My thoughts on "A New Generation" -SPOILERS!- · 4:01am Oct 22nd, 2021
Hey, everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've just been kinda busy with school, work, and other life-things in general. Anyway, I wanted to talk about what I think of the new movie to kick off G5, titled My Little Pony: A New Generation. Now of course, there will be spoilers! Do not read if you have not seen the movie!
Overall... it was pretty good! I'd say it gave us a chance to get to know the new cast of main characters, and to get a taste of this new world the next generation will be taking us into for the upcoming series. Granted, it wasn't really perfect, since the pacing and premise could've been better, I feel. Still, it was a movie worth watching, and I might rewatch it at some point!
-The World-
Now, we can see that the world of Equestria in G5 is very different from what we saw back in G4, with pony settlements being industrialized, with modern architecture and technology, and many pop-culture references. But there are a number of inconsistencies in this world compared to the last, with geographic, racial, and lore differences. Where were the original locations featured in G4? What happened to the other non-pony races? If only earth ponies can grow food, why haven't unicorns and pegasi starved? Not to mention, without magic, which is essential for this process, why hasn't the same happened to earth ponies?
This has me wondering if we are looking at the same world in both generations. Of course, Argyle Starshine refers to the time of Twilight and the Mane Six as "ancient Equestria"... but could that really be the case? I have a hypothesis (and just go with me on this) that the events of G4, which Argyle has looked into so extensively, might actually be just historical fiction. In other words, the events of G4 are simply legends and folklore in the world of G5, much like Greek mythology in our world; real historical figures and events that have been dramatized and exaggerated beyond what the reality was.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to invalidate G4 (after all, it's what brought us all together in the first place, right?). I'm just putting my idea out there to make up for the inconsistencies up until we get the upcoming Netflix special and series, as well as YouTube-exclusive videos that could clear it all up for us.
-The Premise-
We know that the pony races have come to fear, and in some cases, despise each other, with each of the three segregating themselves into their own corners of Equestria. But why did this happen in the first place? Assuming the ponies lived in unison at some point, how could it have been possible to pit them all against each other? It's a process that certainly couldn't happen overnight, with how ingrained into Equestrian society all three races are.
We see that Canterlogic, the corporation that economically runs Maretime Bay, was profiting off this fear factor. Did the other two races do the same sort of thing? I have to admit, the movie raised a lot of question that it did not answer... that being said, hopefully we can get some answers in the series. Not to mention, the ending when the three races put their differences aside felt pretty rushed. I doubt just a simple speech could cause a conflict to cease immediately.
So, the premise wasn't perfect for the movie, but hopefully, like I said earlier, the 2022 show can address it.
-The Characters-
So, this is where it gets interesting. We've gotten quite a good palette of characters with ANG, many of whom are quite memorable. So, I'd like to dissect each character based on how they were presented in the film.
Sunny Starscout:
I'm sure many of you know her as our main heroine of the film, who takes it upon herself to reunite the pony races and bring magic back to Equestria. Overall, I would say that, while she felt like a water-down version of Twilight, as she's clearly not a heavily-devoted scholar, she still holds the same aspirations to make a massive difference in Equestria... but with that mentality came a few of Twilight's flaws. For one thing, Sunny came off as preachy, and sulked and beat herself to an emotional pulp if things didn't go her way, she focuses more on the end goal itself rather than what is required to actually get there, and is not immune to prejudice (let's face it, she assumed Izzy would fry her brain or shoot her with a laser 
).
Also, her alicornhood happening right off the bat felt WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too rushed. That being said, it seems like her horn and wings are translucent and made of some sort of ethereal energy, and not actual body parts. So, it would seem Sunny is still an earth pony, but her alicorn state would be a sort of power-up, kinda like the Omnitrix from Ben 10; it might even require a "cool-down" period after each power-up phase. It also makes me wonder if the same could happen for the other Mane Five, assuming they prove their worthiness for it. And I know Hasbro only did it for the purpose of selling merchandise, because hey, that's where the money is, but I think that, to compromise with what the majority of the fandom wants, it would probably only be a temporary thing that would be used sparingly.
