This Movie is Completely Harmless

[Misty Shadow 7,813]

IMMEDIATELY, I will clarify that I respect the opinions of people who were and still are honestly concerned about this new generation, something I hope you know I mean sincerely as someone who was one of those people. I even acknowledge the possibility that the TV show could end up going in the wrong direction. However, this movie was totally harmless. It's not in-your-face preachy, does not patronize you for having different opinions, and even the theme of it that had many people worried is just a continuation of what Friendship is Magic started in Seasons 8 and 9. 

And yes, this is that "not...you know at all" topic I promised to make way back if I were to watch the movie and honestly feel this way about it. You know the can of worms to not open that will get this thread locked.  

[JMTV99 1,352]

Yeah, I do agree with you that the G5 movie was pretty harmless. It's not something completely offensive or doing something harmful. It just a cute, fun, and entertaining animated movie.

Honestly, I'm not gonna be one of those people who like to drink the KoolAid, and ranting, bitching, and nitpicking over the tiny, insignificant little things that is not up to my standards. That's not how I roll. If the story is good, I'm gonna say it's good. If the story is shit, I'm gonna say it's shit. Plain and simple.

At end of the day, it's just a movie made for little girls. Yes, everyone can enjoy them, but still made for kids for like, 5-10 year olds.

To be quite honest, I'm getting really sick and tired of this shit. Friendship is Magic is over and it's time for G5 to shine in the spotlight. I'll rather move forward with new characters and new storylines than relying on the past and being afraid of not taking any chances.

Let's just wait and see how the G5 special and the series will played out. If t's good, then I'll keep watching it. If it's bad, then I'll stop watching it and move on with my life.

That's all I'm gonna say.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,306]

I really like the direction the new movie is taking Equestria. I'm really looking forward to the series now!

There was one minor detail that totally captivated me. Everypony compares Izzy to Pinkie. I don't want to offend, but I think Izzy is quite a bit smarter than Pinkie. Did you see that glass bottle music box? It was brilliant in it's purity. I want someone to build one in real life!

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

Literally everything this movie was addressing was tackled back in Friendship is Magic. It's just so weird to see people acting like this is the first time MLP has said racism is bad. 

[Steve Piranha 29,413]

29 minutes ago, TheAnimationFanatic said:

Literally everything this movie was addressing was tackled back in Friendship is Magic. It's just so weird to see people acting like this is the first time MLP has said racism is bad. 

Back when it was first tackled with Zecora, we weren’t this deep where Twitter children screech on critical race theory every two minutes. And shows nowadays started doing the CRT preaches, so concerns for ANG going that direction was a legitimate concern 

[ShadOBabe 18,997]

22 hours ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

There was one minor detail that totally captivated me. Everypony compares Izzy to Pinkie. I don't want to offend, but I think Izzy is quite a bit smarter than Pinkie. Did you see that glass bottle music box? It was brilliant in it's purity. I want someone to build one in real life!

Oh she is definitely different, but you can’t deny she has obvious similarities.

Her ditziness (wondering if they were playing a game as they shrieked in terror), her lack of focus (chasing the butterfly), her randomness, her lack of reading the room, her Pepe le Pew hopping around like Pinkie, her random rapping, and yes, her in ability to pull things off that should be impossible (woodpecker-ing a tree in seconds and crafting a duplicate crown out of random craft materials).

Edited October 4, 2021 by ShadOBabe

[Steve Piranha 29,413]

6 hours ago, Steve Piranha said:

Back when it was first tackled with Zecora, we weren’t this deep where Twitter children screech on critical race theory every two minutes. And shows nowadays started doing the CRT preaches, so concerns for ANG going that direction was a legitimate concern 

And to to add that the first official synopsis released made a big selling point on Sunny being an activist, and being released on Netflix, wokest of wokes platforms didn’t do it any favors 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Steve Piranha

[JMTV99 1,352]

2 hours ago, Steve Piranha said:

And to to add that the first official synopsis released made a big highligh on Dunny being an activist, and being released on Netflix, wokes of wokest of woke platforms didn’t do it any favors 

Yeah, Sunny is Dunny! lol

Seroiusly, I do agree what you said, but I don't want to dwell on it too much.

Edited October 3, 2021 by JMTV99

[Steve Piranha 29,413]

1 hour ago, JMTV99 said:

Yeah, Sunny in Dunny! lol

Seroiusly, I do agree what you said, but I don't want to dwell on it too much.

