work on making them fuzzy, tactile and soft,” he recalls. “You need to want to reach in there and touch them!” The design team knew that Pegasi would be the smallest breed, Unicorns the tallest, with Earth Ponies falling in the middle in terms of scale. “We knew the style of what the characters were going to be in the story, so then we had to differentiate each of them,” says Gallagher. “We looked at how each of their personalities affected the way they talk, the way they run, and the way they walk into a room. We discovered that we could bring each one’s personality through differently.”

Ucha notes that when it came to the characteristics and physical attributes of each pony, everyone on the creative team had an understanding of how they wanted to represent diversity in the design. “The Mane 5 together compose a unique rainbow themselves; not only with their colors and shades but also when it comes to personalities, hairstyles, and body shapes,” he explains. “You can see Izzy is the tallest, or how Zipp and Pipp - despite being sisters - have different body structures. You can also tell that Hitch puts a lot of attention into his quiff and Sunny’s braid matches with her dreamy personality. We felt that every pony in the movie should be unique because, in real life, every person is unique."

 This approach also applied to the specific color palette of the ponies. “The Earth Ponies are pastel, the Pegasi are in jewel tones and the Unicorns are earth-toned,” shares Fattibene. “We wanted to have the full diversification of light and dark.”

The designers understood that each pony would need a “cutie mark,” but other than that directive they were given a lot of room to create. “To me, what really makes a pony is their hair and their tail,” says Gallagher. “There were a lot of conversations about hair!” 

“With the manes, we put a lot into research and development to make sure they looked as glorious, wonderful, and shampooed as possible,” recalls Cullen. “All of the Pegasi hair was backcombed from the back up so that it was aerodynamic and Zipp has her spectacular mohawk,” adds Gallagher. “Her sister Pipp of course also has these fluffy wings. We tried different things to make her feel as theatrical as we could.”

With Izzy, the focus was on her horn, as well as her magnificent locks. “She was going to have the biggest hair,” says Gallagher. “That mane is everywhere and it’s amazing. Izzy has the lifeforce that is stronger than the rest of the unicorns.”

Additional props were also thought through in great detail. With Sunny, she has a satchel that shows her sense of adventure. “We wanted to make it more interesting and we thought about the bags we had at school that we would put a load of badges on so we did that,” shares Gallagher. And as for Hitch, he has a low-key, simple utility belt. “His personality is like a boy scout,” he says. “He’s in his head. Everything has to be right because of the way he’s been brought up. We wanted to capture that feeling.”

Tunes that make you want to giddy up

“My Little Pony: A New Generation” features six original new songs and a score by composer Heitor Pereira. Four of the film’s narrative songs - “Gonna Be My Day,” “Fit Right In,” “Danger Danger,” and “I’m Looking Out For You” - were written by the composers and lyricists Alan Schmuckler and Michael Mahler, known for finding the perfect blend of comedy and musical theatre in their work on Off- Broadway hits including “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and who are next collaborating on a musical with Oscar-winning composer and songwriter Alan Menken. The film’s acclaimed executive music producer - Grammy Award winner Ron Fair - produced these tracks, in addition to the featured pop song “Glowin’ Up,” sung by Sofia Carson’s Pipp.

While the filmmakers always knew that “My Little Pony: A New Generation” would showcase new music, the number of songs was initially unclear. However, as soon as Schmuckler and Mahler delivered their first track, “Danger Danger,” it was evident that they were tapping into exactly what the film needed. “When ‘Danger Danger’ came in, it blew us away so we immediately knew that we needed to include more songs from these guys,” recalls Cullen.

This was the first time the songwriting duo had worked on an animated feature which proved to be a rewarding experience in myriad ways. Schmuckler and Mahler - who both write music and lyrics - began working on the film in 2018. “We immediately hit it off with everyone at Hasbro,” says Schmuckler of their initial meetings. “Having four songs in the film is so exciting and it was such an immensely gratifying, satisfying, fun, educational, and creative experience for us to do this. This kind of creative collaboration is a unique joy and to see ideas that we put forward, taken, and run with by an incredible team of animators was really incredible.”

