My Little Pony - Generation 5

With My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic confirmed done after season nine, Hasbro will introduce the fifth MLP generation via another movie, to be released in 2021.

The film will be in 3D CGI and a co-production between Hasbro and Paramount, the latter of whom will also release the film.

This thread will cover topics relating exclusively to the movie.

Edited by Mario1995 on Feb 16th 2019 at 7:52:15 AM

The fact that they're going full CGI pretty much confirms that it's for a new generation as a way to further separate it from past ones. I wouldn't be surprised if the series is in CGI.

Edited by kyun on Feb 16th 2019 at 5:56:03 AM

That means we can forget about DHX Media being involved. Heck I don't think they'll be outsourcing voiceover services to Canada anymore, so expect everyone to be recast.

While it's sad to see our favorite voice actors go, on the bright side, Tara Strong will be able to voice characters OTHER than Twilight.

Sigh, I'm going to miss this show...

It didn't feel like a namby-pamby kind of educational show, it just felt like a genuinely engaging toon.

I haven't gotten around to watching the 2017 movie, but it was apparently one that MLP fans liked? I think I recall being sore about how there didn't seem to be much of an advertising push for it. Probably Lionsgate's faith in it was nonexistent? Hopefully, Paramount will be a little kinder?

Incidentally, it's really ironic how the show is on Netflix, but the movie is on Amazon Prime...

Did any drama happen over there? Or are you just saying that Hasbro is taking more of a solo initiative with G5 onwards?

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Feb 16th 2019 at 9:46:09 AM

It's my speculation, but given that Hasbro has Boulder Media under their wing I don't think DHX's services will be required anymore (outside of maybe Equestria Girls). No issues between the two.

Edited by Mario1995 on Feb 16th 2019 at 9:40:32 AM

This show has definitely been special to me over time. It will be a while for me to find the words to properly describe it.

Edited by kyun on Feb 16th 2019 at 6:55:34 AM

I hope minty is a main character in the reboot. I really don't want to see the same mane 6 in a new setting.

I'm also pulling for more G1-G3 characters, even if only in supporting roles!

I wonder who the show runners will be.

Per the leaked content, there is actually no real reason to believe the CGI film is indicative of a CGI series. In fact, quite a lot suggests G5 is going to be 2D as well.

And the Mane 6 are probably still going to be the main protagonists, but retooled for new roles. They just made way too much of an impact for Hasbro to shift gears now.

Edited by MrSeyker on Feb 16th 2019 at 9:38:16 AM

Note that Netflix shows for 3D movies like Trolls and Home are 2D, so G5's show being 2D while the movie is 3D wouldn't be unusual.

DHX already isn't working on that Rainbow Roadtrip special. With Hasbro going through the effort of establishing an in-house animation studio with Boulder Media, I don't think they'll choose not to use it for one of their big animated properties. Besides, we know from job listings that Boulder Media was hiring 3D animators for a project that sounded suspiciously like MLP.

Right, the first movie got an animation bump as well over the show's usual flash animation. From the concept art, it seems they will continue in 2D.

So what else do we know about the movie aside from this Facebook post?

Edited by Redmess on Feb 17th 2019 at 11:56:14 AM

But other Netflix shows like Trollhunters (also coincidentally by Dreamworks) and the Dragon series adaptation, are CGI and look near identical to feature film animation.

Aside from Hasbro confirming it, not much. It's very early in the production stage despite likely having been worked on for quite some time after the 2017 movie disappointed at the box office.

That being said, I'm 99% certain Boulder Media will be producing it and not DHX Media. Hasbro wants all their properties to be produced in-house now, with Paramount serving as a financing and distribution partner. That's been their plan for several years now.

Edited by Mario1995 on Feb 17th 2019 at 6:14:24 AM

I wonder how this will fair financially. Introducing a gen with a movie seems risky.

Plenty of shows start with a pilot movie of sorts. I don't think that will be much of a problem in that regard.

I think they expect to do fine financially, too. The first movie saw a tenfold return on it's 6 million budget, so, despite mixed reception, that seems to mean it did pretty well financially.

x2

I mean do we know that this is an introduction to Gen 5?

Nickelodeon does it all the time.

@Mario1995 If what you say about everypony being recast is true, I imagine their new voice actors would be American. (Particularly from the LA pool)

Who do you guys think would be G5 MLP's voice cast? Here's what I see:

• Twilight Sparkle: Tara Strong

• Applejack: Carolyn Lawrence

• Rainbow Dash: Pamela Adlon

• Pinkie Pie: Candi Milo

• Fluttershy: Hynden Walch

• Rarity: Grey DeLisle

• Spike: Debi Derryberry

As for the supporting cast:

• Princess Celestia: Jennifer Hale

• Princess Luna: Grey DeLisle

• Princess Cadance: Mae Whitman

• Shining Armor: A toss-up between Josh Keaton, Roger Craig Smith and Jason Marsden.

• The Cutie Mark Crusaders: Probably some random child actresses that nobody knows about.

And like I said about Tara Strong, due to no longer being bound by Canadian law, she would be able to voice characters other than Twilight. I can see her voicing a few supporting characters and LOTS of background characters.

Edited by superboy313 on Feb 20th 2020 at 7:57:08 AM

I am actually really okay with this.

And I do recall reading how Josh Keaton wanted a role in My Little Pony for quite some time anyway...

Not exactly sure what that's all about...sounds paradoxical to say the least.

Why would they neccesarily be American?

... yeah I was wondering about that too.

Tara could stay on for G5, but it would have nothing to do with Canadian law. As far as I know she resides in Los Angeles, making her one of few series' VAs not employed by Ocean Studios.

On the other hand, having the same voice actresses would make people think the movie's part of the same continuity as G4, when it's supposed to be in the G5 continuity. So it's plausible Hasbro/Paramount will recast the characters anyway just to avoid confusion.

They don't have to be. Just don't expect the same characters to be voiced by the same actors/actresses.

Edited by Mario1995 on Feb 18th 2019 at 12:37:25 PM

The leaks mentioned that they were looking to cast celebrities for the 2021 movie, and then use soundalikes for the show proper. We know that one of the reasons why Sony chose not to distribute the first movie and they had to go with Lionsgate instead was precisely the fact that the celebrities were left with side characters and villains only. That resulted in the rather awkward trailers and posters where the actual lead actors weren't called out.