So Sunny, while not necessarily the best protagonist, still holds a lot of potential for character development. I'd love to see how she evolves through the trials and tribulations she faces in the series.
Hitch Trailblazer:
FINALLY! We got us a male main character for MLP that doesn't involve toxic masculinity, or is just a punching-bag for the main characters or plotline jokes (poor Spike...). Hitch is the sheriff of Maretime Bay, with Sprout Cloverleaf as his deputy, as well as a childhood friend of Sunny. He is shown to admire Sunny's resolve to pursue what she believes, but even he has his limits, letting her know that he can't keep bending the rules for her, or letting her get away with something that brings chaos to the town. He even pursues her to see to it that she is brought to justice, despite them being friends.
Of course, halfway through the film, he agrees to help Sunny and her new friends in their quest, after a series of circumstances force him to go with them, as he couldn't trust any strangers of different races. But ultimately, he ends up contributing to the group positively, working to counter Sprout's mad plan after he takes over Maretime Bay in Hitch's absence. By far, the most memorable moment for me concerning Hitch was the "dirty words" diversion in Bridlewood Forest to help Sunny and Co. escape with the Unicorn Crystal.
To me, Hitch seems like a masculine cross between Fluttershy and Applejack. He's naturally good with animals (even if unintentionally), but he's also blunt and to-the-point, taking no nonsense and doing all he can to get things done. I'd say Hitch was a solid male main character, particular being the first of his kind in the My Little Pony overarching series.
Izzy Moonbow:
Well... this unicorn is quite a lot packaged into one pony! The very moment she appears in the film, all hell breaks loose in Maretime Bay, even though she's all fine and dandy; really goes to show just how deep prejudice can run! Izzy seems like a recycling of Pinkie Pie, always bright and full of energy, confusing a serious act with something playful or lighthearted (i.e. earth ponies panicking and hiding is a game of Hide-and-Seek to her, and simply observing in detail is a staring contest to her). Of course, she doesn't seem as exaggerated as Pinkie was in FiM, but still quite a few parallels.
I'll admit, her song "Fit Right In" is catchy, and I often found myself humming it days after seeing the movie. What really adds depth to her character, however, are the circumstances in which she went to Maretime Bay in the first place. At the beginning of the film, we saw Sunny and Argyle send a message out, on a floating lantern, to any unicorn or pegasus that would receive it, saying they wanted them to come to Maretime Bay to befriend them. And Izzy, as it just so happened... found that very same message. I swear, that twist had me as surprised, if not more so, than Sunny when it was revealed. If that's the case, why didn't Izzy get alicorn wings like Sunny did as well? To me, it seems like, as she took the first step, and actively helped Sunny, that she's equally deserving (even though I'm firmly AGAINST alicornizing any non-alicorns in the first place!)
So Izzy... yeah, she's quite a fun character! Got her carefree, positive side, but is also serious when the situation calls for it. Not over-the-top, and overall achieves a good balance between bouncy and practical.
Zipp Storm:
So, actually, her full name is Princess Zephyrina Storm, and she is the eldest daughter of Queen Haven, ruler of Zephyr Heights. When Zipp first appeared in teaser material, I didn't think she would be a very prominent character to me... hooooh boy, how wrong I was! She may be a spirited, athletic pegasus, but she's no Rainbow Dash. Now, that's absolutely not a bad thing; for one thing, Rainbow Dash was quite tomboyish and boastful, giving her some over-the-top attributes at some points, which made me cringe. But Zipp, she maintains a very gender-neutral persona, and isn't overly-prideful.