“Rob and I told everyone not to be shy about trying something quirky or different or playing with the unexpected,” says Ucha. “So we have a pony movie that goes grunge and we have headbanging ponies!” Cullen adds, “We wanted to take an eclectic approach to the music so that not all the songs were the same. While we have punk, hard rock songs, we also knew that we wanted songs that would be really positive, full of energy and funny to keep the spirit of the movie going.”

Fair worked closely with the songwriters, involving them in the production of the songs in his studio in Nashville. “It was a good set of demos that the guys brought in,” he remembers. “They had character and they were funny and alive.”

“They did a really fun job of keeping the songs sounding contemporary and fresh, while also advancing the story and being singable and entertaining,” adds Thompson. “We loved how the songs showcased each of the characters.”

Gonna be my day

For the film’s opening musical number “Gonna Be My Day,” performed by Vanessa Hudgens’ character Sunny, Schmuckler says that they approached the track by paying homage to a traditional musical theatre opening number. “We were talking about trying to find a musical bed that sounded like a gallop so Mike took his guitar and started playing a gallop sound and then I began playing parts on top and that became the groove for ‘Gonna Be My Day,’” says Schmuckler. “She’s a pony and she’s excited so it tells us something about the tempo, as well as serving the story.”

Hudgens says that the song was her favorite to sing in the film. “It's a feel-good song,” she shares. “I'm all about a mantra that you can say to yourself, that can lift your mood and get you going, and ‘Gonna Be My Day’ is exactly that. It's so catchy. It was really cool to see a musical number with my voice coming out of a pony in this fantastical world. It's so cute.”

Mahler reveals what he loved most about what Hudgens brought to “Gonna Be My Day.” “It would have been so easy to sing that as a pop anthem, but what she did was make it sound like this kid who is really excited,” he says. “She wasn’t afraid to bring that lightness and goofiness to it which shows her acting chops, but it also gives the song that extra flavor and that extra sparkle because it’s this character singing this song.”

Danger danger

The songwriters - who have written together for half of their lives - do so predominantly from different cities, with Schmuckler based in New York and Mahler in Chicago. However, they both happened to be in Chicago as they began work on what would become Sprout’s villainous anthem, “Danger Danger.” As they started to play around with the beginnings of the number, they started cracking themselves up, knowing that if it was making them laugh, they were on the right track. “There was something that felt like grunge - ‘It Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and Green Day- and there was a funny, cross-pollination in there,” recalls Schmuckler.

Mahler adds, “He’s such an angsty little pony and he has such a chip on his shoulder that it felt like the right kind of language for it. I remember being 12 and thinking I had it so hard in Minnesota and raging to grunge. It felt like that. Like, ‘Oh man, they’re going to know my feelings!’”

The song is sung by ‘Sprout’ in the film, but Schmuckler ended up recording the song in place of Ken Jeong. “I’ve never voiced a pony before and I can tell you that it’s awesome!,” admits Schmuckler. 

Much of the final track ended up being taken from the songwriter’s first demo as it was hard to beat the original. “There is a band and different scope but it’s essentially the same,” explains Ucha. Cullen adds, “The song has such clever lyrics, but it’s done in a fun, silly manner so it balances the message out.”

i’m looking out for you

“I’m Looking Out for You” was one of the later additions to the film. The song is a beautiful duet about friendship and even though Sunny and Izzy have only just met, it feels like they’re already lifelong friends. “It wasn’t originally planned for the movie,” says Cullen, “but we felt that that sequence would really benefit from a song for pacing so we gave the guys a brief on what the song needed to convey and the guys handed us another gem!”

“We were inspired by ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and Peter Gabriel for this song,” reveals Schmuckler. “It’s catchy, groovy, heartfelt, and sweet, just like these characters in this situation.” Mahler adds, “We had the characters in our heads now and it was about these ponies finding the language to express that they were going to be pals, which was really cool.”

“I think ‘I’m Looking Out For You’ is so moving,” says Kimiko Glenn. “There's something about the melody and how it drives. It feels like you're flying through the air when you’re singing it. I got a little emotional when I was watching it.”

