Why does everyone insist the film is the end of the series?

[Slashy 101]

Why would they do a big box office push to sell toys they are going to discontinue?

Why would Hasbro have a product they cannot cash in if it isn't successful?

[FlitterFlutter 1,584]

Mostly because these people don't think like a business and think like a consumer. From a consumer prospective it would be cool to have a big movie end the series but for Hasbo it would not be as cool. One thing mind you, the series can end while to toys continue.

[Justin_Case001 4,907]

Well, I had heard that the film was supposed to serve as the series finale, but that was probably just a fan-started rumor.  I hope it's true, though.  The reason is that most of us want the show to go out on a high note and not pull a Simpsons/Spongebob.  Ending well is much better than being dragged out, fading away slowly as the stories become worse and worse.  The best things in life leave you wanting more, not wishing for the glory days of yore.  (Hey!  I didn't even mean for that to rhyme!  That worked out nicely.  DAMN, you could put that on a shirt, or one of those wooden signs people hang over their kitchen entryway or something.)

[SRN 146]

Hasbro wouldn't do anything like that, it'd just be stupid.

 

I guess people are just afraid that the series might end. But looking at the facts... that wont happen anytime soon. 

[El Duderino 879]

MLP is a show from a toy company, not a production company. If they are making a big movie that will (probably) boost sales, they won't want to stop that. The movie will create new hype for the brand, and if they continue the show after the movie, the hype won't go away as fast. They will sell more toys.

 

From a production company viewpoint, it would make sense to go out with a bang. Many TV shows like to do that, but selling merch is not their #1 goal. Considering Hasbros main goal is to sell toys, ending with the movie would be majorly stupid.

[Slashy 101]

Well, I had heard that the film was supposed to serve as the series finale, but that was probably just a fan-started rumor.  I hope it's true, though.  The reason is that most of us want the show to go out on a high note and not pull a Simpsons/Spongebob.  Ending well is much better than being dragged out, fading away slowly as the stories become worse and worse.  The best things in life leave you wanting more, not wishing for the glory days of yore.  (Hey!  I didn't even mean for that to rhyme!  That worked out nicely.  DAMN, you could put that on a shirt, or one of those wooden signs people hang over their kitchen entryway or something.)

This is assuming the series needs to end at this moment.

[Steve Piranha 29,443]

Well, I had heard that the film was supposed to serve as the series finale, but that was probably just a fan-started rumor.  I hope it's true, though.  The reason is that most of us want the show to go out on a high note and not pull a Simpsons/Spongebob.  Ending well is much better than being dragged out, fading away slowly as the stories become worse and worse.  The best things in life leave you wanting more, not wishing for the glory days of yore.  (Hey!  I didn't even mean for that to rhyme!  That worked out nicely.  DAMN, you could put that on a shirt, or one of those wooden signs people hang over their kitchen entryway or something.)

Yo man, Zecora would be proud of you  .

 

Man, I would like to at least end FiM and continue with a spin off or something. At least the wound wouldn't be so painful if that happens  :awuh:

[Brainstorm 4,112]

I don't think it'll end after the movie, this version of MLP shows many good morals and adventures that everyone can enjoy.

[Guest]

While I feel like the movie would work well as a finale for the show, I still don't quite believe it's going to stop there. And even if it does, the fandom will always stay.

[cmarston1 5,959]

By the time that the movie has come out, FIM would have going on for 7 years.

For a children's cartoon, that is an insane amount of time to still be on the air producing new episodes!

Characters like the CMC have finally got their cutie marks, Rainbow Dash is a wonderbolt, Rarity has her boutique in Canterlot, and Twilight is a princess with a castle and a title as well as a student.

All of the main cast are finally obtaining their dreams in life, and their character arches are wrapping up.

It would make sense for the series to end sometime soon.  And what better place would their be than in a big budget theatrical movie?

Edited May 8, 2016 by cmarston1

[Slashy 101]

By the time that the movie has come out, FIM would have going on for 7 years.

For a children's cartoon, that is an insane amount of time to still be on the air producing new episodes!

Characters like the CMC have finally got their cutie marks, Rainbow Dash is a wonderbolt, Rarity has her boutique in Canterlot, and Twilight is a princess with a castle and a title as well as a student.

All of the main cast are finally obtaining their dreams in life, and their character arches are wrapping up.

It would make sense for the series to end sometime soon.  And what better place would their be than in a big budget theatrical movie?

Because this is a series designed to sell toys?

 

And Spike hasn't become a superhero or a knight yet.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Slashy

[Megas 27,786]

It's more that people want the series to end with the movie. I mean, the movie will come out by the time the show is going to be 7 years old, along with a potential 7th season

[Kimi Vulpine 219]

Honestly, I want it to end. I love the series, but I personally think that all the characters are exausted. Rainbow, Rarity (almost) and Twilight are all done with their arcs, Pinkie, AJ and arguably Fluttershy's development is at their peak, the CMC already got their cutie marks and know what they'll do for the rest of their lives... that sort of thing. I just don't want to end the series in a bad note, and it can't last forever without becoming dull and stale like The Simpsons, Spongebob, etc.

[Overlord0909 479]

So many points were mentioned, but I'll try to give my outlook on this. I think there may be a possibility of this film being the last of mlp:fim G4. But then continuing into a G5 series... This would fit everyone's interests; it'll end the series with a bang, start a new series for Hasbro to extort money from, possibly target a new type of audience: Win, win, win.

