AlbaTross

After reflecting on this matter further, I think this decision is also going to have other adverse effects. Anyone who greatly prefers FiM to ANG is only going to be more unhappy with the very existence of ANG due to it preempting FiM, at least on Netflix. That can actually make certain people less inclined to check out the new series, and at worst, could fuel a rift between fans of FiM and ANG. I like to think that Bronies are at least a little better than some fandoms in that they won't erupt into WWIII, but the fandom has certainly changed since I was most active in it and I really can't say for sure that it won't come to that. Sure, there will likely always be people who are fans of both, and there will likely be people who can like one while still accepting fans of the other. I sincerely hope they constitute the majority as I've always respected Bronies for being especially open and accepting. Also, building a wall between one another would go against the message of both series. Still, splitting fandoms never goes well in my experience. Let's hope there won't be serious fallout from FiM's removal from Netflix.

Maybe it's his social clout that gives him some authority? He's not in any kind of government, and it was never actually stated that he's any kind of "main authority". He just happened to be around. Come to think of it, is there any government in Maretime Bay either? The Sheriff is just a high-ranking cop. Are there even other cops? That doesn't make a lot of sense either. Sure, why not have bartender Unicorn act as an authority figure for his race? We can just add that to the list of story elements that don't make much sense. I'm actually cool with the cell phone thing. It doesn't make a ton of sense but neither does ponies holding things with hooves period, so whatever. I kind of like the idea of having ponies in a modern setting, especially now that magic is added into the mix. I just hope something meaningful is done with it.

Thankfully I have all the DVDs and BluRays, but that only covers seasons 1-7 of the show, the four major EQG films and Magical Movie Night, along with the FiM Movie. That still leaves quite a bit that never got an official release. Thank goodness for sites like watchcartoononline.com. I do hope the remainder of FiM will get released in some capacity, and I would re-buy the series if it gets released on BluRay.

For me, it's not really one thing so much as a bunch of small things that add up, but if I had to focus on one main thing, I think it would be that it's just not as engaging as FiM to me, and that might have to do primarily with worldbuilding (though story and characterization do play a role in that too). Maybe if I could approach the film in a vacuum, my opinion would be a bit higher, but not only is that really difficult by virtue of ANG or whatever it ends up being called being the series that has to follow FiM, but the film actively takes it upon itself to remind the audience of FiM thus making the elephant in the room that much more difficult to ignore. To be clear, I think the film is fine, and even good at times. I wish it could have been great, and even fantastic at times though, and the constant reminders of FiM do it no favours IMHO, nor does literally implying that it is legit set in future Equestria, and thus cannot be regarded as having a setting entirely its own.

No. Not only would I not have checked it out or even so much as known it had released had I not already been in the fandom, but had I actually come across it I probably would have regarded it as being kind of like a Pixar film, but less memorable. As it stands, I think it's alright. I was entertained enough to watch it all the way through. I remember FiM's pilot grabbing me in a way that this movie didn't though. While my line of thinking at the time was that I could go either way with whether or not I wanted to continue watching the show, I obviously made the decision to keep going. I can't say I would have felt the same about ANG. I wouldn't have hated it or anything, but I also wouldn't have felt compelled to want to check out an accompanying series afterwards. I am planning to continue watching, sure, but only because I'm down the rabbit hole already that is the world of MLP, and have even managed to sit through the vast majority of G1-3 content.

I do appreciate the development Rarity had in the series. That's my point. I think you may have been thrown off by me saying that I don't want Pipp to be developed along the exact same lines as Rarity, but to quote Applejack, "Good things are even better when they're a Rarity". I'm all for current characters containing traits of past ones as tributes, but I also want these current characters to be distinct and unique in their own way, for more reasons than one. Pipp certainly has things that set her apart, and I hope the writing leans into those things going forward.

