What art details in the show do you find impressive?

[Shining Wing 201]

I find the eyes on the ponies to be really nice. They have gradients and highlights and nice colors, and generally more detail than Flash-animated eyes usually have.

 

What details do you like?

[Replicant 113]

I once saw a video on youtube analyzing a single scene of an episode. The creator was freaking out over how high-quality the nature of the scene was. Camera angles and whatnot.

 

Ever since then, I've been impressed by every episode. ...Is it still cinematography if it's not live-action? Because whatever the cartoon equivalent of that is. That's the thing I find most impressive. 

[Stellafera 3,836]

The subtle eye movements. Never noticed them before I watched MLP in 1080p, but especially look at the expressions of characters not speaking. Their eyes subtly move around, narrow and widen, glance up and down, and it truly shows attention to detail.

[Scootalove 10,689]

I really like the art detail of the show, like the detail of each pony's cutie mark. It just really amazes the art shown in a cutie mark

[Rainbow Dash Loyalty 1,275]

I just really like the appearance of the characters and background as well as the other cartoon shows like 'Regular Show' and 'Adventure Time', it just has that 'cartoony' look that's not too hyper-realistic and not too cartoonish like 'Ed, Edd, and Eddy'

[Swick (ded) 436]

Pretty much everything, though they must spend AGES on the backgrounds for each scene, even though they never get much attention, for the most part. The characters are very well made, also.

[Rarietty 632]

The backgrounds. Just look at at this- 

 

 

 

Now that doesn't even look like it was for a flash cartoon. Just look at the tiny details and the shading. It almost looks like a painting.

 

Also, I love the characters movement. Even simple movements such as a character stomping a hoof or a pegasus flying look stylized and masterful. It's even more amazing when characters are doing things that are more complex.

 

Finally, I love the 3D effects. It first hit me in Putting Your Hoof down during this scene-

 

 

-but truly, it wasn't the first time in the show they seemed to be experimenting with this sort of stuff. For example, this scene in Return of Harmony part 1-

 

 

Just the overall angling and camera movement during these scenes are excellent art details. Sombra and the Timberwolves in SayS were excellent ways to show how far the show has gotten when incorporating kind of "3D-ish" effects.  

Edited January 25, 2013 by Rarietty

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

I don't really think about the art style. I already understand that it's remarkably well developed and pretty accomplished in its execution.

 

The things that really impress me are the technical clever nigh-witticisms that they pull in shot staging and building.

Prime example,

This astoundingly detailed background looks like it's pretty and almost unnecessarily complex for a once-off on the first episode, but what we don't realize (except subconsciously) is that this is a background plate that gets reused over and over again for Twilight's house, rather that building continuously new shots depending upon the angle (although rare exceptions apply). "Using the same background over and over" may sound like a cut corner and therefore be cheapo: actually, it's a very clever animation technique to cut down on scene construction and therefore art expense, putting more of the budget into animation and other things.

Reuse of pre-existing assets is all over the place and can be hard to notice. Walking, trotting and running cycles, well-masked moving holds, even the effect of the magic moving around unicorn's horns.

 

Another clever effect they have is shot composition implemented with the equine animation--it's quite developed despite what people may have as opinions against it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbCWkXNIP1g

[Freewave 1,145]

I love all the nods to movies and tv shows and of course all the background characters (lyra and bon bon hanging out continually) especially. That gives the show a special ingredient and is fun to follow.

[Concord 1,982]

Hello!

 

I love how Colourful and Cute the show is. The Backgrounds are amazing! The expressions are amazing aswell! It's just something i always wanted in a cartoon

 

How i wish our world would be something similar .

 

And @Blue and Red

 

Wow, i never knew that! It makes so much more sence, because i always wondered, if they have to redraw everything again for a new shot...

[kirbyboi 588]

Well, first off I would have to say the style of the ponies. They look much more cuter and friendlier.

 

Secondly, when I started watching the show, was the animation. I'm used to seeing cartoons like Spongebob and various anime, so whenI saw how the characters moved and all I was pretty impressed. The ponies moved so smoothly! But mostly I liked how the show wasn't as girly as the previous generations, and then there was-

 

Ah, whatever! The show's just irresistible!  

[Zygen 6,066]

Well honestly theres so much to love, it has this cartoon style, but its also got plenty of details, the eyes, the background scenes, all the animated stuff, theres just so much..

 

Everything about it is just awesome, they also managed to make the pony's all absolutely adorable. I dunno how they did it, but the art style makes the ponys so fregin adorable .

 

So yeah, everything is pretty awesome, I can't complain about any of it, its a beautiful cartoony style.