Glowin’ up

When it came to writing a song fit for pop star princess Pipp, played by pop sensation Sofia Carson, Fair was instrumental in bringing several magical elements together to create the brilliant “Glowin’ Up.” “Because Pipp is this singing princess pony, I was tasked with helping to come up with suggestions for casting,” says Fair. “We were lucky enough to focus on Sofia Carson who is someone I knew from my past life as a record executive and so we took a run at casting her in the role and it was great that we were able to make that happen.”

Carson says she felt incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to perform such an “amazing pop record.” She remembers, “Ron called me with the idea of having Pipp sing the lead pop song of the movie since she's a pop star and he proposed the idea of working with Jenna Andrews who is this amazing songwriter I've known for a few years and who wrote the biggest song of 2021, ‘Butter’ by BTS.”

Andrews had also had huge success with a track for Benee called “Supalonely” - a young female record with what Fair describes as having “a cool, throwaway attitude and spirit.” Upon hearing that song, he knew instinctively that Andrews would be a great fit for “My Little Pony: A New Generation.” “Jenna, along with Taylor Upsahl, and Bryan Fryzel collaborated to come up with the first iteration of ‘Glowin’ Up,’” he shares. “And they came up with a smash.”

Carson says that when she was presented with “Glowin’ Up” she instantly knew that it was special. “It was so obvious that this was the record,” she says. “I happened to be flying to New York for a shoot and Jenna was there so we got to record the vocals and bring the song to life together. It's a really beautiful record. I love that it stands for empowering people to embrace their inner light and letting it shine like a rainbow across the sky. Every part of you that's different and unique - and maybe even the parts of yourself that you don't love - are the parts that make you sparkle and glow. That's what our movie is all about.”

Reflecting on the final track, Fair says, “I think Sofia sounds better than she’s ever sounded. It’s current and soulful and I’m really so proud of what she did.”

Fit right in

The number “Fit Right In,” is performed by Kimiko Glenn, Vanessa Hudgens, and James Marsden. It’s an exhilarating, upbeat song that the gang sing upon arriving in Bridlewood and must disguise themselves as Unicorns. Glenn admits that while it’s difficult to pick a favorite song from the film, if she had to, “Fit Right In” would be it. “It is such a showstopper,” she says. “I love it because it's high energy and it has several musical gear shifts, which makes it impossible not to get up and dance to. I love to be playful during a song so that was really fun.”

“I hope that when kids hear songs like ‘Fit Right In,’ they’ll really love it,” says Fattibene. “There are so many elements to Izzy’s song and to me, it is the essence of My Little Pony. It’s fun, it’s crafty, it’s colorful and it is about what they all want, to be together all the time, whatever it takes.”

“Neither Michael or I had worked with Kimiko before but we were fans of hers from her theatre credits,” says Schmuckler. “She was so collaborative and creative and she did what every writer wants every singer to do, which is to take what you’ve written and give you that, but then also give you eight other options that you like even more. Kimiko is so good in this movie and it was to her credit that she had the inspiration and to Ron Fair’s credit that he knows how to guide these talented vocalists. It was such a thrill to hand our work off to her and know that it was in such good hands.”

Fair notes how incredible all three performers sound on the track. “At the end of ‘Fit Right In,’ Kimiko is singing her ass off. She’s wailing. She has a great ear. Both Kimiko and Vanessa are very experienced at doing musicals and musical theatre, so when you’re working with great talent like that, it makes it easier and it’s a lot of fun.”“Vanessa is the voice of her generation,” adds Schmuckler. “It makes so much sense that she was cast in this pivotal part where she is this beloved, heartfelt, relatable and kind character because this is what Vanessa embodies and what she brought in.”

And as for James Marsden, performing on the track was a key part of the attraction to the project. “When he signed on, he said, ‘I will do this role only if I can sing as well,’” laughs Ucha. “That made us so happy. He did such a great job.” Schmuckler adds, “To write something and then hear it come out of an incredible set of pipes like James’ was immensely gratifying.” Schmuckler and Mahler are now eagerly anticipating bringing these songs, along with the stunning visuals, and the beautiful messages contained within the film to audiences around the world. “I feel like what I have desperately needed over the last 15 months is joy, friendship, and community. I think putting music in a film like this cuts to the heart of why friendship feels good and the importance of finding moments of joy in a life that has been rough for a lot of people. I’m so excited for people to hear these songs and feel joy together. I think we all need that right now.”