My headcanon is there isn't a sun/moon in Equestria, or at least not in the same manner as what we have in our world. There is a "sun"/"moon", and they are places that a pony or other creature can be banished to, but they don't function in quite the same way. So much craziness goes on in FiM with the sun/moon cycle being halted, tampered with, or otherwise altered in ways that should have wiped out all life in Equestria multiple times over, and we never so much as saw the tides get messed up. Heck, they should not be raised and lowered manually, because that's not how it works in our world. My conclusion is they really only affect the light on the planet. All that said, I'm going to assume either somecreature else took over the sun/moon cycle (maybe with the Staff of Sacanas?), or as PoisonClaw suggests, the process got automated somehow. Oh, and see PawelS's post for the appearance of the sun/moon in the new film.

I had my concerns over how he was going to fit in with the rest of the cast, but the movie handled it well and my concerns evaporated. I still have issues with the film, sure, but Hitch didn't end up being one of them. Some of his treatment in the film is, but it's a lot more minor than I was expecting. When it comes to the throwbacks to the Mane Six that were worked into these new characters (sometimes subtly, sometimes less so), I think Hitch is both the best and the worst. I say both, because in addition to being the only Stallion in the mane cast, he's also the only one who actually represents two characters. The cues he takes from Applejack are his honest, down to earth nature while being a voice of reason, and those traits are well incorporated into the rest of his personality, which is distinct. In that regard I think he's the best example of how to take inspiration from another character while writing a completely new one without that new character feeling derivative in any way. The trait he takes from Fluttershy though...I think that's only a thing for the reference. I guess the animals that follow him around are cute, but there's really no payoff to that other than a series of gags that are pretty much dropped by mid-film. I mean, he's supposedly good with animals, but he doesn't seem to care that he's good with them. So...what's the point? There was slapstick at his expense later in the film. It was just more subtle. The thing where he couldn't make a campfire but the mares could is more minor, along with him being the one to stumble over learning the Unicorn taboos. Most of all though, as some YouTubers have pointed out, it actually doesn't make sense that he would despise being made over to pretend to be a Unicorn, because he did the same exact thing to play the part of a Pegasus. It would have made far more sense for Zipp to be the one who frowned over such a makeover. But, of course, Hitch is male so ha, ha I guess? I also wish he was more relevant to the film's plot. It's cool that a male was worked into the mane cast, and though that campfire scene isn't without its problems, him joining the mares at the fire also comes across as symbolic in a way, like from this point on being a mane character in MLP isn't exclusively a girl's club, and I'm sure we will see more mane males either in this series or future ones. However, his biggest contributions to the story are really early on. He ironically becomes less relevant when he joins the fillies, in spite of being in the film more.

I just want her to get character development. It probably says a lot that Rarity is my favourite Mane Six pony, but Pipp currently sits at the bottom of the new cast for me. That could be subject to change as I'm not passionate enough about any of the mane cast yet to set any kind of ranking in stone, but going off of how I feel so far, it seems likely my favourite will end up being Izzy or Sunny . Upon further thought it occurs to me that while both characters are about their reputation and making a name for themselves, Rarity achieved that over the course of FiM while Pipp was essentially born a star by virtue of being a princess. Sure, Pipp is obviously under constant pressure to maintain her reputation, but she had the spotlight handed to her. Honestly, I do hope Pipp is developed in a way that differs from Rarity. She already started at the top, but you're right that maybe it isn't all it's cracked up to be and there might be things she doesn't love about being a royal. There's definitely huge potential for commentary on social media culture that could be beneficial for young people to see/hear, so that could be great too. First and foremost though I just want Pipp to be an interesting character, along with everypony else, if I'm going to spending any length of time watching her and the others.

Thanks. I just think that this new series should lean into what's most unique and interesting about it. I'm all for telling a new story, so I hope that's what we get, and I like when stories really lean into the strengths of their setting. There's potential to give us something we didn't get from FiM, or even EQG, and I really hope we get that.

