Friendship IS Magic

I love cartoons. They appeal to my optimistic self and the child within. But, like many adults, I talk about how the kids today don't know good stories. How the movies may be amazing, but animated television is lacking. I come from the era of Saturday morning cartoons. I'm a child of the 80's. For many years I have embraced this fact and love the culture of my youth. For example as we speak I'm wearing Care Bear pajamas.

This very image is on my chest

Another thing that many of my close friends know is that I loath remakes of my childhood. I curse at the new Care Bears, the aging of Strawberry Shortcake still annoys me, and don't get me started on the new Smurfs movie. 

I don't know who this guy is.
Seriously, who are you Fakey Smurf?

You can imagine my trepidation when the new My Little Pony series came out. They'd already tried and failed to remake the series years ago. And I love the original movie. The songs can run in my head at any moment. Even now I have vivid memories of discussing the ponies with my cousin and playing with the many different toys.

But the Internet at large became obsessed with the new series. They developed a term. Brony. And the entire series to date is on Netflix. The ponies didn't look quite right, but what the hay. I had some free time, and we needed a break from the Jem/Robotech marathon. 

Bring it on, little ponies!!

The theme song showed promise. It starts with classic My Little Pony music, then quickly shows a voice all its own. I watched the first few episodes. Then the next few. And somewhere along the line, I became hooked. I've since watched the entire series more than once. I've read the tvtropes on the series. I've watched fan made music videos (Enter Sandman was awesome!). I own a Fluttershy t-shirt. 

So I have to wonder, how did this happen? Why did My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic win me over?

First, let me get this out of the way, it is a quality program. The characters are well defined. Each member of the main six (or mane six as the fans call them) is a strong yet flawed character. They're relatable. I not only identify with our socially awkward bookworm heroine (the hilariously named Twilight Sparkle), but most of her new friends. These are well written characters that any girl can look up to, and perhaps more importantly, the female characters are not defined by the men in their lives. These little ponies show that girls can be caring, strong, and independent, quite like Merida from Brave. Even a casual fan can tell you the basic personalities of each pony. I can tell you more about these ponies than any of the ponies from my youth. 

But this show is more than well written characters and strong female ponies. It's also clever. There are the little gags, such as Twilight Sparkle literally standing on a soap box when giving a speech. There are the callbacks, throw away lines that reference previous episodes. The show has continuity! There are the pop culture references, like the Diamond Dogs or the Benny Hillesque chase scenes. Then there's the music. 

The season one finale features a song that is heavily inspired by Ever After from Into the Woods. An original song based on Stephen Sondheim. In a children's cartoon. Not a rewritten version of Ever After. Just inspired by. The song is all about how excited the little ponies are for their big night at the gala. A gala that was first mentioned in the third episode of the series. Continuity! Please note the 20 person choir singing in the chorus. 

It's heartwarming and sincere, with just enough cynicism for the adult viewers. It has an expanded universe involving the background characters. The writers listen to the fans, and show creator Lauren Faust answers questions regularly. (Her resume includes writing for Powerpuff Girls and the new DC short Super Best Friends Forever, very into girl power animation). The show pays tribute to the original series. Faust based the characters on the personalities that she gave to her own toys. The show is written for children while still appealing to adults. It does what some of the great cartoons of our time have done. 

This isn't like my generations My Little Pony. This is better.

It might not be your thing. That's cool. But all I can say is don't knock it till you try it. If you enjoy quality western animation, strong female characters, and smiling, then this series is for you.