I hope it's CG

[TheAnimatorOfficial 567]

I actually think it will make MORE money if it's 2D then CGI. It seems like people are looking for standout films these days, as evidenced by Deadpool doing better than BvS.

[The Nth Doctor 662]

Leave the CGI to the people who make SFM shorts for Youtube

[Castle Bleck 19,375]

IMO, CreatorOfPony on DeviantART does CGI Ponies the best.

[Rarity Is Best Pony 634]

I hope to god that it is not! I want to this movie to more or less just a 90 minute episode of the show done in the exact art style of the show.

[TheAnimatorOfficial 567]

I hope to god that it is not! I want to this movie to more or less just a 90 minute episode of the show done in the exact art style of the show.

I agree on no 3D, but it should NOT be a 90 minute episode of the show.

[Justin_Case001 4,896]

I agree on no 3D, but it should NOT be a 90 minute episode of the show.

Second!  I definitely want it to be bammed a notch.  It's gotta be bigger and better to really be big enough for the big screen.  Honestly, I really wish the movie would be ~2.5 hours.  I think FIM could handle it and fill that time, easy.  Too bad that there's probably tons of corporate mandates or whatever stipulating that it absolutely cannot exceed 90 minutes due to their "target" audience having "short" attention spans.  Pfffft.  PFFFFT, I say!

[Magic Rasin 180]

CG just wouldn't work in the movie (or anything really) since It'd completely destroy the look & feel of MLP FIM. Plus if the went CG they couldn't just use the animators that work on the show; they'd have to either get new people or outsource it to another company.

[Moon Sugar 532]

Nope nope nope nope nope

I love CG--I really do--But even the "Good"  pony CG is terrifying.

[TheAnimatorOfficial 567]

Second! I definitely want it to be bammed a notch. It's gotta be bigger and better to really be big enough for the big screen. Honestly, I really wish the movie would be ~2.5 hours. I think FIM could handle it and fill that time, easy. Too bad that there's probably tons of corporate mandates or whatever stipulating that it absolutely cannot exceed 90 minutes due to their "target" audience having "short" attention spans. Pfffft. PFFFFT, I say!

I think the movie will situate to about 100 minutes. Also I mean that it should be an actual movie and not an extended episode.

[Keroko 34]

Cell-shaded CG could be a good compromise here. The timberwolves from The Cutie Re-Mark were CG while still being consistent with the style of the show.

 

And that's what's most important to me: that the movie stays true to its animated origins. You don't need CG to attract larger audiences, you simply need to be a good movie.

[Rikifive 24,192]

I admit it would be quite interesting to see how it would go with that ~ but MLP has its own specific lovely style and it should stay like this.

 

The more realistic ponies are, the weirder they look. Real Life should be as lovely and colorful as MLP is. 

[Prince Golden Lotus 166]

I would absolutely want that.  Not only that, but frickin Jungle Book-quality CGI.

[Phosphorous 136]

 

 

MLP3D12 - The 'stache.png

 

 

 

 

The problem with this one here is that their coats are way too shiny. 

[Guest]

No! or yes. but it can only go two ways:

The good way:

Or the bad way:

And I did use these exact gifs in a topic talking about the movie being live action with CG ponies.

 

That second one is almost nightmare fuel worthy...

[Phosphorous 136]

That second one is almost nightmare fuel worthy...

the second one looks awesome and cool.

[EverEverOn 346]

I honestly hate seeing 2D characters gets CG movies.

Besides, pretty much all children's films these days are CG. Having a 2D movie would make it stand out amongst other children's movies.

[Nightfall Gloam 18,260]

Nope! I have to disagree, the 2017 My Little Pony movie should stay in 2D so that it can stay true to the show's original style (or at the very least, use cel-shaded 3D). If they went CGI, they'd be severely limited to what they could do (do you seriously think some of the slapstick humour, Pinkie's antics and expressions, and a lot of the shows charm from its simple, but effective art style will work in 3D?), it would feel like a thoughtless cash grab, and it would most likely look too generic and become dated by ~10 years. From what I have seen, only a few CGI films have really passed the test of time, and they're all mostly Pixar anyway.

[TheAnimatorOfficial 567]

Nope! I have to disagree, the 2017 My Little Pony movie should stay in 2D so that it can stay true to the show's original style (or at the very least, use cel-shaded 3D). If they went CGI, they'd be severely limited to what they could do (do you seriously think some of the slapstick humour, Pinkie's antics and expressions, and a lot of the shows charm from its simple, but effective art style will work in 3D?), it would feel like a thoughtless cash grab, and it would most likely look too generic and become dated by ~10 years. From what I have seen, only a few CGI films have really passed the test of time, and they're all mostly Pixar anyway.

Rango and HTTYD also stand out as CGI.

[Ninja(Pinkie)Midget 180]

If it was going to be CG, the release date would be at least 2019, so I'm pretty sure it's not cg.  That being said, I think they could find a creative way to at least weave a little cg into a storyline for an episode.  That would be cool.  I know, I know...Simpsons did it!  Simpsons did it!

