What if Mlp started having 11 minute episodes?

[Quarium 108]

Nah, it will be a backwards development. Once you have the liberty of having a script for 22 minutes you can't do shorter ones with the same setting and expect something that will fit in feel-wise.

[Pastel 7,630]

Sometimes even the current 22 minute ones feel a bit rushed.

Exactly. I sometimes think 22 minutes isn't enough.

Personally, the longer an episode is, the better. (the 2-parts episodes are wonderful ). But 11 minutes is definitely not enough to make a good and catchy episode.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Blobulle

[inactive lol get mem 123]

One word to answer your question...

 

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

Exactly. I sometimes think 22 minutes isn't enough.

Personally, the longer an episode is, the better. (the 2-parts episodes are wonderful ). But 11 minutes is definitely not enough to make a good and catchy episode.

 

I second this. Personally, I'd much rather see 44 minute episodes, or more 2-parters at the very least.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

Episodes half as long wouldn't necessarily result in what I'd consider a drop in quality, but more of a shift in purpose. I think we'd see less meaningful, endearing stories and more slice of life plot lines meant only to amuse. Personally, I'd prefer it not go this route.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,165]

Honestly, some episodes would've benefitted from more time. NO WAY would reducing that to 11-per episode would be a good idea.

 

You need time for character development. That's is one thing that makes FiM so strong. You're given reasons to care about these ponies and you're given time for that to grow and develop. That would be seriously hindered if you're only allowed 11 minutes.

[RainbowMau 292]

Lauren Faust thought that when she was in the show, if she was still in the show with her writing she could have done a good job compressing stories in 11 minutes, that's exactly what she has been doing with Wander Over Yonder, and she does a great job with it.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,307]

I think the current episode length is just fine, and I wouldn't anticipate their dropping it down to 11 minutes.  And even at their current length, if it's an episode I especially enjoy...  I could watch even more lol.  "Rainbow Dash: THE MOVIE!"

[Rainboom Dash 1,057]

I'm happy with episode length as is and would even support an extension to 44 minute episodes. Sometimes 22 minutes isn't even enough.

[TechiePidge 64]

That just removes the whole point of the show, making it more rushed might give kids a bad idea about it.

Plus the more rushed a show is, the less kids (or us bronies) spend time watching it, I think the population of bronies would decrease slightly, but not by a lot.

[Zygen 6,066]

I feel like the show would have some serious pacing issues in 11 minutes.

 

While it may work for some cartoons, for instance we shall use Spongebob as an example as brought up before.

 

In cartoons like Spongebob, there are usually only like 1 or two main characters to focus on, but in MLP, we have 6 main ponies, and a bunch of others, a good portion of which end up being involved in each episode.

 

So it would take many more episodes to allow each character to develop.

 

And while I love Spongebob, it typically doesn't have a super deep plot really, MLP has episodes that are not really plot oriented to, but I feel like MLP relies on the plot a bit more because of the lessons that are supposed to be learned in the episodes, or the fact that there are instances where there are some deeper plots going on.

 

Regardless, we've already had rushed episodes in the 22 minutes that the show currently has, I don't feel like 11 minutes would work. Sure more episodes would result maybe from a shorter time for each episode, but quality is better than quantity I think we can agree in this case.

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,178]

The reason why 11 minute episodes work with show such as Spongebob, and the great many cartoon cartoons, is because these shows dont have much in the area of an overall plot, which would be a hinderance in full length episodes as it would be much harder to keep an audiences attention that long.

 

Mlp however has a bigger picture, and must have more time per episode in order to get the desired development of characters.

 

In short i really don't think having half episodes would be such a good idea..... Quality over quantity.

BUT THEN THERE WOULDNT BE AS MUCH PLOTshakeit.gif

Whoopsies, it seems I've been NINJAD hardcore.....

[Puddlejumper 1,649]

I'd cry.

 

I was watching Adventure Time on Netflix recently, and I was disappointed to find out they were only 11 minutes long. That's just not long enough, things feel rushed. It would only be worse with FIM.