Man, me DERPs much 

[EpicEnergy 23,139]

I agree, and I see nothing wrong with the movie addressing a few modern day issues.

[Equus 91]

The fact that lessons as basic as Don't Be Racist and You Can Have Friends Who Don't Look Exactly Like You is considered 'political' and 'woke' by some outlets now instead of the very most basic lesson children should learn at the earliest possible age horrifies me for the future.

I think the initial synopsis using the word 'activist' set that off. Probably not the choice of words they needed to use if they wanted to avoid that bickering.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

On 2021-10-03 at 7:22 AM, Steve Piranha said:

Back when it was first tackled with Zecora, we weren’t this deep where Twitter children screech on critical race theory every two minutes. And shows nowadays started doing the CRT preaches, so concerns for ANG going that direction was a legitimate concern 

Yes. I saw people screeching on both sides the movie was CRT woke inclusion whatever. As I said in a pervious thread some think "woke" as in good as in the New York Times review, and people who thought it was woke as in bad was on TV (I can't find the exact clips. So sorry.) Basically I think G5 can be interpreted any way people want. I don't see overt messages besides unity whereas others seem to see "antiracism" in a politics sense. The only line I hated was in the soundtrack release of "Fit Right In" where Izzy raps "The world is not big on inclusion" which annoyed the hell out of me because the line is too on the nose for the rest of the movie. So woke concerns were valid but the movie itself was fine and I saw some of the FIM crew were involved when I read the credits so I think they want to keep it pony magic not direct overt political commentary. 

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

On 2021-10-03 at 4:20 PM, Equus said:

The fact that lessons as basic as Don't Be Racist and You Can Have Friends Who Don't Look Exactly Like You is considered 'political' and 'woke' by some outlets now instead of the very most basic lesson children should learn at the earliest possible age horrifies me for the future.

I think the initial synopsis using the word 'activist' set that off. Probably not the choice of words they needed to use if they wanted to avoid that bickering.

Yes the marketing was the worst because they used "activist" "Diversity" and "Inclusion" all in the same press release, which can sound too political because very good terms have been misused by badly trained activists and political commenters. The lessons are fine, what people don't like about about activism today in general is the techniques used. As someone who dabbles in disability rights activism I see from personal experience that some activists just want to blame every single thing on who they are angry at without the anger being truly fully connected to the issue, similar to how the pegasus ponies blamed earth ponies and unicorns for the royals fake flying and being "phony pony full of boloney" . Righteous anger has a purpose. Misdirected anger is dangerous. Sprout is a perfect example of anger gone wrong. I have seen more "activism" like Sprout's in modern times in disability rights personally than Sunny's type of activism. Just IMHO and it breaks my heart. 

Edited October 5, 2021 by StitchandMLPlover

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

On 2021-10-03 at 6:49 AM, TheAnimationFanatic said:

Literally everything this movie was addressing was tackled back in Friendship is Magic. It's just so weird to see people acting like this is the first time MLP has said racism is bad. 

I agree G5 is exactly like MLP G4 season 8! 

[Misty Shadow 7,813]

4 hours ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

Yes the marketing was the worst because they used "activist" "Diversity" and "Inclusion" all in the same press release, which can sound too political because very good terms have been misused by badly trained activists and political commenters.

It was indeed about the marketing, I do grow weary of the misrepresentation that it's people not liking basic lessons for children or something. If that was true, why does everyone on this site who should've been one of those people like the movie?

[JMTV99 1,352]

6 hours ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

I agree G5 is exactly like MLP G4 season 8! 

Except a MILLION times better.

[Evil Pink One 13,505]

I can see why people think Izzy is comparable to pinkie.. but in my opinion Izzy is more likeable than pinkie.... Izzy's silliness is tamed and smart and likeable....

pinkie in the other hand rivals discord.... she ain't even a draconicous....

[BornAgainBrony 2,397]

5 hours ago, CloudMistDragon said:

It was indeed about the marketing, I do grow weary of the misrepresentation that it's people not liking basic lessons for children or something. If that was true, why does everyone on this site who should've been one of those people like the movie?

