“My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” is the latest iteration of the popular franchise. My daughter (about to turn 7) loves the show. While she is only marginally aware of the changes that have been made over the years (adding in unicorns, for instance) all she knows is that it features horses, humor and magic (in order of importance).
For this DVD, Royal Pony Wedding, we get 5 episodes. First up is the two-part “A Canterlot Wedding” followed by three other episodes. Interestingly, the two-part “A Canterlot Wedding” ended the second season, and the episode “The Best Night Ever” included on this DVD closed out the first season. Another two-part episode opened the second season, but has not been released on DVD yet. We do get the Valentine’s Day themed episode “Hearts And Hooves Day” and “Sweet & Elite” (which has a heavy-handed lesson about loyalty and friendship.
As for the episode in question, I’m pretty sure it was created to capitalize on the wedding of Prince William and his bride (Kate somethingorother, no I’m not going to bother looking it up, you know what I mean). regardless of this, it is a solidly executed take on responsibilities and fantasy, and with plenty of humor it is well worth the two-episode investment.
I could go on about the pedigree of the staff working behind the series, but suffice to say “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” is popular for a reason, and not just with kids. This is a well done series with some broad appeal. While it isn’t the most original show, it’s not trying to necessarily break new ground, but simply be a solid program and tell its stories in the best way it can. By having a rich world to draw from and a diverse cast, “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” is one of the best shows on the air today that is geared towards girls.
So where are the season sets? Why hasn’t this series been released at least in volumes with all of the episodes, as broadcast, available on DVD? I detest this random selection of episodes, and it does nothing but to hurt the franchise and insult the fans.
Extras are sparse, a couple of karaoke sing-along songs, some coloring pages (which I think were initially available on the show’s website) are here, but no interviews with the creative force, or even mention of John De Lancie as guest vocal star. Yeah, that’s right nerd, Q is a pony. Well, not really, but you get my point.