Would Equestria Girls Have Done Better as a Pony Movie?

[Fractured 2,683]

You can keep the plot elements the same, but what if instead of Canterlot High, it was simply an alternate universe Equestria where everything was similar, but different? Like Mane Six were a different color, or race, etc. Instead setting up for a formal, they were setting up for the Summer Sun Celebration or Nightmare Night or even a brand new celebration.

I can already list one positive, in that the movie would've saved quite a bit of time cutting out the "pony-human" issue, and that could've been spent on other things. I can also list a negative, in that Canterlot High allowed for some interactions that normally wouldn't work in the pony world, such as Celestia and Luna mingling with the citizens of Ponyville casually. Just things to think about if you really can't decide.

[Banul 3,831]

The movie had other issues than just the setting and the fact that they were all human. Some people would probably like it better, but I don't think changing them all back to ponies would necessarily make it a better movie.

[Jeric 46,834]

Not necessarily. The comics had an arc (Reflections) that used the concept of an alternate reality. It is one of the most divisive storylines in the series. In the end it is story, theme, dialog, characterization that will always sell me. Not a gimmick. I like EQG more these days than I did when I first saw it. For a while it was just respect since it was the catalyst that brought me back into the fandom, but I honestly have grown to like it. It still has it's flaws that even a Pony centric film would have not hidden. 

[Venomous 18,813]

While I can't say that the movie would be "better" if the characters were kept as ponies, I can say that I would have liked the movie SO MUCH better the characters were kept as ponies.

[Fractured 2,683]

 

Not necessarily. The comics had an arc (Reflections) that used the concept of an alternate reality. It is one of the most divisive storylines in the series. In the end it is story, theme, dialog, characterization that will always sell me. Not a gimmick. I like EQG more these days than I did when I first saw it. For a while it was just respect since it was the catalyst that brought me back into the fandom, but I honestly have grown to like it. It still has it's flaws that even a Pony centric film would have not hidden. 

...it doesn't look like you mind one way or the other, then. In that case, I think that at least keeping them ponies would keep a familiarity, which leads to a better movie because people don't have spend as much time swallowing the concept of entirely new characters and character roles. If it's "just another day in Ponyville", you could focus more on the new ideas and character's that do pop up.

 

The movie had other issues than just the setting and the fact that they were all human. Some people would probably like it better, but I don't think changing them all back to ponies would necessarily make it a better movie.

There's a lot of mixed opinions about EQG, and people could argue about the movie itself all day. I'm more focused on the benefits and negatives of a pony vs human movie from an aesthetics point of view, rather than the story itself. Basically, which one would be the better option to place EQG in. Like, maybe Canterlot High because of the possibility of technology interactions? Or maybe Equestria because of the possibility of magical interaction?

Edited October 29, 2014 by Shimmer5000