Mahler concludes, “From the beginning, it was clear that this movie had a point of view about inclusion and when you couch important discussions in an animated film like this, these ideas can be digested easily. The songs get you into the heart of these characters and help you follow along with the story. To be a part of that has been fantastic.”

The art of the score

For the film’s score, the filmmakers had their sights set on the Emmy Award-winning Brazilian composer Heitor Pereira, celebrated for his work on both live-action and animated films, including “The Angry Birds Movie,” “The Smurfs,” “Minions,” and the “Despicable Me” films.

“It was like watching a master at work, live,” recalls Cullen of witnessing Pereira play over the film’s visuals. Fair adds, “We would be watching sequences from the film and Heitor would pick up his guitar and start jamming over the movie with little tunes, little ideas, and little themes, suggesting different things we could do. He was such a great contribution to the film.”

Pereira says that he found working on the project to be both enjoyable and uplifting. “I think I wrote some of my best music and my best melodies for ‘My Little Pony,’ he says. “The movie is so soulful and it’s a really good story with a good message. My hope for the music is that it inspires people. Music is something that can affect people very much, especially young people and the impact can be tremendous. Maybe hearing the music in this film could lead kids to want to play the ukulele or listen to some Bach or Mozart, because more music in your life is always a good thing.”

The direction Pereira was given by the filmmakers from the outset was to do what felt right to him. “We wanted him to feel free to be experimental and risky,” notes Cullen. “He’s a genius so we wanted to allow him to just do his thing. He felt very close to the message the film was delivering and you can hear that in the movie.”

The composer says that he was moved by the creative team reinforcing that they truly wanted him to bring his quirky sensibility to the film’s score. “I wanted it to be sweet, but to also have the scope and to be emotional, but there is always a sense that there’s a crazy pony behind the curtain of this moviemaking crazy sounds and I wanted to be that guy,” shares Pereira. “I’m very thankful to Ron and the directors for reminding me that I could be that guy and that in fact, that was the reason they invited me to work on this film.”

As Pereira dove into the sounds of each character, he selected specific instruments to complement them. “To capture the sweetness of Sunny and her father, I used the ukulele,” he explains. “The orchestra with the ukulele is always present when Sunny’s father is talking about this magical world. And then for Sprout, he’s a quirky character so I played this guitar that you can make a sound like a cello or a viola so he has that particular sound.”

Another prevailing goal Pereira had for the film’s score was to ensure that music from all parts of the world was included, allowing kids to connect with the film wherever they may be watching this story unfold. “I’m Brazilian, I’ve lived in Europe and now I’ve been living in America for almost 30 years,” Pereira says. “I never forget how international the music should be, so when kids in Thailand are watching ‘My Little Pony,’ there is something about it that doesn’t feel like it’s coming from just one place. The landscapes of Zephyr Heights, Maritime Bay, and Bridlewood could really translate to any country on this planet so every kid in every family can feel like this movie was made for them. There’s music from everywhere in the movie because I think that music can make you feel like there are no borders.”

The score was recorded over 5 days in Nashville, Tennessee and Pereira had previously recorded with this orchestra on several projects. “They are amazing and they play like a band. There’s a certain togetherness that they have. I love working with them and I love the sound that they produce.”

As Cullen reflects on the finished sound of the film, he says that he was impressed by how well Pereira conveyed the movie’s overall sense of hope and optimism. “There are some really lovely emotional moments in the movie and Heitor captured Sunny’s journey perfectly. He does comedy and action really well, but he also does the quieter, softer, emotional scenes just as beautifully.” Ucha concludes, “Heitor Pereira put his heart, soul, and everything he had into this movie. He was so generous. If audiences can feel that, I will be so happy.”

12 fun facts about “my little pony: a new generation”

When designing the cutie marks for the new Mane 5, the design team came up with over 500 different designs. Sunny Starcourt’s cutie mark is similar to Twilight Sparkle’s mark, a nod to the fact that both characters are leaders in their generation of ponies. Twilight Sparkle’s colors were inspired by a twilight sky, and Sunny’s were inspired by the sky at sunrise.

