Misterfanwank

So, you've analyzed the plot of FIM. Ever play Chrono Trigger? I ask because I did a similar analysis of CT several years ago, although I did not accept Chrono Cross as canon because, well, that game blew hard chunks.

More importantly the characters don't detract from each other. It's not a case of "pleasing no one by trying to please everyone." Who each pony is plays against the other ponies with well developed dialog. In particular characters, who are foils, Pinkie/Twilight, Rainbow Dash/Fluttershy, and Applejack/Rarity, have some excellent moments

I am only peripherally aware of G1~3. I know they exist but I don't know much about them. The point was I doubt using ponies was something the writers chose. If your post is correct then my guess appears to be accurate. The reason I mentioned this was simply to say this aspect of the show may not be a calculated design decision by the writers of FIM, although it works extremely well.

On the Formula and Design Choices of MLP:FIM; Why the Show Works: First, let's look at the animal choice, ponies, or more generally, horses. Like cats and dogs, horses are well known, easily identifiable creatures. Unlike cats and dogs they are not mundane to most people; they are exotic. Unlike cows, which are also somewhat exotic, horses are commonly perceived as majestic animals. The choice of animal may not have been a concious decision by the FIM writers. I'm guessing they were told to make a My Little Pony show by executives, so they made a My Little Pony show and made the best of an established concept. I think they were lucky because ponies are an excellent choice for this kind of show; I don't think My Little Piglets would have worked nearly as well. Second, let's look at the world. Unlike other, superficially similar shows, like Dragon Tales, the MLP:FIM world is extremely well established. It's not a land apart, which only has the gimmicks of "not being here" and having exotic animals. Equestria is a living land, which is filled with many cities, many professions, many inhabitants, and many factions. It is a land, which is easily relatable by our own experiences because it mimics so many things in our own lives, from the tiny, daily events, to the larger, notable events. But more than just the daily hustle and bustle of Equestria, the show hints at the depth of the country's history and its political ties with neighboring countries. The show even gives hints about the cosmogony of the FIM universe. I won't say any particular thing about the setting is exceptional; I will say the amount of thought put into the setting is exceptional. Not only is the world fully realized, it is not simply a copy of our own world. While it mimics our world so it is relatable, it puts a pony spin on every aspect, which makes seeing familiar things interesting. For example, the Apple family doesn't pick apples. The Apple family bucks apples. The scale of the FIM universe is huge, although the focus is usually small. This gives the writers a lot of freedom. They can write small, character pieces, but then turn around and write a story about an apocalyptic creature being released and threatening to plunge the world into chaos. In this way the setting is both engaging and continually fresh. Third, let's look at the basic template of the main characters. They are all young ponies, whose characters have specific themes by the premise of the show, the Elements of Harmony, and by their occupations and personalities. In this way they are distinct and the variety means most viewers will be able to like at least one pony. The most powerful aspect of this template, I feel, is the ponies have occupations. Unlike superficially similar shows, like Dragon Tales, the ponies have lives outside of the plot of the current episode. I believe Fluttershy is taking care of her animals, even when she isn't doing anything in an episode. In this way the characters are given more life and the writers don't have to feel compelled to use them in every episode OR explain why they are not in a specific episode. A much more subtle benefit also exists because of the ponies having occupations: Their ages are nebulous. They are all young, but they are also independent. Except for Pinkie and Applejack, all of the main characters live by themselves in their own homes. They are aguably grown ups, who have independent lives and responsibilities. In this way older audiences can appreciate them because they are not children, but younger audiences can still imagine the ponies are children and empathize with them as children. This is actually the main reason why I do not think Equestria Girls will work: It's much harder to obscure the ages of human characters. The ponies won't be able to retain their occupations unless the show admits they're old enough to be on their own and out of school. If they are forced to go back to school their lives will be too similar and their occupations will be reduced to hobbies. It's hard to be a unique snowflake when 8 hours of every day are spent doing the same thing as everyone else and your age prevents you from interacting with the more interesting aspects of the world. Basically, the ponies just need to stay away from school and the show will probably be OK, but I won't be surprised if they are in school so they can appeal to the show's real target demographic. One of the teaser shots of the show looks like a high school setting, so... Fourth, let's look at the morals of the show. Like most kids shows, especially girls' kids shows, MLP:FIM has a strong focus on friendship and getting along. What makes MLP:FIM different is the situations, which are used to demonstrate a specific aspect of getting along, are usually somewhat complex and aren't exclusive to the experience of a child. This show refrains from the obvious morals, like "asking permission" and "sharing" by avoiding awful, trite plots, like borrowing a sweater without permission. The show puts the ponies into situations based on who they are, not based on which cookie cutter moral the writers want to teach. The moral of each episode seems to be derived from the resolution of the conflict, and is not the point of writing the conflict in the first place. In this way the morals seem like an afterthought of the show meant to appease executives. In season 3 the need to spell out a moral is completely forgotten. Especially because of the humor of each episode, MLP:FIM seems to me like a sincere parody of other, more blunt morality based cartoons. It's like Animaniacs and the Wheel of Morality, but without the non sequitur. In particular I'm thinking of episodes, like "Feeling Pinkie Keen", "Stare Master", "Lesson Zero", and "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy", all of which use the "morality lesson" for humor, not preaching. Fifth, let's look at the art style. The proportions of the characters are not horribly exagerated in an effort to be "cute", nor is fashion a central theme of their designs. In this way the only part of the art style, which boys might find objectionable, is the color palette. In stead of looking like a stereotypical girls' cartoon the show looks more like an old Cartoon Network show, like Dexter's Lab, Kids Next Door, or Billy and Mandy, all of which are, or were, popular shows among both genders. By not trying to insult its demographic by excess pandering, by not metaphorically saying "This is the kind of thing you like, right? Right? It's cute like a baby and it wears ADORABLE high heels! Why don't you like this?", the creators of MLP:FIM have created a girls' show, which aesthetically appeals to both genders. Because the aesthetics are also somewhat classic, it has a nostalgia factor for older audiences. This is another reason why I think Equestria Girls won't work. The designs of the characters emphasize fashion and the art style looks similar to Bratz dolls, which are horrifying. Even if the show ends up being fine, the art style will still be abrasive to less fashion minded audiences. I do not believe MLP:FIM was lucky. The formula of the show is relatively simple and I've outlined many of the more important aspects of it in this short essay. I do believe its formula can be successfully replicated.

