My Little Pony: Generation 5 (MLP G5): What We Know So Far - Part 2 (February 26, 2021)

[Dreamstar Moonlight 44]

[This post is a direct continuation of my previous post. Initially, I intended to keep editing my original post by adding 'updates', but I soon realized that it would only get overly cluttered, messy and disorganized. So I made a fresh new post instead. Also, if you'd like to see video clips (with sound) of the reveals made at Hasbro's Investor Event, head over to my Tumblr post!

Part 1 | Part 2| Part 3]

Updated on 27 February, 2021

An exclusive first-look at the 5th generation of the 'My Little Pony' Netflix movie was revealed by Entertainment Tonight in the late hours of Wednesday, the 24th of February. What's even more surprising than the reveal of the main character - Sunny Starscout - was how uncannily the synopsis matched the 4chan leaks!

Read the excerpt from the article below:

“In the new movie, the pony world of Equestria has lost its magic. Friendship and Harmony have been replaced by paranoia and mistrust, and Ponies now live separated by species. Sunny – a feisty and idealistic young Earth Pony – is convinced there’s still hope for this divided world, but her slightly misguided and often hilarious efforts to change hearts and minds have led to her being branded a misfit. When Sunny befriends a lost Unicorn named Izzy, who wanders innocently into the Earth Pony town of Maretime Bay, the town has had enough. Izzy and Sunny must embark on an epic adventure that will include a daring jewel heist, outrageous conspiracy theories, elaborate musical numbers, and the world’s cutest flying Pomeranian. Their adventures will take them to faraway lands and force them to challenge the status quo by facing their fears and making new friends out of old enemies. The world Sunny has dreamed of her entire life could finally become a reality as Sunny and her newfound friends fight to prove that even little ponies can make a big difference.”

Check out our new 'mane' character - Sunny Starscout!

Of course, the fandom went nuts (as expected) and began doing what they're best known for: "Over-Analysis"! Equestria Daily even featured a special page dedicated to this topic, detailing all the numerous MLP G4 references and cameos eagle-eyed fans were able to spot out.

Here you go. It seems Sunny Starscout is a bit of a 'Brony'/'Pegasister' herself. There appears to be posters of Rainbow Dash's and Princess Celestia's cutie marks on the wall behind her; her saddle bag has an imprint of Princess Twilight's cutie mark, which also appears along with Fluttershy's and Rainbow Dash's cutie marks in the beads she's wearing around her neck. Not to mention the figurines of our beloved Mane Six on a ledge right next to her bed. All this seems to fit the character description that Sunny is a pony who dreams of the good old days of friendship and harmony when everypony got along (regardless of their tribes) and she wishes to bring those kind of days back to her world.

We still haven't gotten any casting announcements, but Entertainment Tonight's article also revealed that this feature film (which is being animated by Hasbro’s Boulder Studio in Dublin), is directed by Rob Cullen and Jose Ucha while Mark Fattibene served as its co-director. Now, we don't know what exactly went behind the scenes, but according to popular MLP fan-artist Imalou, who's had the pleasure of working with both the directors, Rob and Jose know that they're apparently working on 'something really big' and so they put their heart and soul into the project. Imalou further went on to say that she struck up a particularly good friendship with Ucha, who invited her over often to talk about MLP and the Brony fandom in general. Robert was just as passionate and had a blast directing the movie by making enjoyable and funny pitches. Unfortunately she never got to interact with Mark as much, as he arrived much later on the scene. So I guess we can be optimistic that the movie will turn out just fine, considering how much heart went into it. You can find a screencap of Imalou's messages below:

But that wasn't all. the article also revealed that Netflix has green-lit the new MLP G5 animated series which is set after the events of the movie and will focus on the adventures of  Sunny Starscout and her friends - the main protagonists of the movie.

The next big reveals came from Hasbro's Investor Event, which was held the following day, on the 25th of February, 2021. Hasbro sent Equestria Daily an exclusive screenshot from the movie (pictured below) which features another new 'mane' character - Izzy Moonbow, the unicorn - along with a spoiler filled press release detailing the synopsis of the upcoming film - the same article which Entertainment Tonight had posted a day earlier.