It became the designers’ personal mission to organically and seamlessly incorporate as many easter eggs into the film as they could. If you look closely, you’ll see Spike’s footprint, Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark hanging on the wall, as well as her old telescope. In Alphabittle’s shelves, you will also find a pony version of Munch’s “Scream,” a pony glass eyeball and Pinkie Pie’s rubber chicken.

In the hangar sequence when Sunny, Izzy and Zipp confirm that the species of ponies used to get along, there is a beautiful stained glass window that bridges with “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' as the show would utilize these windows whenever something magical was going to happen. In the same scene, Zipp looks up at a poster of Pegasi in flight, which is a famous image from the previous series.

When Sunny and the gang are following the map to Bridlewood Village, they recognize a big tree in the meadow. This design is based on the Tree of Friendship, from the “Friendship is Magic” series. Even though the ponies have an argument in this scene, the tree is a symbolic good omen that they are on the right path - both geographically and also in terms of their growing friendship.

In the Maretime Bay cinema, there are some pony-themed, spoof movies advertised including Horns (“Jaws”), Harry Trotter (“Harry Potter”), Judgment Neigh (“Judgment Day”) and Dirty Prancing (“Dirty Dancing”).

The characters Zoom and Thunder are played by screenwriter Gillian Berrow and co-producer Art Hernandez, respectively. Hernandez also plays Toots, Jasper, and a Pegasus guard.

At the beginning of “Gonna Be My Day,” Sunny passes over a bridge that reads “3.89” which is a completely accurate measurement. The tunnel is exactly 3 meters and 89 centimeters high.

One of the film’s scared yelling ponies is played by Heather Langenkamp Anderson, who starred in “Nightmare in Elm Street” and is known as one of horror’s most famous scream queens.

When Sunny refers to her “142 Questions for a Unicorn,” the filmmakers can confirm that they did, in fact, write all 142 questions.

In the musical sequences, the filmmakers gathered inspiration from an eclectic range of sources. In “Danger, Danger” there were a lot of ‘80s and ‘90s references including Van Halen, Guns ’N’ Roses, Queen, and Cindi Lauper. There’s also a reference to The White Stripes’ “Seven Nations Army” music video. For the brilliant song choreography and vibrant color palette of “Fit Right In,” the creative team referenced everything from “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” to ”La La Land,” Katy Perry to “The Wizard of Oz” and “Singing in The Rain.”

Sunny’s drawing in the film that she makes with Argyle is based on a sketch created by the son of director José Ucha. He completed the picture in pencil and the designers colored over the top. He’s even credited at the end of the movie. “There are three moments in the movie when that appears and each time I get a little emotional,” admits Ucha.

Songwriter Alan Schmuckler says that he and co-songwriter Michael Mahler still get tickled when they hear the background vocals at the end of “I’m Looking Out For You.” “We were messing around with a Justin Timberlake or Michael Jackson type of thing and we liked it so much,” Schmuckler says. “It made us smile and then it ended up in the movie with these incredible studio singers and it sounds like a million bucks.”

Synopsis :
The unimaginable has happened... Equestria has lost its magic!  The ponies, unicorns and pegasus are no longer friends and now live apart. But the idealistic Sunny is determined to find a way to bring enchantment and unity back to their world. Teaming up with the kind-hearted unicorn Izzy, the duo travels to distant lands where they meet the charismatic and courageous pegasi Ruby and Zipp and the ever-serious pony Hitch. Their mission is full of misadventures, but these new best friends each have their own unique and special gift that may be just what this pony world needs to restore the magic and prove that even little ponies can make a difference.

My Little Pony: A New Generation
Directed by Robert Cullen, José Ucha
Screenplay by Gillian Berrow, Tim Sullivan
Story by Robert Cullen, José Ucha, Tim Sullivan
Based on My Little Pony by Bonnie Zacherle
Produced by Cecil Kramer, Peter Lewis
Starring  Vanessa Hudgens, Kimiko Glenn, James Marsden, Sofia Carson, Liza Koshy
Edited by Inbal Elazari
Music by Heitor Pereira
Production companies : Entertainment One, Boulder Media
Distributed by Netflix
Release date : September 24, 2021
Running time : 90 minutes

(Source : press notes)