Thoughts on the Summertime Shorts?

[Toon4Thought 273]

By this point, I think it's a safe assumption that Discovery Family has released the last of the most recent batch of shorts. So, now is probably an ideal time to reflect on them all.

Personally, even though I felt the first three (the ones that flashbacked to the Fall Formal) were a little underwhelming, they really picked up from "Monday Blues" on. I think the best things they did was showing us a handful of things that they simply couldn't in the TV movies, like we finally know more about the human CMCs and several subtle looks at Sunset's personal life. I also highly appreciate how we finally get a more slice of life look in the world of EqG, which is something I felt prior to now wasn't explored quite as far as it could be.

My personal favorite is "Monday Blues", since it was just extremely relatable on every front and it serves as a fantastic reminder of why so many of us love Sunset Shimmer. But really, most of the music videos were genuinely meaningful, if not just straight-up catchy. Even Boulder Media soon found their footing and grew into a style that, while not identical to DHX's, has a nice, fluid charm of its own. It's easily the best collection of shorts EqG has turned out, with the amount of variety and entertainment value they brought to the table.

So, what did you think of the set as a whole? Do you have any favorites in particular? Did they make you any more excited for the YouTube series we're getting in November?

Edited September 28, 2017 by Toon4Thought

[Sly 236]

All in all they were nice, some weren't that great, but I won't deny that I liked some of them even more than the Movies (especially Monday Blues and Good Vibes, which are IMO the best things EG pulled out yet).

Oh yeah, and since I'm here:

https://mobile.twitter.com/isitlunchyet_t/status/907385332382932993

Seems like we're not done yet with EG. See ya in November guys! :-) 

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by Sly

[Toon4Thought 273]

I mean, we already knew we were getting new EqG content by the end of the year because of what we heard of Hascon, but the fact we're going to get more than we did before leaves me more excited than you would believe.

[cmarston1 5,951]

As a whole I rather liked them.  My Favorites ended up being Good Vibes, Monday Blues, Subs Rock, Canterlot Movie Club, and Mad Twience.

[Will Guide 21,325]

I did see them all on Youtube at some point, and simply put, they were fun! I especially enjoyed Monday Blues, Epic Fails, and Good Vibes music videos.

Plus, I'm glad they keep Flash Sentry as a friend to Sunset and the Humane 6. Just them being friends is good enough for me.

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

The first summertime shorts were focused on the events before and during the Fall Formal as depicted in the first Equestria Girls movie. Granted, I thought it was odd that they decided to go back to that scenario given how far we've come so I was a little uneasy when watching them. The music videos were definitely the best shorts as once again DHX shines with their animation. The other shorts as produced by Boulder Media were good but had obvious flaws in relation to Sunset. Someone there didn't get the memo that she wasn't supposed to be wearing her original outfit from the first two movies not to mention her hair colour is meant to be saturated--it wasn't in their shorts.

[Cahead2015 72]

13 hours ago, Toon4Thought said:

By this point, I think it's a safe assumption that Discovery Family has released the last of the most recent batch of shorts. So, now is probably an ideal time to reflect on them all.

Personally, even though I felt the first three (the ones that flashbacked to the Fall Formal) were a little underwhelming, they really picked up from "Monday Blues" on. I think the best things they did was showing us a handful of things that they simply couldn't in the TV movies, like we finally know more about the human CMCs and several subtle looks at Sunset's personal life. I also highly appreciate how we finally get a more slice of life look in the world of EqG, which is something I felt prior to now wasn't explored quite as far as it could be.

My personal favorite is "Monday Blues", since it was just extremely relatable on every front and it serves as a fantastic reminder of why so many of us love Sunset Shimmer. But really, most of the music videos were genuinely meaningful, if not just straight-up catchy. Even Boulder Media soon found their footing and grew into a style that, while not identical to DHX's, has a nice, fluid charm of its own. It's easily the best collection of shorts EqG has turned out, with the amount of variety and entertainment value they brought to the table.

So, what did you think of the set as a whole? Do you have any favorites in particular? Did they make you any more excited for the YouTube series we're getting in November?

November! I thought its next year.

[Toon4Thought 273]

9 hours ago, Cahead2015 said:

November! I thought its next year.

Nope; the press release only said it's going to be a thing next year, not necessarily that it would start up then.

Also, according to Ishi Rudell, Good Vibes was actually composed by Daniel Ingram, and was another instance of a song being made LONG before it was actually put to use. I wonder what others they have lying around.

 

Edited September 29, 2017 by Toon4Thought

[Cahead2015 72]

19 hours ago, Toon4Thought said:

Nope; the press release only said it's going to be a thing next year, not necessarily that it would start up then.

Also, according to Ishi Rudell, Good Vibes was actually composed by Daniel Ingram, and was another instance of a song being made LONG before it was actually put to use. I wonder what others they have lying around.

 

You mean the EqG YouTube channel?

[Thrond 3,257]

A few of them feel really cheap and tossed off, especially the early ones from Boulder Media. Honestly, I don't think Boulder's animation ever got "good," but at times it was certainly tolerable, and they do some interesting stuff with fluidity which DHX doesn't. As with the movie, the different way they handle shading and depth-of-field feels off to me, but might just be my problem. If they can stay on-model and make the lip flaps look good, they could match DHX.

The musical ones are pretty consistently solid, and though I initially found their lyrics pretty mundane, I'm warming to that, and the last few are just downright excellent. Either "Get the Show on the Road" or "Good Vibes" is my favourite Equestria Girls thing since Rainbow Rocks, and I appreciate the worldbuilding even if the direction this world is going in isn't what I would prefer. I still wish they had tried to closely mirror the Friendship is Magic show, but that too is just my problem, and this is starting to feel like its own equally good thing rather than just a particularly solid extension of the show like Rainbow Rocks. 

And some of the non-musical ones are actually pretty funny, like "Subs Rock" and "Leaping Off the Page." After that rocky start I think there's only two I didn't at all care for, which is pretty solid. Not quite the Rainbow Rocks shorts, but better than the Legend of Everfree shorts. 

I still think it's a shame how many of these are outsourced, and I don't like these as much as the second film or find them as interesting as the third, but the best of them are a solid extension which does more justice to Equestria Girls than Legend of Everfree or the [x] Magic specials. 

My personal top 5:

1. "Get the Show on the Road"
2. "Good Vibes"
3. "Coinky-Dink World"
4. "Monday Blues"
5. "Subs Rock"

Edited October 17, 2017 by AlexanderThrond

[heavens-champion 1,893]

What animation did Boulder Media use for the non-music video shorts?