What I'm about to write might be considered a bit spoilery, so I'll place it under a cut. That may be considered overdoing the caution, as things like the actual storyline of the film, its VA cast and so on are still not publicly known – but we'll see as the months go by, I suppose.
This article in Kidscreen is very interesting indeed, providing as it does some information about the forthcoming MLP movie that as far as I know hasn't been in the public domain until now. There are a number of quotes from Emily Thompson, who is described as VP of global brand management for eOne – short for Entertainment One, a company acquired by Hasbro just over a year ago. Here are some of the takeaways:
The film is still scheduled for September 2021. There's been uncertainty over this for some time owing to the global situation, and I suspect that won't finally be resolved until a lot nearer release date, but it is interesting that Hasbro is remaining insistent about sticking to the plan on timing.
It will be set in Future Equestria. This really is a big piece of new information. We now know for sure that a complete clean break for the film is not on the cards, although it's possible we may see a kind of Star Trek: The Next Generation deal whereby Twilight's era is canon history but not all that relevant to the plot.
The movie will centre on an activist. All we know is that this character is "working to make the world a better place". We don't know what kind of activist just yet. However, we're also told that diversity and inclusion will feature strongly as part of a focus on "more modern themes".
There will be Easter eggs. Thompson says that, while the new movie will be attractive to newcomers, existing fans are likely to be spotting nods to FiM for "months and years to come".
And lots and lots of merch. Okay, that's hardly a shock from Hasbro. Unsurprisingly, the plan is to focus on product lines that have done well with stuck-at-homes. So yes, toys, but also food, health products, puzzles and the like. It sounds like there'll be plenty to choose from.
There are a few other bits and pieces in the article, such as Thompson's mildly irritating buzzphrasery when she gives us "Generation Alpha has a higher emotional intelligence", whatever that may mean, but I think I've covered most of the main points here. I await the first images/trailers with interest!
EQD's writeup of the article included talk of it being set in "the same world as Friendship Is Magic and Pony Life", which tweaked my cheese since those are hardly the same world. :|
ReplyDeleteEquestria Daily says a lot of things. :P
Delete@Logan: XD
DeleteA lot to unpack here! I still thing it'll be pushed from this Fall, but that they're still saying it'll be released then only 8 months in advance makes it a little possible it will come out then.
ReplyDeleteOh boy… there's lot of cringe in this one. Firstly, they actually went and said "the brand will be more focused on diversity and inclusion." If a company feels the need to say they're focusing on those things, it's likely they're doing it for business reasons and to be seen doing good, rather then because they actually want to do good there, and that they're don't even personally believe in such things. Plus, you know, these things were trendy and new 5+ years ago. By now, they're old hat and dated, and it'd be more surprising to see a company not cite that as a focus, just to show they're not trend follower lemmings.
Also, you know, MLP doesn't have a great recent track record with those kind of themes, to put it mildly (*cough* Season 8 *cough* School of Friendship *cough* Season 9 tribal racist upheaval *cough*)
Oh my, they actually cite Generation Alpha… they're kids born from 2012/3 onwards, just young enough that they generally didn't watch FiM, as by the time they were old enough, the brand had too much baggage. So despite what this press release otherwise claims, this is largely aimed at new viewers, just while 'trying' to remain satisfying for old ones. We'll see how that fares. Also, since most Generation Alpha kids are children of Millennials, I think that's what they mean by the irritating 'higher emotional intelligence', being a result of how their parents grew up and what they'll want for their children. Course, they bungled the delivery of that point.
Less to say on the rest - the activist plot detail has me worried, though too early to say much there yet, and the Merch focus makes total sense. It's the relation to G4 that's worrying. Obviously, Hasbro wants MLP to be much like Transformers going forward, always alive with a brand for the current kids, and it's too early for a hard reboot anyway. Which, you know, fair. But all the statements about its relation to the events of FiM are so vague and wishy-washy, that they could mean anything. A Next Generation type of thing seems decently likely - they sidestep mentioning old characters at all, so I'd suspect they would be around more then then the odd Easter egg. The only truly telling thing is that quote about them considering FiM and Pony Life to be in the same world, which says a lot more about them than anything else.
Tonally, I would expect mostly silly hijinks (not Pony Life level of crazy, though) with lore and world building being mostly minor window dressing on a level even lower than that of FiM. All this connected stuff will likely be minor background things.
I'm not that pessimistic yet - we need more plot details and visuals and animation for that - but this press release has so much sterile corporate speak, and shows those involved learned the wrong lessons from the last few years of FiM, that I'm worried. Let's see what they reveal next. Plus, you know, it is animated by Boulder Media, gotta support the local troops. Especially as it's Ireland's first major animated feature, with all due respect to the fantastic indie works of Cartoon Saloon (which I adore, make no mistake).
Well, as you say, a lot of what's here is vague and/or corporate at this point, so who knows? But for example "activist" could mean all kinds of things. Some people (not aimed at you) are being a tad too ready to jump to conclusions there. For example, I could imagine a fascinating take on environmental activism -- for example, what if ponies messing around with their power to influence weather had serious knock-on effects? Think Rainbow's antics in "Tanks for the Memories" but played a bit more seriously. Maybe it's just the fanficcer in me that thinks that way!
Delete(I say "for example" a lot there. :P )
DeleteIs this definitely real? Like, I've never heard of that site, for all I know it's the most important and authoritative source for breaking corporate toy news, but equally it could just be some random person either posting bollocks or feeding it to a real journalist?
ReplyDelete(Not saying this means anything, but "Elizabeth Foster" was, presumably entirely coincidentally, the fake byline I got given once for a clickbait article I wrote years ago to a content mill order!)
Kidscreen is most definitely real. It's a trade publication for children's entertainment professionals, and it's been going since the late 1990s. So in this case the news is pretty reliable. It's only going to be a fake if someone has been tricking them.
DeleteWell, then, I will permit myself to be excited! Thanks for the clarification.
Delete