Anybody else think this movie tries a bit too hard to be "mainstream"?

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

As i see the movie coming nearer and nearer towards release and especially in the last few weeks where trailers and hints where thrown left and right, there is a certain fear in my gut that i need to express.

When i saw all of these trailers, i saw a certain trend there. All of the big celeb people in this movie that lend their voices are getting credit. The Mane 6 that have been there since the beginning get nothing.

One of the biggest fear that i have for this movie, is that the movie is focusing way too much on the one-shot characters that are voiced by celebs, that BTW get more money for this movie, then any of the VAs that work for an entire series, and i fear that the Mane 6 the heroes we should actually be rooting for, are left in the dust just so the audience can scream "OMG IT'S ZOE SALDANA."

Anybody else have that fear? I want this movie to be balanced well enough, that it can draw casual crowds, while not alienating their hardcore audience at the same time. Else this movie will set itself up for disaster.

[ManaMinori 4,149]

mane 6 have been getting credit for 7 years. And the VA celebs aren't supposed to, I guess.....

[Megas 28,368]

Hasbro does this with a few of their theatrical movies unfortunately. With the original MLP movie, anyone who was voiced by a major celebrity was brought to the forefront(like Danny DeVito), all the humans in the first Bayformers were the ones in the forefront of all the advertising and none of the actual Transformers got any real promotion due to them being famous celebrities and this trend would continue throughout the franchise(with the exception of Bumblebee who got lucky). And probably the most infamous example was the 1986 TF movie, where everyone's favorite characters were killed off just so they can push the new characters whom, except for Arcee,l were all voiced by celebrities. To drive the point further, Arcee was the only main character to not be credited in the beginning due to her being voiced by Susan Blu instead of a celebrity like Orson Wells, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Stack, etc.,

Thankfully I know Hasbro's not gonna do the same to the mane 6, and they still seem to be getting some attention in the advertising(even though the VAs aren't, which is still bullshit). While they push the new characters, I don't think they're gonna be taking the spotlight completely away from the mane 6....hopefully

7 minutes ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

mane 6 have been getting credit for 7 years. And the VA celebs aren't supposed to, I guess.....

When you've been working with a cartoon series for so long, and finally get that movie you wanted, only to find out popular celebrities are being pushed to high heavens just for this one movie and get a lot of the credit while you have to sit there in the back is really shitty honestly

[ManaMinori 4,149]

17 minutes ago, Whompy Whomperson said:

Hasbro does this with a few of their theatrical movies unfortunately. With the original MLP movie, anyone who was voiced by a major celebrity was brought to the forefront(like Danny DeVito), all the humans in the first Bayformers were the ones in the forefront of all the advertising and none of the actual Transformers got any real promotion due to them being famous celebrities and this trend would continue throughout the franchise(with the exception of Bumblebee who got lucky). And probably the most infamous example was the 1986 TF movie, where everyone's favorite characters were killed off just so they can push the new characters whom, except for Arcee,l were all voiced by celebrities. To drive the point further, Arcee was the only main character to not be credited in the beginning due to her being voiced by Susan Blu instead of a celebrity like Orson Wells, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Stack, etc.,

Thankfully I know Hasbro's not gonna do the same to the mane 6, and they still seem to be getting some attention in the advertising(even though the VAs aren't, which is still bullshit). While they push the new characters, I don't think they're gonna be taking the spotlight completely away from the mane 6....hopefully

When you've been working with a cartoon series for so long, and finally get that movie you wanted, only to find out popular celebrities are being pushed to high heavens just for this one movie and get a lot of the credit while you have to sit there in the back is really shitty honestly

its good marketing. they're trying to appeal to others outside the fandom, and getting people who might like these celebs

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

1 hour ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

mane 6 have been getting credit for 7 years. And the VA celebs aren't supposed to, I guess.....

It's not just the fact that they should get the credit, considering they are the once we love and that have been on our screen week after week inspiring us. But it's also because that these celebs, who are not professional voice actors and who probably also don't give a shit about MLP, that they get alot more money then the pros and won't show up at bronycon because "pfft, we are hollywood celebs. We're above this."

Yes, it is good marketing and it can work. But they are shoved in our face so much, that it's very concerning. Almost like Hasbro has no trust in their own VAs to draw a crowd.

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

I have to agree with some of that. I understand using celebrities to try and sell the picture, but it does strike me that they are more interested in pushing them, than the main characters at the moment. I am sure those VAs are not making peanuts, so Hasbro has to be able to justify paying them the higher $$$$... which means giving them a much larger role in the film and reducing screen time for the "main" characters. I would have preferred to see the poster saying the names of the Mane 6 as the cast members since most people familiar with the franchise will be going to see them, although I do get why they do it this way.