Sometimes it seems to me that it isn't a question of whether or not the media in question does something progressive, but HOW it delivers that message. For example, two different films from a few years back that were sending a pretty darned obvious political message. A pretty big argument was made that the anti-crowd were what ruined the potential success of the former, but those same people whined about the latter just as much. Yet only one of those films died a horrible searing death in a dumpster fire while the other was a stunning success. Perhaps the problem was that the former provided little of substance beyond the same message they were parading everywhere in marketing?

 

On 2021-10-03 at 11:22 AM, Steve Piranha said:

Sunny being an activist

I don't know what I expected exactly, or even what her platform was going to be, but I definitely didn't expect the "activism" to be an Army of One. I partly wonder if we would feel the same if she had been part of an activist group, instead of seeming (from the outside) like the Old Mare Yelling at a Cloud. Having the opposition be a corporation instead of some kind of government entity certainly helped though. It leaves the question open as to how the divide between the Ponies got started, and I can't help but wonder if part of the reason hostilities hadn't lessened naturally is specifically because Canterlogic had enough influence to control the narrative. Sure it's still possible to make the entire film into parallels, but not without some mental gymnastics (that the New York Times employed to rip the film to shreds in a very brief review, which Fox News's "Gutfield" then picked and ran with). I think certain plot elements, such as Sprout's solution to becoming King, is a strategy that has been done so many times by so many different prominent individuals throughout history, that it's probably not worth referring to as politics anymore; it's just common sense worthy of being in a classic parable.

 

9 hours ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

Yes the marketing was the worst because they used "activist" "Diversity" and "Inclusion" all in the same press release, which can sound too political because very good terms have been misused by badly trained activists and political commenters. The lessons are fine, what people don't like about about activism today in general is the techniques used.

Is that really "modern" activism though, or do we just see more of it firsthand because instead of black&white newspaper photos, we get a million camera feeds shooting the scene from a million different directions and then plastered all over Facebook? I don't think anybody on the sidelines at the time thought activism in the 60's was anymore peaceful or civil than it is today. Besides, I can just imagine what the headline would have been the next day after Sunny's antics at Canterlogic.

SABOTEUR SNEAK ATTACK!
PRO PEGASUS/UNICORN ACTIVIST VANDALIZES TECHNOLOGY EXPO!

On 2021-10-03 at 3:42 AM, cuteycindyhoney said:

I really like the direction the new movie is taking Equestria. I'm really looking forward to the series now!

There was one minor detail that totally captivated me. Everypony compares Izzy to Pinkie. I don't want to offend, but I think Izzy is quite a bit smarter than Pinkie. Did you see that glass bottle music box? It was brilliant in it's purity. I want someone to build one in real life!

That seems a bit unfair towards Pinkie. They both have elements of daftness but in different ways. Izzy may have some impressive creative skill, but also was completely unable to "read the room." She thought a panicking populous was just a game of hide & seek. If that doesn't scream Pinkie, what does? Remember, Pinkie had her own surprisingly intellectual quirk: her underground party-planning room. Our ADHD "scatter-brained on the outside" pink Pony had intel on the whole town that would make the FBI envious, coupled with organizational skills that rivaled Twilight's. She didn't get all of her excuses to have parties through spontaneity, but through very meticulous note-taking.

 

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

5 hours ago, CloudMistDragon said:

It was indeed about the marketing, I do grow weary of the misrepresentation that it's people not liking basic lessons for children or something. If that was true, why does everyone on this site who should've been one of those people like the movie?

Yes exactly I saw nothing "iffy" or preachy in the movie and felt the press release was nothing like the actual movie and did the movie a disservice. Some people just have issues with how Diversity and Inclusion are talked about rather than the concept itself. 

 

3 hours ago, JMTV99 said:

Except a MILLION times better.

YES. MLP season 8 was definitely not as good at racism metaphor as G5. G5 feels better executed in that regard.

 

2 hours ago, BornAgainBrony said:

Sometimes it seems to me that it isn't a question of whether or not the media in question does something progressive, but HOW it delivers that message. For example, two different films from a few years back that were sending a pretty darned obvious political message. A pretty big argument was made that the anti-crowd were what ruined the potential success of the former, but those same people whined about the latter just as much. Yet only one of those films died a horrible searing death in a dumpster fire while the other was a stunning success. Perhaps the problem was that the former provided little of substance beyond the same message they were parading everywhere in marketing?