Hmmm...hard to say. Depending on how much time has actually passed, it's remarkable that even the Mane Six are so well-remembered, right down to their exact appearance. It shows that a lot of records of them survived. The further we go back in human history, the fewer records there are. I'm sure Twilight living an unnaturally long life had something to do with there being a lot of records of not just her, but her friends as well. Still, one would think she would also make sure other prominent ponies and creatures from her time, including the sisters of two of her friends, along with their friend, would be well-preserved too. That would have been interesting. Of course, it seems highly likely that Scootaloo's problem wasn't her wing size, but a magic deficiency. Physics don't agree with ponies flying, so it's not just wings that make that possible, but magic as well. If anything, Scootaloo's wing size was a symptom of the ailment, but not the ailment itself, or at least that's my headcanon based on observation. A faulty wing would have been more of a physical problem, not a magic one, though that still would have made for an interesting callback while giving us a new character to root for.

Who's to say if she did or didn't? Assuming Twilight was given the lifespan of an Alicorn along with her transformation, which seems likely given that she eventually started looking more like Celestia and Luna, she probably reigned for at least 1000 years, if not more. We have no idea if Luster Dawn was made into an Alicorn too down the road, but since she was around while the rest of the Mane Six and Spike were all still alive, she would be a very short-term successor in the grand scheme of things even if she was, as she would be old even in Alicorn years if Twilight were to be old enough to step down or die of old age. Also, I would imagine that Twlight and Sunset weren't the only students Celestia ever took directly under her wing, and both just happened to live around the time when Luna's 1000 year banishment ended. Twilight became an Alicorn because she was somepony even more special than a Nobel Prize winner, not simply because she happened to show the most promise out of the students in her class, as many, many classes would have come and gone in the time Celestia ran that school. Also, Starlight was Twilight's student too and as far as we know she didn't become an Alicorn. None of the above is to say that Luster Dawn wasn't Twilight's successor, just that if she was, it was maybe for a couple decades. It's probably enough time to do some damage, sure, but I don't know if that would be enough time to screw up everything so spectacularly as to divide all races again, including the three pony races. Heck, we don't even know if Twilight had a successor. There are plenty more open ends than that, and I highly doubt any of the above will actually be revisited. Everything I said about Luster Dawn in the event of her becoming an Alicorn is true for Flurry Heart as well, who's also a generation behind Twilight, as in, a normal pony generation. Pinkie's kid probably lived a normal pony life too, and died at a relatively normal age for a regular pony. Discord had an unnaturally long life too, but that may not actually be due to being immortal. He was turned to stone for 1000 years, and that presumably stops time for the individual encased in stone. We actually don't know anything about how long a member of his species lives, but he likely outlived Fluttershy and her friends. However, we don't actually know if he's immortal, and if he's not then it's unlikely he would still be around in Sunny's time. Heck, even if he is it seems he can definitely die or be killed, just not of old age. He needs magic, and magic is sparse by the time Sunny is born. That's not good for a Draconequus. Cozy, Chryssy and Tirek are the most likely to be able to return. I don't see it happening, but they have the highest odds of being able to come back from a story standpoint. This is precisely why I wish a link wasn't forced between the new series and the previous one. It's great for conversation, sure, but now a monster has been created (metaphorically speaking). It's difficult to discuss the state of the world in the film and its upcoming show without contemplating how the Equestria of the Mane Six got that way, as well as whether characters and elements of it will return. Had that connection not been made, there wouldn't be any confusion, nor would there be any need to revisit anything as it would have been a completely clean slate. There's nothing about the story of the movie that has any direct connection to the Equestria of old, and it would have worked equally well if not better if it was just its own world. It would still be hopelessly derivative of the Hearth's Warming story, but at least it would be completely its own thing. As it stands, we now have a story that's both derivative and presents a narrative that ponies eventually relapsed on everything they learned over the generations, not to mention the whole discussion over what happened to the Windigoes (which is admittedly pretty interesting). Precisely. I agree 100%, and imagine that's what will likely happen. I would be surprised if anything from FiM does end up being more than a reference or a "historical fact".