So who are you going to see?

Red (circle) team or yellow (circle) team?

[Will Guide 21,376]

20 minutes ago, GrimGrimoire said:

I have to agree with some of that. I understand using celebrities to try and sell the picture, but it does strike me that they are more interested in pushing them, than the main characters at the moment. I am sure those VAs are not making peanuts, so Hasbro has to be able to justify paying them the higher $$$$... which means giving them a much larger role in the film and reducing screen time for the "main" characters. I would have preferred to see the poster saying the names of the Mane 6 as the cast members since most people familiar with the franchise will be going to see them, although I do get why they do it this way.

So who are you going to see?

Red (circle) team or yellow (circle) team?

Actually what concerns me is that those who haven't seen the show would assume just from the poster that the names on the top voice the Mane 6 below! Although all the named VA characters are there behind the Mane 6, someone will get confused!

[Mirage 24,792]

It's clever, but it's bullshit.

Unfortunately, it's the business of Hollywood. They are disgusting people and I don't have high hopes for this film. The MLP production team, all the way down to the janitor, are millions of miles better than those superfluous scum in Hollywood. The ONLY thing they care about is $$$$$ - so if cramming an idiot with a big name on the poster sells the movie to the sheepish masses and overshadows the people who actually make MLP what it is they will do it and not give shit what anyone has to say about it.

Please someone prove me wrong!

[Sly 236]

If I may have a word on this: if the half leaked RD song with Celaeno is an indication, nobody is gonna be left out in this Movie. The Mane 6 will SHARE the screentime with the new characters. I think they will balance things well on that regard in the Movie, I don't have worries on that point. BUT I do agree that Marketing the Guest Characters VAS over the Mane 6's ones is a lack of respect toward the REAL stars of the series, and it's pretty insulting by Hasbro. It's kinda funny thought: the majority of the Toys are for the Mane 6 and in the trailer the Mane 6 got most of the screentime, and yet Hasbro (or lionsgate) are pushing more the guest actors in the trailers (also the fact they had to answer the critics with that SDCC special poster in which they putted the Mane 6's VAs, is very sad..... ). Again, I have no worries for the handling of all the characters in the Movie, but I do agree that the way they are marketing the Movie is very insulting for old date fans of the show like myself.

 

Besides...

https://mobile.twitter.com/GagneMichel/status/889636791304716288

If this could be more reliefing to you.

Oh yeah, to answer GrimGrimoire.... yellow circle team for the life for me. XD

Edited July 26, 2017 by Sly

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 42,207]

I don't really see the issue here. I mean, yeah, it is a product of our flawed society that is now built on worshiping celebrities, but with that in mind, it doesn't surprise me that the one-off celebs would get a focus for a theatrical release. These one-offs are that, one-offs. We might not ever see them again in the show, so to me it makes sense to give them a spotlight. The mane 6 will still shine in the film because from the trailers, they are the only recurring characters getting any spotlight at all. So the movie will be about the mane 6 and the one-off characters voiced by the celebs and since the other characters are entirely new, they do need some kind of showcasing in the trailers to let everyone know. The mane 6, we all know about them. Anyone that even has a passing glance of the show most likely will recognize the mane 6 to some extent. The new characters in the film? No so much.

[Steve Piranha 29,500]

Ugh... where to start? Look, I know that it may suck for the movie ads be more appealing to mainstream audiences, but you are missing the big picture. This is not an extended FiM episode, nor a str8 2 video movie, this is a theatrical animated movie with a bigger....... EVERYTHING. So that means more money spent in stuff that in-show is an insignificant fraction in comparison, and for that to be a success, the audience has to be bigger, WAY bigger than the show has. We bronies have been loving the show for over  half a decade now, so it's a safer move to assume that we will watch the movie regardless, and focusing more on appealing a mainstream that aren't into ponies. 

Emily Blunt, Christen Chenowhet, Michael Pena, Zoe Saldana, etc; being advertised over VAs that gave true life to the characters that we know and love deeply for years suck? Yeah, it does, but it's the most sensible and pragmatic thing to do. Just ask a random person who are these celebs. Chances are, they may know one or two of them, nd that's enough to turn heads to the movie. Now do the same with the regular cast of ponies. Good luck finding someone who know who is Andrea Limban, Cathy Weseluck, Ashleight Ball, etc. At most they may have heard of Tara Strong, but don't expect them to know her. 

 

This is not about if the movie ads appeals more to them vs us, or the celebs vs the actual VAs; it's about the success of the movie if we want to keep getting more ponies around