Behold! Izzy Moonbow and Sunny Starscout (with what appears to be two Pegasus pony guards)

Not long afterwards, Imalou tweeted that she specifically help design these two 'mane' characters, earning her the praise of the fandom as well as big-names like Matt Braly (creator of Disney's Amphibia), Rebecca Dart (character designer for MLP: FiM) and Jim Miller (storyboard artist/supervisor and co-director for MLP: FiM). Check out the tweets below:

But the main flood of news came from the investor presentation panel - a three-hour event that ran from 10 AM EST till 1 PM EST. You can read Equestria Daily's article on it here or watch the full panel here. I'll jot down the main points below:

• There's been a 139% increase in viewership for "My Little Pony" content.
• 
• The upcoming G5 movie will introduce the first male pony to be a part of the 'mane' cast. (Turns out the 4chan leak was right about that too! According to the, his name is Hitch. His full name was later confirmed to be Hitch Trailblazer by the "My Little Pony" official Facebook page, as reported by Equestria Daily).

Meet Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow and Hitch Trailblazer!

• The 2021 MLP G5 feature film will be followed on Netflix by a 44-minute special, a brand-new CGI series, as well as made-for YouTube content throughout 2022-23, supporting the roll-out of a brand-new line of toys and consumer products. Speaking of...
• New MLP G5 toys and merchandise were revealed!

What's curious is that there was no sign of the new logo spotted on the Secret Ring Blindbag packs that I discussed about in my previous post. Maybe they're saving it for a big reveal at a later point? After all, it's absurd to assume that we won't get any more updates on the movie until it suddenly drops on Netflix.  I do hope they put some effort into marketing the movie,, when poor marketing was one of the reasons the 2017 movie didn't perform so well at the box-office. If we look at previous patterns, we should be getting a teaser trailer sometime in late March, and a full trailer around July (approximately 6 months and 3 months before the movie's actual release). Book publisher Harper Collins have already put out two brand-new listings for future "My Little Pony" books, titled "My Little Pony: Cinematic I Can Read #1" and "My Little Pony: Cinematic 8x8 Plus" with an August 24th sale date.

And while we may not have any 'official' information about the writers or the voice actors involved, a 4chan user had this to say:

Source

Now, as far as any of us can tell, these may just be baseless rumours. But keep in mind that the other leaks that came from 4chan turned out to be almost 100% accurate - so there's still a 50-50 chance this could be true too. But until we get further information, let's take this 'leaked info' with a grain....no, wait...a pound of salt.

What's even more curious is that another artist seems to have been involved with the MLP G5 movie, besides Imalou, based on these threads:

(You can find the individual threads, in the order that they appear in the image above here, here, here, here and here)

If this is true, then why hasn't that person revealed themselves? I mean, it's no surprise that Hasbro hired fan-artists for the movie - they'd previously hired another extremely popular fan-artist to do covers for the IDW comics. And you'd think that whoever this 'mystery artist' was would have announced themselves after all the big reveals yesterday.

But thankfully, Imalou stepped in and confirmed the fact that another fan-artist was indeed involved in the project, and was in fact responsible for designing "our handsome new ponyboi" Hitch Trailblazer! Take a look at her messages below:

Meanwhile, someone over on Derpibooru has spotted our fourth main character: Zipp the Pegasus! The image is super-blurry, but hey, at least it matches the description the leaks provided!

Yet another 'leaker' who has claimed to have worked on the MLP movie has 'leaked'  some 'information on Ponychan, of all places. The post contained some highly unlikely, but oddly specific details which, for all we know, could be someone's idea of a fanfic instead. So unless Hasbro, Imalou or anyone we know who definitely worked on the movie confirms the authenticity of said leak, I will not be posting it here. I only ever posted about the previous leaks (after a long time they were originally posted) because they were beginning to match the official information. If and when any credible source confirms the latest leak, expect to see Part 3 of "What we Know So Far!"

Well, that's all for today. I'll keep an eye out for any updates or information, and keep you guys posted!

Thanks for reading!

Peace out!

~~Dreamstar Moonlight

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Dreamstar Moonlight
Added more info. Corrected some typos. Added onfirmation of the male stallion's name; screencaps of Imalou's texts confirming the involvement of another MLP fan artist in the movie; appearance of Zipp the Pegasus on merchandise. added .gif, video links

[Northern Star 1,023]

Either the Netflix part is new or I missed it in the other one...looks like I will have to be patient for it.