@Codex: I didn't mean to say Magical Mystery Cure would have been a good final episode, although I suppose that's what I said. I meant Twilight's ascension.

But Fluttershy doesn't really "use" her wings. Does her being a pegasus count when she usually acts like an earth pony? It seems to me an imbalance already existed. Basically, the balance of pony types was only important for selling toys so the Mane 6 would have variety. Twilicorn gives it more variety, so I don't see the problem, at least from Hasbro's point of view.

While it has a bit of fanwankery (not that I mind, see my name), I think this is a fantastic analysis of the show and Magical Mystery Cure. On one hand this analysis shows why Magical Mystery Cure would have been the perfect place to end the show; it's the end of the original journey, the first setup of the show. On the other hand this analysis shows where the show can go from here, which is strikingly similar to what it was, while still being its own, new thing. If they don't screw this up this might be a spectacular example of changing a show without jumping the shark.

Considering the trepidation we all have about Twilicorn, let's see if we can come up with some decent episodes. Perhaps we'll start figuring out ways this can work. I have two right now: 1. Wings bump into things. Twilight laments her wings because she can't control them very well. She tries to bind her wings, tries to temporarily magic them away, and she eventually gets consoled by Derpy, the clumsiest pegasus around. The "friendship letter" will be about finding wisdom in unexpected places and being willing to look for it before taking drastic measures in a bad situation. 2. Alicorn guilt Twilight has gotten used to her new body, but starts feeling bad for other ponies because they have less capable bodies. She starts trying to develop solutions, like permanent wing prosthetics and artificial horns, which can perform basic tasks. The conflict of the episode will be her zeal to have her inventions used by everypony, even when they don't want them. The "friendship letter" will be something along the lines of not looking down on other ponies just because they lack certain advantages, and not forcing your help on them because you think they're helpless, although the prosthetics are very helpful to the ponies, who do want them. (This one I'm really hoping we see because it hits kinda close to home for me. I have minor hearing loss, but hearing aides don't work well for me. They cause more problems than they fix. Years ago, when I was in highschool, I was constantly harassed by my guidance counselor for not wearing them and I could never make her understand they didn't work for me.)