NicoleDubuc

This is a better question for Michael Vogel, the writer of the special. But I will say that both he and I grew up on the Rankin Bass specials, Emmet Otter, Miracle on 34th Street, as well as many, many others. So I’m sure Christmas content is in our subconscious at all times, LOL. I think Vogel did a FANTASTIC job on this episode, I was very excited to work on it with him. And the first draft was almost 20 pages more than we could use, so we had to work hard to trim it all down, yet still fit in all the fun, plot, and character moments! Thanks for having me in the Q&A! I don’t know about any pony hybrids the fandom has created, but I love fantasty novels, so I’m pretty familiar with a lot of the hybrids that exist. Had Vogel and I continued our book series, we might have had a chance to explore this topic more. Can’t answer any spoiler questions, but I will say, I like batponies too! Good to meet you too! I really liked getting to use the Steve Buscemi reference with Discord. But there are so many fun ones throughout the series! Sometimes they’re not in the scripts, either, DHX adds them in, and we crack up when we see them for the first time in the animatic.

Oh man. I don’t think they’re fit for print. BUT! One time John DiMaggio went off on a whole “Drakken Sings” ad lib tangent at a Kim Possible record, and it was both hilarious and amazing! I think we all borrow parts of people we know for different things - it makes characters more realistic when you imbue them with personality traits you know well! But I don’t usually tell people if they’ve influenced a character - you don’t wanna admit to your pal they make a great villain, LOL. An idea all on its own. A previous DHX artist had designed a Kirin character several seasons back, and she was never used. Jim showed me the design, and I decided we HAD to use the Kirin this season.

We call ‘em the Young Six because SS can also mean Silverstream, Sunset Shimmer, etc. And if Silverstream saw an elevator... MIND. BLOWN! Cozy Glow was my pet project, I don’t know, I just sorta pitched her in the room and everyone was on board. All I said was that she had Shirley Temple curls and was an adorable little Pegasus filly (we had fun choosing her cutie mark). Jim and his team of artists at DHX tackled her actual design. Second question... No comment. (Sorry!)

Oh yes. Especially when Tabitha is recording. She has hilarious ad libs. Great question! I adored Thundercats, but haven’t been involved in any of the reboots. I loved My Little Pony, so this has been pretty much a dream come true. And I was a huge fan of the Real Ghostbusters. I know that came back as Extreme Ghostbusters, but I’d love a crack at that property. OH! And the Disney Afternoon was HUGE in my life growing up. If there’s ever a Tale Spin reboot, I’d be down for that!

That’s a question for Alice, LOL. Thank YOU! I think the most important part about voice acting is being a good actor, first and foremost. It’s not just about doing silly voices, that stuff can come later - it’s about not being able to emote with your face and putting all of that feeling into your voice, so someone with their eyes closed can draw your expression. Does that make sense? So a good improv class, or any acting basics are an excellent start. Also, audio-record yourself to hear what you sound like. Being able to reproduce a take, or give a totally different read if asked, is very important. Recordings are a great way to hone your consistency and learn the musicality of your own voice. Hope that helps! Current favorite character is Yona, with AJ being my fave of the M6. And you haven’t seen my favorite episode yet.

Time stone, no question. And I’d use it for sooooo many things. I love griffons. I always have. But Yona and Silverstream have won my heart too, so... It’s a toughie. I think the most important thing for aspiring artists and writers to do is create! If you want to be a writer, you have to write! And finish your project. A lot of people say they want to write but never sit down and do the tough slog of finishing a first draft. Remember, a draft is just that - you can revise from there and it just gets easier. Aside from that, I’d say, read and study the things you like to watch. Analyze TV shows and script choices - why did a character do this, what would have happened if they did that... And gain an “ear” for dialog to listening to the world around you. I believe Dean Koontz started out as a computer scientist; writers and artists come from all fields and all walks of life.