To paraphrase a line from Starswirl: "You can't bring Cozy Glow back! You can't bring only Cozy Glow back!" If she gets brought back, so do Chryssy and Tirek. Actually, I would love for that to happen as it would inject some much needed excitement into the new series. The Mane Five and all the other ponies would be kind of screwed though as they're only just rediscovering their magic and would be ill-equipped, so that would probably be a one-sided massacre, and would probably be too much excitement for that cast.

No, and while I'm open to the possibility once the actual series comes out, I don't see it happening. Not only are the Mane Six nostalgic for me, but FiM was able to get me invested in half the time with its pilot, while I'm just not there yet with these new characters. I think in time, the Mane Five will grow on me, but I will be very surprised if this cast ever comes remotely close to filling the horseshoes of their predecessors.

G4 for a variety of reasons. First off, fair or not, first cut is the deepest, and that's something FiM will always have over ANG for me regardless of the quality of either. Secondly, while I think the CG of ANG is great (hard to say if the show will match the animation budget but we'll see), I find 2D animation is more expressive, and I'll also miss FiM being a holdout of Western 2D animation in an age oversaturated with CG. Neither of these things are about the actual quality of the ANG movie though, so I'll move on to that. I think the biggest thing I'll miss about FiM is the Equestria of the past. Yeah, I know magic has now returned to the future world in the movie, but there's something to be said for a world that just has magic, and all manner of interesting mythological creatures in it, along with a history of having had it. The world of the old series just has more life to it, and it is a series that really leans into the fantasy aspect. Sure, all manner of slice of life stories can and have been told in that world, but there's something about the juxtaposition of everyday life with the extraordinary that really makes the world of FiM come alive. By contrast...there just isn't as much excitement in the new world. The return of magic can and probably will provide a much needed boost to it, but it's probably otherwise going to continue to feel a little flat. Of course, when it comes to story and characterization...well, Here's what Josh Scorcher has to say on the subject: To be clear, my perspective isn't nearly as harsh and I enjoyed the film, but Josh makes some pretty good points that have helped explain some potential reasons why I can't help but feel this new film falls short on a fundamental level. While it was apparent to me from the start who Twilight Sparkle is outside of her friendship studies, I can't say the same of Sunny. I really don't know who she is now that she has successfully united the three pony tribes. Maybe the new series can explore that by framing it as an identity crisis on her part or something, but I doubt it will go that route. In fact, where FiM didn't need much to set up its characters, I really feel as though all of the Mane Five here could use some serious character development (especially the Pegasus sisters). We will likely get that, but I wanted that from this movie. Also, it's pretty obvious all five characters take cues from somepony from the Mane Six, with varying degrees of success at differentiating themselves from their predecessors. Now for the elephant in the room: the link this new series has to FiM. It's great that it gets people talking, but it really wasn't necessary at all for this film, and now this new series will never be able to stand on its own, which is unfortunate. FiM stood on its own, and didn't need G3 or any other previous series. I really wish ANG could have done the same, and based solely on the plot of the film, there's no reason why it shouldn't have. I'm going to guess that exploring the reasons why the Equestria of the past is no more is going to be embedded into this new show to some capacity. It's a hook for the fandom, for sure, but it's an artificial hook and one that comes at the expense of this new series just being another extension of FiM. I'll give the new series a shot, but as it stands...I think it's probably going to be my second favourite MLP series (third if I count EQG). In all fairness, Pony Life tried as a follow-up to FiM, and failed miserably IMHO. I think ANG is far better than that at least, and let's not get into past gens of which G1's the next best series. I think ANG is well set up to be better than that too. I just can't see it topping FiM though.

We will get our answers, at least some of them, at some point. We will just have to watch the new MLP series to find out just how impossible it will be for it to get out of FiM's shadow.

She just kind of ends up being along for the ride, and as such, I have to put her at the bottom of my character ranking in spite of Rarity being my number one in FiM (and perceiving Pipp to be the closest equivalent). On top of that, it's odd that the movie has her be the Pegasus to help Sunny and Izzy put together the stones when I can't help but feel it should have been Zipp. To be fair, all of the cast could use more screen time, but she's definitely at the top of the list of characters who would benefit from that. I suppose a show would remedy that. It's possible my character rankings may change depending on how they're developed in the upcoming series.

