Spoilers beyond the cut!
Just something I read in a small early review. I'm deliberately not giving anything away up here as to whether it's good, bad, both or neither, and I wouldn't recommend going any further if you've chosen to stay spoiler-free.
The above is from Shimmering Sparkler's early review of My Little Pony: The Movie, which you can find here on MLP Forums. Now, I know I'm going on one review of something hardly anyone else has yet seen – and something I won't see myself for weeks yet. Even if it's the case, it won't ruin the movie for me if the rest is good. But nevertheless, if that is an accurate assessment... grrr.
It's so damn easy to sideline Fluttershy when it comes to adventure-heavy stories, like this one is going to be. Damn easy – and, frankly, damn lazy. Even allowing for the fact that this film was greenlit years ago, it's not okay to give Fluttershy the least to do. We had "Dragonshy" in Season One, for Celestia's sake. Not to mention Flutters standing up to a cockatrice.
What bothers me is that we've been here before. Rainbow Rocks, a film I really like, did something similar: out of the seven primary human characters, precisely one did not get a single word of solo singing. Guess who? That's right: Fluttershy. I didn't like it then and I still don't. We had to wait until "Friendship Through the Ages" for the writers to deem her worthy of a sung line of her own.
Okay, rant over, and at least I'm forewarned this time round. I just wish people would remember that Andrea Libman voices two of the Mane Six, not just Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie – and I say that as someone who likes Pinkie. I'm sure Fluttershy is too kind and polite to complain, but this sort of thing has happened too often, and it's starting to really grate on my nerves.
All too obvious it was going to happen really. Wonder if she might have a few lines etc in the Seapony parts, but with it being so action heavy it was bound to happen.
ReplyDeleteOf course if this was Avatar she would have been the key at doing the animal uprising (that so needs to be a resolution to a baddie at some point!)
I'm not exactly surprised, any more than I am about what's apparently happening with Celestia. And like I said, it won't stop me liking the film – after all, if it does really well, maybe there'll be a sequel down the line where 'Shy does get a proper role.
DeleteBut it is frustrating, since it feels like a character regression given how much Fluttershy has developed in the last two or three seasons. Look at "A Health of Information" – whether you like it or not, it proves that Flutters can play a major part in an adventure.
Don't really care about the movie much, so spoilers don't bother me either way.
ReplyDeleteStill, that bit about Fluttershy is saddening if that's the case. Even with full cowardice mode barring her from any kind of direct action, she's got many, many other ways of contributing: animal communication networks, flying abilities, stealth, some degree of social politeness, brains, protective instincts, kindness for crying out loud. She's still one of the hearts of the team. Each friend having her own special skillset to contribute is kind of the whole point.
It betrays a laughable lack of imagination. Pure and simple.
I'll decide how much I care about it once I've seen it. ;)
DeleteOf course, this is one review by one person. It's entirely possible that others may see it differently. Fluttershy could easily be mostly quiet, yet make several crucial interventions. I'd probably be satisfied with that. We shall see!
Oh, naturally. I speak hypothetically. If it's true, obviously.
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