I suspose I should read about Hasbro's meeting but they still own 40 some percent of Discovery family...they would eventually have to run something else on it I would think.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

19 minutes ago, TheGleaner said:

Either the Netflix part is new or I missed it in the other one...looks like I will have to be patient for it.

I suspose I should read about Hasbro's meeting but they still own 40 some percent of Discovery family...they would eventually have to run something else on it I would think.

I think they've all but given up on Discovery Family. 

[Will Guide 21,359]

So if they continue to put the show on Netflix I'll have no trouble watching

[Will Guide 21,359]

@Dreamstar Moonlight

The tweets in your OP seem broken

[Dreamstar Moonlight 44]

57 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

@Dreamstar Moonlight

The tweets in your OP seem broken

@Will Guide are you viewing this on a mobile device? If so, try tapping the image icon. That should enable you to view the files. Otherwise, try opening this page on your laptop or PC.

[Happy Heart 323]

The new toys look better than what we thought they were gonna look like.  Perhaps they were prototypes, then?

[Rushing cash 836]

Well, the leaks got the stallion's name right if I am not mistaken. Its Hitch Trailblazer

Edited February 26, 2021 by Rushing cash

[Steve Piranha 29,415]

20 minutes ago, Rushing cash said:

Well, the leaks got the stallion's name right if I am not mistaken. Its Hitch Trailblazer

I’ve noticing the first name of G5 horses aren’t out of place for humanity, and then they are followed by the more traditional noun so far 

[Misty Shadow 7,831]

Wow, first male main character. They really did mean diversity and inclusion.  

While I'm still on the fence about how this movie and series will turn out, reading this information, both this part and the previous part, helped me be a tad more optimistic. @Dreamstar Moonlight, you are a great sleuth! 

[Jeric 46,850]

Is that Starlight or Twilight as a figure. The coloring looks like Starlight. 

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

The thing I find interesting is that the toyline has cutie marks but the ponies in the animation don't, unless they're teasing us...

[eddeams 66]

Am I the only one who's kinda disappointed that G5 isn't in a new universe? Sure, it could've meant seeing a different iteration of the Mane Six but at least it would feel more like its own thing.

[Truffles 2,033]

8 hours ago, Jeric said:

Is that Starlight or Twilight as a figure. The coloring looks like Starlight. 

In the shot of Sunny looking in her bedroom mirror? Third figure from the left in the collection of the Mane 6 looks like Twilight.

[Dreamstar Moonlight 44]

16 hours ago, Califorum said:

Interesting. Maybe it takes place so so long after the age of the Princesses. Does anyone notice the thing with the 2 ponies? Moonglow, and Sunny? Sun, and Moon... 

Now that's an interesting observation, @Califorum

13 hours ago, CloudMistDragon said:

Wow, first male main character. They really did mean diversity and inclusion.  

While I'm still on the fence about how this movie and series will turn out, reading this information, both this part and the previous part, helped me be a tad more optimistic. @Dreamstar Moonlight, you are a great sleuth! 

Thank you, @CloudMistDragon

5 hours ago, eddeams said:

Am I the only one who's kinda disappointed that G5 isn't in a new universe? Sure, it could've meant seeing a different iteration of the Mane Six but at least it would feel more like its own thing.

Well, it is set in the distant future, after all. Maybe it will be more of its 'own thing' than you think, even with its loose connection to G4, @eddeams

Edited February 27, 2021 by Dreamstar Moonlight

[Dreamstar Moonlight 44]

5 hours ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

The thing I find interesting is that the toyline has cutie marks but the ponies in the animation don't, unless they're teasing us...

@C. Thunder Dash Maybe they will earn their cutie marks throughout the course of the movie?

17 hours ago, Happy Heart said:

The new toys look better than what we thought they were gonna look like.  Perhaps they were prototypes, then?

Maybe! @Happy Heart

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

1 minute ago, Dreamstar Moonlight said:

@C. Thunder Dash Maybe they will earn their cutie marks throughout the course of the movie?