I'll agree that the 3D looks great, though I will miss MLP being one of the few 2D animated series left. Overall, I did enjoy the film. Honestly, there are more reasons than one why the movie shouldn't have been tied to FiM though, and you highlighted one of them. I don't actually think proper care and diligence was taken in trying to tie the two universes together. I think it was done largely so the movie could piggyback off of the success of FiM, even if it didn't end up being well received. But, since it has been well received, that move really shot it in the foot in terms of its ability to stand on its own. Moreover, as you've so eloquently stated, there are issues with setting said film in an established universe without taking into account all the nuances of said universe. It has been a great rabbit hole for discussion, sure, but like a deal with the devil, it comes at a cost, and in this case ANG's potential to stand on its own is quite limited IMHO, especially if the new series actually ends up leaning even more into FiM lore.

I could see it being very slice of life, but with more plot, kind of like the FiM episodes that focused on friendship lessons rather than the overarching plot. I don't think the world of the film has enough going for it for us to see epic battles, and if other races are reintroduced, they probably lost their magic too and need to reclaim it (good luck convincing the dragons and griffons to embrace friendship). In lieu of there being an exciting world to explore, the show would either have to be about restoring it to its former glory, or just be slice of life. Dr. Wolf's idea of exploring why the world turned out the way it did is also a possibility, and would probably be the most engaging plot-wise, but would also run into the problem of ANG being even more of an extension of FiM to the point where it doesn't have enough of its own identity. If the series does go the purely slice of life route, I think work needs to be done to flesh out the characters. While I could watch the Mane Six for hours, I don't feel the same way about this new cast just yet. Sure, there is story potential to be had, and I hope it's handled well. As I'm not sure who Sunny is outside of her pursuit of friendship with other races, maybe a good route for her character is discovering who she is now that she has realized the goal she dedicated her life to for so long. One thing the world in this new series has going for it that's different than FiM is it's in a more modern setting. Sure, so does EQG, but this is a world where magic has been reintroduced on a large scale. Ponies who have lived their entire lives without magic now have it. They live in a post-modern capitalist world where they have gotten by with current technology. I can imagine it might be interesting to figure out where magic fits in. At first it may just make everyday tasks more convenient, especially for Unicorns. Pegasus ponies can probably get to work faster now. Earth Ponies may have to discover the ins and outs of their magic because it's less self-explanatory, but they probably feel more alive now than they ever did. There is potential here for a take on fantasy that I wish were more common. I'll certainly miss the more supernatural elements of FiM, but in lieu of that I really hope this new series embraces what sets it apart from its predecessor. Whatever happens, this new series is guaranteed to be in the top two MLP series. I just have my doubts that it will turn out nearly as good as FiM. To be fair though, FiM is amazing and set the bar exceptionally high. I don't see this new show being as exciting in the long term, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable in its own right, so I'm crossing my fingers that it will be.

This is actually one of the directions I could see the show going. Also, what happened to all of the other races that were present in FiM? Surely they didn't all die off. Maybe they too have lost their magic and are living a post-modern capitalist lifestyle elsewhere. I'd love it if there's a settlement of dragons who can't fly or breathe fire. Bonus points if they're big into gaming. Perhaps there are still changelings, yaks, hippogriffs and griffons somewhere, as well as buffalo, crystal ponies, centaurs, cat people, descendants of Klugetown, bird people, Kirin, etc. As I've said before, I don't think an entire series could be sustained solely on the premise of exploring other regions for very long, but it is an idea for a season or two.

Well, it seems I've done quite the 180 on my thoughts on the movie being tied into FiM, as you might have seen in one of my posts in another discussion. I actually think this movie would have been stronger without that connection, and in retrospect, while comparisons to FiM would have been inevitable either way, having the film actively remind viewers about FiM just makes it even more difficult to ignore. I have my doubts about this setting and characters sustaining an entire series, but it works just fine as a film. Hasbro should have just let it be its own movie. It would have still been the exact same movie, just without the Mane Six dolls and that opening scene (as much as I enjoyed hearing the Mane Six VAs again).