 

I don't know what I expected exactly, or even what her platform was going to be, but I definitely didn't expect the "activism" to be an Army of One. I partly wonder if we would feel the same if she had been part of an activist group, instead of seeming (from the outside) like the Old Mare Yelling at a Cloud. Having the opposition be a corporation instead of some kind of government entity certainly helped though. It leaves the question open as to how the divide between the Ponies got started, and I can't help but wonder if part of the reason hostilities hadn't lessened naturally is specifically because Canterlogic had enough influence to control the narrative. Sure it's still possible to make the entire film into parallels, but not without some mental gymnastics (that the New York Times employed to rip the film to shreds in a very brief review, which Fox News's "Gutfield" then picked and ran with). I think certain plot elements, such as Sprout's solution to becoming King, is a strategy that has been done so many times by so many different prominent individuals throughout history, that it's probably not worth referring to as politics anymore; it's just common sense worthy of being in a classic parable.

 

Is that really "modern" activism though, or do we just see more of it firsthand because instead of black&white newspaper photos, we get a million camera feeds shooting the scene from a million different directions and then plastered all over Facebook? I don't think anybody on the sidelines at the time thought activism in the 60's was anymore peaceful or civil than it is today. Besides, I can just imagine what the headline would have been the next day after Sunny's antics at Canterlogic.

SABOTEUR SNEAK ATTACK!
PRO PEGASUS/UNICORN ACTIVIST VANDALIZES TECHNOLOGY EXPO!

That seems a bit unfair towards Pinkie. They both have elements of daftness but in different ways. Izzy may have some impressive creative skill, but also was completely unable to "read the room." She thought a panicking populous was just a game of hide & seek. If that doesn't scream Pinkie, what does? Remember, Pinkie had her own surprisingly intellectual quirk: her underground party-planning room. Our ADHD "scatter-brained on the outside" pink Pony had intel on the whole town that would make the FBI envious, coupled with organizational skills that rivaled Twilight's. She didn't get all of her excuses to have parties through spontaneity, but through very meticulous note-taking.

 

I agree it's about how the message is delivered. Yes good point the civil rights movement/1960s etc had a lot of the same elements in them. In my case I was just talking more specifically about personal experience in disability rights activism where disability rights activists seem to get more angry over say, for example, what an accessible bathroom is called rather than if the bathroom itself is actually accessible unlike in something like the documentary "Crip Camp" on Netflix where they were dealing with structural barriers and had better priorities than just wordings. Wordings and delivering a message effectively is very important like what I said about how messages are delivered, but as Hitch pointed out to Sunny you need  concrete evidence and reasons for people or ponies to latch onto. You have to follow though with respectful concrete actions to your words. I see more anger filled preaching than effective actions that improve society nowadays. Excuse my rants on disability rights, I just find a small element of disability rights to be toxic, racist and close minded but that's for me to figure out. I was pissed at both NY Times and Gutfield for that display they each put on. Both missed the mark.   It was indeed mental gymnastics. I agree with you about Pinkie and Izzy, both are intelligent in their way. Izzy is just less of a screamer and appears to have a longer attention span than Pinkie. 

[JMTV99 1,352]

1 hour ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

YES. MLP season 8 was definitely not as good at racism metaphor as G5. G5 feels better executed in that regard.

Amen!

[Goat-kun 2,527]

Fortunately enough. Still, I shall keep haunting the witches.

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

Why do people think the movie is harmful? Because it tackles a very sensitive topic? I'm pretty sure they were only trying to teach that racism is wrong.

[Will Guide 21,359]

On 2021-10-03 at 9:22 AM, Steve Piranha said:

And to to add that the first official synopsis released made a big selling point on Sunny being an activist, and being released on Netflix, wokest of wokes platforms didn’t do it any favors 

If you ask me I'll never understand why people keep throwing the word "woke" around the internet like this. To me it's just a fun movie that introduced a new world of protential and characters that I would like to hang out with.

[Steve Piranha 29,413]

6 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

If you ask me I'll never understand why people keep throwing the word "woke" around the internet like this. To me it's just a fun movie that introduced a new world of protential and characters that I would like to hang out with.

Exactly, and most of us are relieved that was the case. Point is, there were reasons for G5 to go full woke before release

[Will Guide 21,359]

Moments ago, Steve Piranha said:

Exactly, and most of us are relieved that was the case. Point is, there were reasons for G5 to go full woke before release

Like I said I still have no idea what the word woke means so if you're looking to use it again you're just going to lose me. (Scratching my head)

My point is just relax and enjoy the show