That could be the case, but that would mean the toy line would present spoilers, which doesn’t make sense if you ask me...

[Northern Star 1,023]

22 hours ago, TheAnimationFanatic said:

I think they've all but given up on Discovery Family. 

I will never understand business no matter how much I end up in one. Spend all that money on something, it does "ok" and then idle it for...? Just forget about it, not improve it or work with it, just kinda leave it to fade. Granted the idea was somewhat poor in the first place, it apparently does fine for what it is now and for what it costs through Dish.

I figured they would be on discovery +.

[eddeams 66]

The fact that G5 takes place probably centuries or even millennia after FiM kinda reminds me of the timeline of Beast Wars.

[TransitPony 238]

I am looking forward to watching the film with all this new information G5-wise. I feel like a sense of hope is in the air. I had alot of doubts before this, but now I feel like we're gonna be okay community wise. 

[Shigaraki 270]

I'm just here to see any news with male pony and now l know his name

[Treeglow Flicker 13,604]

On 2021-02-26 at 10:41 AM, Dreamstar Moonlight said:

Behold! Izzy Moonbow and Sunny Starscout (with what appears to be two Pegasus pony guards)

 

The more I stare at the tennis ball on Izzy's horn, the more I'm convinced that it has been stuck on there by the guards as a crude means of preventing her from using magic.

I'm really looking forward to where all this is going.

[HereComesTom 2,264]

On 2021-02-26 at 5:41 AM, Dreamstar Moonlight said:

What's curious is that there was no sign of the new logo spotted on the Secret Ring Blindbag packs that I discussed about in my previous post. Maybe they're saving it for a big reveal at a later point?

In principle, the logo might be market-specific---i.e. some countries might get the new logo and others might not.  Hard telling.

  

On 2021-02-27 at 7:18 AM, eddeams said:

The fact that G5 takes place probably centuries or even millennia after FiM kinda reminds me of the timeline of Beast Wars.

I loved Beast Wars.  Oh man---now I'm starting to hope they'll make Equestria Girls transformers with a human form and a pony-form  

Hey---give it good writing, a nice conflict to drive the plot, and actual uses for each form in-story, and the concept of ponies-turning-into-humans could actually work!

 

 

 

 

 

@Dreamstar Moonlight

Thanks for sharing these tweets and all this information; I'm crossing my fingers at this point that the creators will [a] understand that we're worried it'll get all woke and preachy on us, and [b] assure us that that won't happen!  It sounds like the kind of thing they might do at this point.

[Sparklefan1234 169,649]

On 2021-02-26 at 1:56 PM, Jeric said:

Is that Starlight or Twilight as a figure. The coloring looks like Starlight. 

 

*Cue Princess Ember being unable to tell Twilight Glimmer and Starlight Sparkle apart*

 

5 hours ago, Treeglow Flicker said:

The more I stare at the tennis ball on Izzy's horn, the more I'm convinced that it has been stuck on there by the guards as a crude means of preventing her from using magic.

I'm really looking forward to where all this is going.

 

Judging by the guards face, you may be right. 

[Dreamstar Moonlight 44]

15 hours ago, HereComesTom said:

"In principle, the logo might be market-specific---i.e. some countries might get the new logo and others might not.  Hard telling."

 Hm...that is certainly a possibility, but personally, I think they'll go with a new logo for G5. They always redesign the logo every time they move on to a new generation.

Hey---give it good writing, a nice conflict to drive the plot, and actual uses for each form in-story, and the concept of ponies-turning-into-humans could actually work

Totally!

15 hours ago, HereComesTom said:

@Dreamstar MoonlightThanks for sharing these tweets and all this information; I'm crossing my fingers at this point that the creators will [a] understand that we're worried it'll get all woke and preachy on us, and [b] assure us that that won't happen!  It sounds like the kind of thing they might do at this point.

My pleasure! And yep, we're all hoping they don't go overboard with the messages of the movie. Going off Imalou's words, the directors seem to have done their homework, so let's just be optimistic for now. As the saying goes, 'the proof is in the pudding'. Let's wait for an actual trailer to drop and see if we can gauge the tone of the movie. Until then, let's keep our fingers crossed and speculate or theorize or fantasize - or whatever else helps pass the time until we get more info!