For a message of tolerance, obviously. From an in-universe standpoint though, you kind of have a point. To be fair, they seemed to be doing the best. We don't actually know this. For all we know, the other races could be around. Ever get on the wrong side of a Griffin in an internet discussion? In all seriousness though, if they are around, they also probably keep to themselves, have stereotypes of other races, and live in a post-modern society where they can get by adequately without their magic, and may have their settlements in other parts of the map. The three settlements we saw in the movie can't possibly be the only civilizations left in their world. I almost think they shouldn't have bothered with the callbacks at all. I would assume whatever happened, happened long after even Twilight's lifetime (which was probably extended due to her being an Alicorn). But, it introduces a lot of questions that simply having the film be set in its own world wouldn't have, especially since there are virtually no traces of it. I think it would have been highly possible to have the same story of "magic and friendship used to exist in this world, but it has long since been lost" even without referencing FiM. The presence of the Mane Six toys also just reek of an attempt to cash in on nostalgia, and remind of us of that other series. We would still probably want to know more about that world and how things came to be the way they are, but it wouldn't seem like as pressing a thing to want to know, and that could be addressed in worldbuilding episodes regardless. The movie proved that it could stand effectively on its own, and it would have pulled that off even more successfully without the callbacks. It's as if the team behind this movie didn't have the confidence that it could succeed entirely on its own merit, but as we have seen, it has. Sure, I'm skeptical that it can sustain an entire series for very long without getting old, but it definitely works as a film.

Wait, actually? They are my top two favourites in the movie, so sweet! For some reason I'm imagining a Brony convention in a cemetery now. That would be...interesting. On the plus side it would probably be easier to get from the vendor hall to the space where a certain panel is being held and vice versa, even with being respectful of the dead by not stepping on their graves if at all possible.

While I don't think the movie is fantastic or anything, I did enjoy it and I'm impressed that the fandom managed to propel it to number one (which can't have been an easy feat). Moreover, the implication that our fandom is alive and thriving makes this news all the more amazing!

Hmmm...well, it's definitely up there. It's better than Rainbow Roadtrip, but that's largely because that film feels more like a special, extended episode than a movie with full production values. It's definitely better than the G1 movie, and I don't think I need to elaborate on that. The G3 movies are just cringe and I definitely don't think I need to elaborate on that. The FiM movie had to hold back on its lore and characters to be more welcoming to newer audiences, whereas this new movie doesn't feel as though it was held back in any way, by virtue of it being able to build its own lore from the ashes of the old. Both movies feel a little rushed in places. I think the FiM movie still wins out though. Characters aside (as the FiM does have the unfair advantage of starring a familiar cast), it has cat people, sky pirates, Hippogriffs, a Unicorn with a broken horn, a magical villain, and a bigger variety of locations. ANG just doesn't have that stuff. Sure, it works with what it has, and as a result is able to tell a more focused and grounded story, and I do appreciate that. I do also like the idea of a more modernized setting. However, the world of ANG just doesn't feel as vibrant or exciting. Still, when talking strictly about MLP films, I did enjoy it enough to consider it my second favourite Pony movie. When the EQG films are added into the mix though, things get more complicated, as I think I like some of those better too, especially Rainbow Rocks. In fact, if I want a modern world fix, EQG works just fine for that. At least ANG is many, many times better than MLP Tales. Good writing and variety of races and locations helps. At the end of the day...I think ANG does what it needed to do. It references the Equestria we're all familiar with just enough, but otherwise establishes its own world, lore and characters. It's definitely far better than the cringe I was anticipating. That's not to say there aren't cringe moments, but they're mostly entertaining cringe. I think it's a good movie. I think a huge part of what kept me watching was my fondness for the previous generation though. Still, props to this new movie for doing the impossible by making me like a MLP product that isn't FiM or EQG related as much as I do this film. I respect it.