Fan Made MLP Videos Show The Creative Power Of ‘My Little Pony’s’ Fandom [Video]
Fan-made MLP movies are not new. The relaunch of the animated franchise in 2010 – My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – garnered a fandom that astonished culture observers with the breadth and depth of their devotion to the show. Even though much of the focus has been on “Bronies” – the adult male fans of the show – as evidenced by this article in The Daily Beast, much has been made of the quality of fan produced videos and music inspired by MLP.
The 'My Little Pony' movie debuts its logo https://t.co/Qkd34sudmV pic.twitter.com/dj5KWCvsLG
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 20, 2016
The Latest MLP Movie Boasts An A-List Cast
While many fan produced pieces are inspired by admiration alone, the latest crop of MLP videos were precipitated by the announcement of a new “My Little Pony” feature film to be released in 2017. Information concerning cast additions has generated its fair share of speculation and excitement. Emily Blunt, Liev Schreiber, Taye Diggs, and Kristen Chenowith are among the actors listed by entertainment outlets such as Entertainment Weekly as on board with the latest iteration of the pastel equine juggernaut.
Hasbro Listens To ‘The My Little Pony’ Fandom
Rumors that the new movie would present the lead characters in pony form instead of the “Equestria Girls” version of the characters, as reported by the SF Weekly, spurred fans to dig up more information about the project. Aside from the cast announcements, most of the plot points were, and still are being kept secret by Sony, Lionsgate, and Hasbro.
Logo For MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE Offiicially Released https://t.co/i6LjMuWW2d pic.twitter.com/vr2KqiSg7g
— ComicBook NOW! (@ComicBookNOW) June 21, 2016
For the uninitiated, “Equestria Girls” was an attempt by Hasbro to present a more grown-up version of the MLP universe for fans who were aging out of the assumed My Little Pony fan demographic. Since 2014, the ponies have lived on television screens as magically transformed human teen girls who attend high school.
Response to this has been mixed. As pointed out in the linked SF Weekly article, many fans felt the latest version of “My Little Pony” was dumbed down and robbed of what made the original series so appealing to the adult fans who make up a large portion of the series’ fan community.
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Wikileaks Pulls Back The Curtain On Sony’s Plans For MLP
Last year the MLP board at Reddit lit up with speculation about the new direction the feature may take after a series of emails between executives at Sony and Hasbro were published on Wikileaks. The emails discussed the development team’s unvarnished opinions of “My Little Pony’s” fan base, particularly “Bronies.” Sony’s Adam North admitted he found them “creepy.”
I feel a little silly saying it, but I think there could be a big opportunity with MY LITTLE PONY, if we’re not already too late on the trend. I don’t know if Michelle already told you this: not only is My Little Pony extremely popular within its core demo, but it has also taken on a very bizarre life within 20’s-30’s male culture. I have watched the show myself out of curiosity and I don’t personally get the interest, but who cares. There’s a whole subculture of people called Bronies, which means Bro’s who love My Little Pony, and they follow this series very closely. There’s even a documentary about it called Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Fans of My Little Pony. It’s…a little creepy.
There was also speculation on Reddit that the mention of former series showrunner Lauren Faust meant there might indicate they would try to bring her on board with the movie.
MLP Fans Respond With Equal Parts Wishful Thinking And Creativity
All of this has resulted in fan made videos that are intended to push fans’ hopes for the movie.
Whether or not the fan made videos prove to be close to what Sony and Hasbro have in store, they give MLP fans something to speculate about until the film opens in theaters on October 6, 2017.
[Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images]