She seems to follow the Disney cliche of a princess who is not content with royal life, and wants to do more with herself. In particular, she fantasized about being able to actually fly, even imitating it with a large fan. Hell, she even wanted to make the Wonderbolts a thing in their world. Not only that, but she seems pretty smart too, having taken an interest in science and history herself, similar to Argyle, but not as obsessive. She even helped Sunny and Izzy after they were thrown in a prison cell, and planned out the Pegasus Crystal heist with them (which is definitely my favorite part of the film!). Even when things went horribly wrong, she didn't abandon Sunny and Izzy, and helped them escape, even going with them as she wanted to do more than just sit around, pretending to look good for the pegasi.
Overall, Zipp is SOLIDLY my favorite character. She's very much the odd one out in her family, and race, which helped me draw quite a few personal parallels with her.
Pipp Petals:
Okay, now we are getting into some more... shallow waters with this character. Unlike her older sister, Pipp is very content with being second-in-line to the Zephyr Heights throne, and seems to love being the center of attention. She's a social media influencer, the biggest one known to the pegasus race, and it would seem social media is integral to the image of the royal family, oddly. She showed absolutely no interest in Sunny and Izzy when they first arrived in pegasus territory, and didn't bother to actually communicate with them, only showing any regard to influence her already-immense social status.
So, right off the bat, that made me like Pipp quite a lot less than I initially thought I would. Granted, I don't outright hate her, but she's very low on my list. Of course, when it was exposed that the royal family couldn't actually fly, she was more concerned about putting Zipp on blast than the situation concerning the other two races, which Sunny and Co. stressed repeatedly. Not only that, but she seemed to just be extra baggage for the group. You could literally remove Pipp from the back half of the film, and it wouldn't change anything. Of course, she did ultimately agree to help the rest of the Mane Five in the quest to reunite the races and restore magic, and contributed in the climax (though not very substantially).
So, Pipp had a bit of a rough introduction, I feel. But hopefully, as the series goes on, she'll learn that her immediate friends can offer her a lot more than countless other ponies she has no real connection with over social media. That could make for a good lesson in the show; quality over quantity, especially with friends.
-The Verdict-
The movie was great! Sure, it had its flaws, but overall, I'd say it laid out a good foundation for the future of G5. It has some likeable characters, memorable music numbers, and some funny scenes! Granted, it did also have some sad moments, showing that it isn't shying away from real problems, and that not all is carefree in the world. The ending was rushed, though. How the three races got back together is beyond me. I doubt they just suddenly received magic again, and were all like "Oh, our magic's back! Let's be friends with the other two pony races we hate!" Hopefully, this can be addressed in future content.
Also, I like what might be foreshadowing at the end. We know that unicorn magic is pretty self-explanatory, with them performing spells with their horns, and pegasus magic allows them to fly, but earth pony magic was something G4 didn't really delve into. In the film, however, we can see earth pony hoofprints glowing when they walk after getting their magic back, and unicorns and pegasi aren't shown to do this. This gives me the impression that the writers for the G5 series plan to delve more into earth pony magic, its known applications, and potentially how it could even be used up to par with pegasus or even unicorn power.
So, it would seem we're to be getting a 45-minute special, episode one of the new series, on Netflix in the spring of 2022, followed by the first season in the subsequent autumn. The movie set the bar... modestly high for me. Let's hope the new storyboard writers and artists at Hasbro can come up with an amazing story that will rake us all back in, and even bring in a new generation of G5 bronies and pegasisters! Until then... let's keep our fingers crossed!
I can only agree with you.
When it comes to pipp, i liked her Design, it has a certain elegance and the indirect refernce to pipsquiek
5598750
Glad to hear it.
Yeah, aesthetically she looks nice. And her name definitely draws some parallels there, I can see.
5598757
Youre welcome and yep
I especially enjoyed the hoofshake sunny and hitch did
We share the following two opinions
I’m currently typing up a long review that I plan to post to Reddit on Thursday and found your review when searching for another blog post to link to in my review.
5605313
Glad you hear your input. I'd love to read your review when it's posted!
5605362
I finally published it! Hope you enjoy reading.