The My Little Pony Movie Has Too Many Characters

I didn't expect the My Little Pony movie to be much more than fanservice and a vehicle for Hasbro's toy sales, and it certainly delivered on those fronts. However, it's an excellent example of the challenges of writing a story with an ensemble cast.

Wanna watch me pick apart a family movie aimed at little girls and the adults who raise them? Then read on. Obviously, spoilers ahead.


Part of the challenge of making a movie is cutting everything down to fit around 90 minutes. Unlike an episodic TV series or a novel, there is little time to fully flesh out every character or explain every little detail about the setting.

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This is why most movies have a handful of main characters to focus on with a bunch of minor, supporting characters instead of an ensemble cast (wherein every character has roughly equal screen time and importance). My Little Pony goes for the latter, and does it poorly.

The good guys consist of six "main" characters that are pretty much on-screen at all times, but only three of them matter (the purple one, the blue one, and the pink one). They're the only members of the ensemble that either take actions that spur character development or advance the plot, unless you count Rarity doing a minor favor for Capper, but that's being generous (harhar).

From a narrative standpoint, the other three ponies are useless characters. We learn in the first 10 minutes that the yellow one is quiet, the white one is creative, and the orange one spent her formative years in a barn. They are neither developed further from their single dimensions nor do they affect how the story unfolds. You can cut them from the movie entirely and nothing will change.

The cat, the bird, and the seahorse are excellent supporting characters. They appear, briefly tell their story (with a song, of course), and then do their part in bringing the movie toward its conclusion. So it's awkward that these three minor characters have a larger role than three of the Mane Six.

Then there are the villains Grubber and The Storm King, the latter of whom is supposed to be the big bad of the movie (where the former is just comic relief). Even though he is the final boss, Mr. King doesn't do anything to convince the audience to take him seriously as a villain, and his motivations don't extend beyond the generic "take over the world" trope. The coolest thing about him is that he gets frozen in carbonite and dies an on-screen death, which is pretty dark for a movie about talking pastel equines. But ultimately, these two characters could've also been cut from the movie with no consequence.

Big bad villain or comic relief--pick one!

Making a good movie with an ensemble cast is challenging, but not impossible. It's all a matter of giving the characters reasons to be on the screen, which, in turn, makes the audience give a damn about them. The storyline itself is actually secondary. In fact, the widely celebrated Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorite movies, and I don't even remember the plot! But I sure remember Chris Pratt, Green Girl, Gray Guy, Tree Guy, and Raccoon Guy.

Pure speculation, but I believe the creators behind the film would've loved to make a more streamlined My Little Pony movie--one in which the focus is on Twilight Sparkle helping Tempest Shadow overcome her low self-esteem using the power of friendship. I mean, it wouldn't be her first time. Problem was, the film was saddled by characters from the already established TV series, and Hasbro Studios paid Zoe Saldana, Michael Peña, Sia, and other celebrities to voice new characters for the film. In fact, the names of the voice actors of the Mane Six don't even appear on movie posters.

And, of course, new characters means more toys to sell.