Dzastur

I'm think there might be a lot more G4 landmarks around. I'm wondering if those crystals Izzy pointed to are remnants from Twilight's castle....or if she and Sunny were taking a run inside Ghastly Gorge in an earlier scene. If I were a writer on the new series, I admit I'd be tempted to have these G5 ponies discover things like the mirror pool, Bright Mac and Pear Butter's marriage tree, etc.

I understand what you're thinking re: the comic tie-in but, if there ends up being a secret villain - or ally - in the film, my money would be on Chrysalis for either.

Being disappointed wouldn't concern me much. So, I'm not anxious about that possibility. Optimism - even cockeyed - can be healthy.

In October, I believe we'll see a sincere love letter not only to the fandom, but to animated films in general. That's what I thought after watching the trailer. IMHO, everyone can rest assured the film being a total disaster is pretty much off the table. Sure, maybe it'll just be a good addition to an already great series...but this one could also end up being an Iron Giant, Hayao Miyazaki type of classic. Whether it all comes together correctly is still to be seen, but the potential is there. The people involved know their way around storytelling, music, et al, and the core elements of the show itself - a proven success - are intact. The animation, however...I saw the trailer in HD for the first time today on a larger screen (48"), and it feels wonderfully timeless. Yes, I love the show animation - it's part of MLP: FiM's DNA - but the classic cartoon gods must be smiling if they had a chance to see these 2+ minutes. It's clear the creators of this film have a deep adoration for the work that's come before them, and are trying to re-create some of that magic. It shows. Many have tried, but the advantage here goes to the Pony crew; they've got a great cast of characters at their disposal to work with, a good running time, and 2 or so years of development as well. Lots of reason for optimism here...like, sky is the limit optimism.

"Yay, Trixie! You're so great at magic...and having good hair!" Loved the dialogue in "All Bottled Up" - and have to give props to Kathleen Barr for a hilarious vocal performance. (Lots of nice animation touches in this one, too. Starlight's "quiet!" face from "The Cutie Map, Part 2" re-emerging was a personal favorite.)

Just re-watched Celestial Advice. I think it featured some of the best writing of the last few seasons. There's some really clever stuff I missed the first time.

In other words: Mane 6 (and Spike; sorry, buddy) are off discovering new lands while, back home, all of the "regulars" are battling / preparing for / recovering from the new evil - and the movie will go back and forth between the two? (With more time spent showing the journey) Or will it start home, and then all the film becomes the journey - with perhaps a return at the very end?

I dunno...a battle to save Equestria seems like an opportune time to yank a magic-ready human back to pony form, through a mirror - especially if Ponyville is in immediate trouble with the Mane 6 elsewhere. She can return when it's over.

Size up this year's competition; it's a weaker field. Even if it wasn't, I'd still say MLP's got a good chance of being nominated for Best Animated Film, and possibly Best Original Song.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2F6OKQu4JI Haven't seen this one (the full version) in here yet, though I know many have watched it already. One of the best PMVs ever, IMHO.

Some of my favorite MLP fan-made videos, like the one below, were made some time ago. (And they're still great.) Having said that, the artists were using footage they had available back then. Now that many more seasons have gone by - and lots more animation is available - would you now add scenes to, or redo, previous MLP videos, if you'd created one earlier? Example: there were only so many battle scenes you had access to in 2013; if your original video required action scenes, would you now try to do a "re-vamped" version?

Check the picture. That's no baby alicorn in a cradle; she's obviously ready to throw down, if necessary. So, what next? I fully expect to see her aged a few years in Season 7, to the point where she's at least talking. We know she's got a ridiculous amount of magic in that horn, plus a unique existence in Equestria as an alicorn by birth. She presents interesting possible scenarios. Some of the more mundane ones might include her being mentored by Twilight / befriended by Spike the protector of the Crystal Empire, and/or figuring herself out with the CMCs. But, what other ones? Does she go somewhat Anakin Skywalker on her friends and get power hungry? Will she be more like Twilight, or Starlight? Will we not see her again until the movie? Will she help save Equestria after Chrysalis secretly takes the form of Princess Ember, and leads the dragons on a revolt? There's a few wild cards going into S7, and she's one of `em. Discuss, if so inclined!

I agree with the characters other people list... ...but, aside from this - and whether or not the finale includes her - I think it's possible that at some point Flurry Heart will go all Jack-Jack Parr (The Incredibles) on a villain. In other words, the baby / innocent in peril suddenly unloads a can of whoop-ass. She's pretty damn powerful.

Welp, seems like the perfect time to bump this one from 2013. Who's excited for tomorrow's episode?

So, given that: *millions of people probably had no idea who Twilight Sparkle was - until Tuesday (CNN), and... *tons of Sia fans probably had little idea about the ponies - until today (SDCC), and... *there'll be a massive push for movie marketing next year, it got me to thinking... ...by 2017, MLP: FiM would've gone mainstream enough to make more media appearances. How about on James Corden's Carpool Karaoke? It would freshen up the series of skits for the animated mares to show up in his car and have him sing along to some of the show's songs. He's already had some novel acts in ride-alongs; MLP is a crazy-enough fit to work out perfectly, I think. Just animate them in the car with him. You know Hasbro would go for it. (If you don't know the segment I'm referring to, here's one with Sia:)

IMHO, that's exactly what she should look like. You know it's her without her saying a thing. Just like celebs in Warner Bros cartoons of yesteryear.

Surreal. The exposure this is getting MLP is massive, folks. Believe me that this will end up being a key date in history for this show - it reached a new benchmark in popular culture today. Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer's remarks will be comedy fodder for awhile. It's not necessarily the spotlight fans wanted - but MLP doesn't come off looking badly at all. Enjoy the fallout.

Loved the episode. Humor was spot-on. Trixie'a deadpan delivery at the beginning of her magic show was hilarious. Did anyone else miss having Snips and Snails in a Trixie episode? Yeah, me neither.

I think they'd gotten about as much mileage off of them not having their marks as they could have without it getting stale. And now they open up a boatload of possibilities. I want to see where they go re: Scootaloo's mark sharing something in common with Rainbow Dash's, for instance. And, if one of the CMCs is in trouble, do the other two get summoned? Surely Celestia could use some sort of committee to handle cutie-mark-related identity issues for ponies...

"Oh really?" "Are you sure about that?" (But I agree with you on point #2: brilliant premise re: the CMC's purpose.)

I know some of this borders on cliché, but I think it's true: this series is coming of age. It's far more nuanced than it used to be. Very positive development. There were some especially nice touches in today's handling of a familiar story. And it also bodes well for the more action-heavy episodes in the future; a series which has found its creative groove from top to bottom produces better "whiz-bang" shows as well.

I expect Sunset Shimmer to return to Equestria someday. The 2017 movie might be a good opportunity to have her come back through the mirror and help Twilight battle a super nemesis. I don't see any problem with her past at this point; she's atoned for it, and Celestia is probably ready to see her again. (Speaking of Sunset's past, I'd like to think she took classes with either Starlight Glimmer or Trixie.)

Dear Angel Bunny, . <--- this is a period. It's what you've apparently been on since the first season. Cut it out. Sincerely, JohnM