Tackling these one at a time... 1. First off, I love the pace and style of FiM. It’s a realm I really enjoy writing in. I think it’s close to Rescue Bots, with that great balance of character, comedy and plot. 2. Michael Vogel knew I wanted to write books, and he invited me to be his writing partner (after the appropriate publisher and Hasbro okays). Writing those books was an absolute blast. 3. Jim is part of every facet of the process. On FiM, all our initial story pitch sessions start with Josh and I traveling to Vancouver (or Jim and the directors/line producer coming down to LA). We spend about three days together working on seasonal story arcs, jokes and character bits we’d like to use, and general story. Then from there, Jim and his team give notes along with the Hasbro executives on our scripts. Jim helps oversee the records, as well as the whole animation process. He’s the backbone, heart and soul of the show. 4. Meghan reads scripts and weighs in on stories. She’s busy on lots of productions at once, so Eliza Hart was our day-to-day Hasbro exec. 5. I think there’s a lot of heart and well-developed characters in FiM. That’s the joy of writing in the world; you know who the characters are, and you try to set up plots that will allow them to shine comedically or explore new facets of their character. Fantasy storytelling is another thing I love in general, and FiM is a safe world where friendship always wins, no matter how tough things get. It’s very reassuring. I enjoyed the movie very much; it was going on at the same time as we were working on the end of S7/beginning of S8, so we got to see early animatics to make sure we were able to synchronize our storytelling with the world-building in the film. I didn’t have any influence over the story, but I knew a lot about it from working with Michael Vogel. I think I was most excited about getting to bring Silverstream into our show as a result of the movie. Thanks for the welcome! While there are specific episodes of FiM I love, I didn’t need any convincing to decide to be a part of the show - I was invited by Meghan and I said yes!

GI Joe was Michael Vogel all the way - we had other references in there that we had to cut for time/design concerns. But they’re always fun to spot! A lot of the other excellent references and touches are all Big Jim and his team. They never fail to amaze me with the talent and love they pour into this show. My favorite reference was a Jurassic Park one that got cut.

Thank you so much!!! :) Thanks again for the invitation! We watch Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol every year. But at work this year, we all wrote down our favorite specials and drew them from a (Hearthswarming Helper) hat, then watched each others’ favorites.

Thanks for your patience, everypony! I just got back from a trekking trip in Nepal for the last three weeks or so (left the day after the Q&A!), and I’m back online to catch up on those questions I missed. :). Thanks again for having me! Hey there! Thanks, it was a lot of fun! We’re actually not legally allowed to take inspiration / read any fan works. In fact, we have to fill out paperwork whenever someone sends us an unsolicited idea! So unfortunately, no, the creative team can’t co-opt fan content for the show. :(. Thanks for the ask, and for watching! :)

Hi again everyone! I'm sorry to say that I have to sign off for now - BUT! The forum staff has graciously offered to let me come back and answer the questions I didn't yet get to, so rest assured, I'll be able to cover everyone's asks! Thank you again for having me here! I love this show very much and working on it has been a highlight of my career. It's always a delight to be able to talk Pony with people who really care. I wish you wonderful holidays and a healthy, happy new year! Oh...And Bernie does too.

Hi there! Thanks for having me here! I always had a great respect for FiM; it started the same time I did at The Hub (only I was on Transformers: Prime), so there was no specific episode. Meghan asked me to be story editor/EP, and I said yes! When I was in premed, we had to operate on mice. Mine died on the operating table. I was devastated. That's when I knew I probably shouldn't be pursuing this career with humans in place of mice. So I finished the pre-med courses because I'm Twily-nanas about completing things, and then went on to use my English major professionally.

Great question, thanks. The Disney Afternoon was tremendously influential for me. I like the storytelling structure of Darkwing or TaleSpin. Also a huge fan of the DC stuff -- many Batman iterations and Justice League. Live-action-wise, I love the patter of Gilmore Girls and the West Wing.

Favorite of all time? Ugh, so many! Like, I love the character animation of the Beast. And Peter/Gorbash in Flight of Dragons is wonderful. And Judy Hopps is fantastic. Basically, I could write pages and pages on this question...

HA! I wish I could! When I watched the episode, I looked to see if the line was in the script, but it wasn't! So it was either an ad-lib or something Jim came up with at the record!