Though that is but a theory

[Brony Lounge 102]

I ought say now that the film will not be the end of the series. If it was hasbro would make FAR less money than they do now, mlp is one of their biggest franchises and if they stop making it they stop making money, they will stop the series when they stop making money

[Trixie Heartstrings 434]

I remember when you couldn't go one day without seeing posts about how the movie is going to be the end of the show here on the MLP Forums. At one point, I was really nervous about the movie being the end, since at that point, I was barely a fan for a year, and I kept getting worried about the fandom dying. But now at this point, I've been a fan of this show for at least 2 years, I'm all but certain that the fandom will still be around even after the show ends, and I'm fine with the movie being the end. I'm also fine with the show continuing, as long as the show doesn't go downhill. So in other words, I'm fine with whatever way the wind blows.

[Steve Piranha 29,443]

So many points were mentioned, but I'll try to give my outlook on this. I think there may be a possibility of this film being the last of mlp:fim G4. But then continuing into a G5 series... This would fit everyone's interests; it'll end the series with a bang, start a new series for Hasbro to extort money from, possibly target a new type of audience: Win, win, win.

Though that is but a theory

It would take years before the transition to G5, it wouldn't replace G4 overnight. It would make more sense if they make a G4.5 or something, and a spinoff series with other main cast, land the old cast becoming secondary characters . But yeah, I think the Mane6 would soon be out of things to offer, Pinks and her (supposed) cousin AJ, had their shit together and they haven't much more to develop. Fluttershy much of the same. Rares, Dashie and Twi reached their dreams

[Overlord0909 479]

It would take years before the transition to G5, it wouldn't replace G4 overnight. It would make more sense if they make a G4.5 or something, and a spinoff series with other main cast, land the old cast becoming secondary characters . But yeah, I think the Mane6 would soon be out of things to offer, Pinks and her (supposed) cousin AJ, had their shit together and they haven't much more to develop. Fluttershy much of the same. Rares, Dashie and Twi reached their dreams

I guess you are right in a sense. But I wasn't expecting it to be done the next day. They could still run it later. Kind of like what happened with Star Wars. How many years did it take before they started another trilogy? Pretty long time, and the hype was massive for that.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

It would take years before the transition to G5, it wouldn't replace G4 overnight. It would make more sense if they make a G4.5 or something, and a spinoff series with other main cast, land the old cast becoming secondary characters . But yeah, I think the Mane6 would soon be out of things to offer, Pinks and her (supposed) cousin AJ, had their shit together and they haven't much more to develop. Fluttershy much of the same. Rares, Dashie and Twi reached their dreams

they could just try and kick EQG into high gear in the interim until G5 to keep people interested; EQG will help to advertise normal pony toys in the same way that FIM helps to advertise EQG toys.

[Grepper 3,192]

I think it's more that people want the series to end with the movie, not that it necessarily will. I agree that it should end on the high point of a movie release instead of being drawn on for way too long.

[Merion 783]

One thing mind you, the series can end while to toys continue.

 

Exactly. Let's not forget that G2 didn't have a TV show at all... And even though G2 wasn't particularly successful in the US, it ran for at least 6 years in Europe. If Hasbro managed to sell toys without an animated series back then, they can still do it today.

[Glike 487]

I get all of the points about SpongeBob and Simpsons and whatnot declining in quality after an amazing movie, but I'm hoping if MLP does continue (which is a decision I'd personally be more than happy with) it won't go down that path. While patterns are there to suggest otherwise, every individual franchise is its own with its own path to take.

 

Maybe if they choose to go right into G4.5/5 they'll just do a timeskip so we'll see the Cake Twins and Flurry Heart as teens or adults? I mean, even if we remain in G4 they've built the world so well there are still so many storylines they could do. It's completely different from SpongeBob or The Simpsons. They don't have the immersive world or lore that MLP does, so it'd be hard for either of them to open up different storylines without it seeming shoehorned.

 

But MLP has all of these different areas, characters who we still know next to nothing about, relationship possibilities, staffing opportunities, etc. If any show would be able to continue and bring new elements to the table without it seeming like they're just pulling it out of thin air I think it's MLP.

[Jangocoolguy 433]

I just don't want it to go bad like how South Park, the X Files, Simpons, and Spongebob Squarepants (and maybe some others) did after their movies.

 

Plus, the show seems to be running out of steam, with characters accomplishing goals to where there's little left for them to do for much longer...

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

It's a safe assumption to make. Most successful shows that don't become Franchise Zombies tend to end around 6 seasons. Also, most of the character arcs that were open since the first season are being closed now, with relatively few new ones to replace them. There is only so much more you can do with the current format of the show, even with status quo changes, before it begins to run out of ideas and starts resorting to rehashes and gimmicks. There is also precedent in feature movies being intended as series finales to cartoons.

 

People who say that the show can only continue for the franchise to continue to be profitable ignore the possibility of spinoffs or reboots to continue the FiM world without continuing FiM as it is, in addition to the publicity a new work could generate as opposed to running the same old thing ad infinitum.

 

Edited May 9, 2016 by Wind Chaser

[Slashy 101]

I just don't want it to go bad like how South Park, the X Files, Simpons, and Spongebob Squarepants (and maybe some others) did after their movies.

 

Plus, the show seems to be running out of steam, with characters accomplishing goals to where there's little left for them to do for much longer...

South Park got BETTER after the movie. Season 1 and 2 don't have the same clever humor that the series got from Season 5 onward.

 

Also Dragon Ball had about as many episodes as MLP will have at the end of Season 6, and the same number of tie-in films.

 

And that's BEFORE we get into its more popular sequel series.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Slashy