[MAIKUN 262]

Well they did it with Top Cat Begins and Un gallo con mucho Huevos, right?

[LnksPony 7]

Oh god those examples lmao

[MAIKUN 262]

And don't forget the recent Asterix movie (previously released in France back in 2014)

[Regent 77]

I agree that it needs to stay in the signature 2-D style that makes it so charming.  3D CG would feel like a cave to pop-culture pressure of sorts.  Plus, it's perilous to transition 2-D characters to 3D.  They inevitably aren't really the same characters anymore.  It's tough to get it right.  I really like the SFM pony stuff, and I think they're cute, but I certainly wouldn't want the movie to be like that, even if the quality was bammed up a notch.  For one thing, mesh hair ain't so hot.  They look like inflatable manes, or in Rarity's case, partially inflated manes, or in Celestia's case, a frigging pool raft.  I actually took a mighty whack at making a pony model of unprecedented quality, using particle hair and fur, and a powerful realistic lighting engine.  Here, I'll give you a sample:

 

MLP3D12 - The 'stache.png

 

 

The response from the fandom was a fairly even split between "awesome and adorable" and "creepy uncanny valley."  It was disappointing, as I put a lot of work into them and thought they were adorable, but I understand.  In my more dispassionate moments, I can see what a subtle knife edge it is.  For example, I thought that the 3D Garfield in the live action Garfield movie was a terrifying abomination.  Horrible, creepy as hell.  Others may have loved it.  Somebody obviously did.  The point is, it's really hard to get right, and I don't think it's possible to perfectly translate a 2D character to 3D.  I can personally attest to how difficult it is, and the obstacles were many.

 

Something else to be aware of is that in 3D, you're much more limited in the movements and expressions you can do, whereas in 2D, you can literally do anything.  One of the biggest limitations I found is that in 3D, pegasi simply cannot fly in an outstretched, aerodynamic pose.  Real horses obviously cannot do this:

 

 

And I'm convinced that no rig, no matter how complex, can achieve this in 3D, and still have the pony look accurate the rest of the time.  Quadrupeds simply can't make a Superman pose, because they don't have shoulders that are inline with their neck and back.  If you pay attention during the show, you'll notice that the ponies' bodies simply don't always cohere, even disregarding obvious slapstick.  In other words, they will do things in one shot that would be completely impossible given their anatomy, and then in the next shot their legs are attached in a completely different place.  For example, their front legs often shift between legs and arms, and have inconsistent joints that belie all logic.  In 2D, we accept this incongruity and don't notice it.  It just works.  In 3D, the ponies would be limited to more realistic equine movements.  You'd never see a 3D pony sitting like a human, with front legs folded behind their head like arms.  I don't think we'd want to lose that sort of personification and freedom that you get in 2D.  You'd just lose too much flexibility in 3D.  The only way to even think about it, imo, would be in another MLP generation that's done more realistically.

 

Well, that went on longer than I intended.  Anyway, the movie should definitely remain in the style that is FIM, however, I really hope they fancy it up a wee-bit, with lighting and cinematography above what we see on the show.  I expect they will.

 

You can do that in 3D. You're not limited to rigid armatures. I think the only real difference between 2D and 3D in this regard is how directly connected you are as an animator to your desired end result. I wouldn't even need a high end rig for the above example with Rainbow Dash. I'd just pose the pony character, and then bind a morph target to the pose so that she naturally transitions to it.

 

Nope nope nope nope nope

I love CG--I really do--But even the "Good"  pony CG is terrifying.

 

It's the eyes. My solution was to make them smaller. I think the shows eyes are too big anyway... though fun fact: horses have the biggest eyes of any land mammal on Earth.

[Prospekt 11,018]

I don't want CG ponies in the movie; they just won't have the same feel as the show. If SpongeBob and Lilo & Stitch can make 2D animation work in the 21st century, I see no reason why Hasbro cannot do the same with MLP. Plus, it might create a more nostalgic feel because of Disney's 2D animated classics from the 90s.

Edited July 25, 2016 by Prospekt

[Justin_Case001 4,896]

 

You can do that in 3D. You're not limited to rigid armatures. I think the only real difference between 2D and 3D in this regard is how directly connected you are as an animator to your desired end result. I wouldn't even need a high end rig for the above example with Rainbow Dash. I'd just pose the pony character, and then bind a morph target to the pose so that she naturally transitions to it.

Yeah, I suppose that would work, but forgive me if I'm not completely convinced it would look good.  In that Superman pose, her forelegs are attached in a completely different place then when she's walking or standing at rest.  Her chest disappears entirely.  There's so much geometry that would need to move, shrink, or practically disappear.  I think the transition and the end result would look discordant to the eye.  I still think that for the most part, 3D characters need to maintain what would be physically possible for them if they existed in real life in order to look good.  But I know I still have a great deal to learn about this stuff.  Good suggestion, though.  Gives me something to think about and play around with.