Edited June 18, 2014 by The Mane-iac

[Celli 4,352]

Thanks, but 22 minutes works with the show. 11 minutes wouldn't be enough time to flesh out stories and would most likely make for poorer quality episodes. Actually, did you know, Hasbro initially wanted 11 minute episodes, but Lauren fought with them until they agreed on 22 minutes?

I second this. Personally, I'd much rather see 44 minute episodes, or more 2-parters at the very least.

That could go either way. Personally, I think 22 minutes is the sweet spot. Leave the 44 minutes for the premiere/finale. The show is deep, yes, but not like Doctor Who or Star Trek.

Edited June 18, 2014 by RainbowDScout

[Untitled Goose Q 5,138]

It could work, one one condition.

 

That each 11 minute episode is part of a two (or more) part episode.

 

If not, then it would not work.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Blue Questioner

[Magnum Flare 553]

No. Just. No.

 

Cutting the time means :

-Less Depth

-Less Ponies.

-More morals, which in turn might hasten the show to end.

 

Basically, 11 minutes is a bad idea.

 

44 minutes, however is a good idea!

[Scootalove 10,692]

If the writers started writing 11 minute episodes, the pacing would be out of wack where it feels rushed. Basically, you get an episode where exposition would be forced quickly and it would be disappointing.

[kelseymarie805 301]

What if they started doing 11 minute eps?? I think I might cry honestly lol it wouldn't be the same, and it be much harder to have the lessons of friendship like they have which, is part of the reason I like the show so much! Of course it's amazing aside from that but still. But yeah, hopefully they'll never decide to do that, that would suck but, I doubt that they would.

[PegasisterJayfeather 397]

Ugh, that'd be terrible. Considering MLP has such serious plots, it wouldn't all fit into just 11 minuets.. It would be too rushed.

Besides, 11 minute episodes are meant for shows with no actual plots to carry on a story through out each new episode. Since MLP basically carries the same type of plot through out episodes, not a lot would get done in 11 minuets and it would take too long to get through one season -__-

 

[Drunk Not I Am 1,070]

I would say it should stay as is, it would be just too short otherwise.

[Eloquence 2,076]

So many people saying you can't have a serious plot with 11 minute episodes... Well, I for one disagree with that.

 

A comparison to Adventure Time would be really helpful in discussing this. Adventure Time as a series has a depth to it easily comparable to FiM, despite the fact that each episode is 11 minutes long. This format works for Adventure Time, but it meant that they couldn't and can't do things they way FiM did and does. Mainly, they need more time to get things done. They need to revisit characters over and over to give a complete picture of them, they need to have a lot of two-parters, they need to be episodic enough to come up with entertaining 11 minute stories while still tying them all together into a complete picture that makes the land of Ooo and its cast of characters seem real to us. "I Remember You" may have been an extraordinary story with an incredible amount of depth, but it took over four seasons worth of backstory on the Ice King, Marceline, and the great mushroom war before it could be told in just 11 minutes. 

 

I think that if FiM had gone the 11 minute episode route, the biggest difference we would see is the slowing of character development. As character development is one of FiM's strongest assets as a show, I imagine this would have greatly decreased its success, especially in the first two seasons. And that's assuming the writers could even find a way to adapt the show for 11 minute episodes, which would be much harder than it was for something like Adventure Time that's meant to be more comedic and nonsensical and has a very different feel to it.

[ShadowPhoenix 153]

FIM doesn't even have title cards, forget the 11 minute episode concept.

 

Not unless FIM wants to go down the Phineas and Ferb or Spongebob path. I shudder to think of it.

[Egg 18]

I think it would be pretty impossible for a decent episode to go anywhere for just 11 minutes. Everything would be pretty rushed and not well explained,not having a good plot, and leaving the viewer confused and not entertained.

[Deathstroke 1,564]

This is probably gonna end up as a web series 

[Wind Chaser 4,769]

This is a wholly bad idea on the fact that they've written stuff that seems too dense for a 22 minute format before. It would open up an entire floodgate of pacing and story issues that most 11-minute plot-driven comedies don't have to deal with.