My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games, or simply known as Friendship Games, is a 2015 Canadian–American flash animated musical sports fantasy television film sequel to 2014's My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks, written by Josh Haber and directed by Ishi Rudell. It was produced by DHX Media's 2D animation studio in Vancouver, Canada for Hasbro Studios in the United States, as part of Hasbro's Equestria Girls toy line and media franchise, itself a spin-off of the 2010 relaunch of My Little Pony. The film received a television network premiere on Discovery Family, a joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro, on September 26, 2015, with a home media release on October 13 that year; it also had a limited theatrical run in the United Kingdom and Australia beginning in late October 2015.

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games
Region 1 DVD cover
Directed byIshi Rudell
Produced byDevon Cody
Written byJosh Haber
Based onCharacters
by Lauren Faust
Starring
Music byWilliam Anderson
Edited byRachel Kenzie
Production
companies
Distributed byShout! Factory (United States and Canada home media)
Release date
Running time
72 minutes (DVD/Blu-ray)[1]
Country
  • Canada
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

Like the first two Equestria Girls films, Friendship Games re-envisions the main characters of parent franchise, normally ponies, as teenage human characters in a high school setting. The film's story centers around a sports competition between the students of Canterlot High School and their rivals at Crystal Prep Academy, one of whom is Twilight's human counterpart, who has been investigating the magical activity around Canterlot High.

A fourth Equestria Girls film, subtitled Legend of Everfree, was released on Netflix on October 1, 2016.[2]

Plot

The students of Canterlot High School prepare for the Friendship Games, an academic and sporting competition held every four years between their school's team, the Wondercolts, and the undefeated Shadowbolts from Crystal Prep Academy. Sunset Shimmer, who has been observing her friends' magical ability to "pony up" – grow pony-like ears, tails, and wings – whenever they play musical instruments, becomes concerned when Rainbow Dash transforms during a pep rally, seemingly at random. Tasked with finding the cause of this development, Sunset attempts to contact Twilight for advice, but receives no response.

Meanwhile, one of Crystal Prep's students, Twilight's human counterpart, investigates the magical activity surrounding Canterlot High. Twilight builds a locket-like device with which to detect and contain the magic for further study, hoping this will secure her application for Everton, a coveted independent study program. However, Principal Cinch threatens to revoke the application to blackmail Twilight into participating in the Friendship Games and maintain Crystal Prep's victory record.

Upon Twilight's arrival at Canterlot High, her device detects Sunset and her friends' magic and leads Twilight to them; as she approaches, the device inadvertently drains Rarity's magic when she "ponies up" after making uniforms for her friends. Sunset, initially mistaking Twilight for her pony counterpart, quickly realizes the misunderstanding and considers consulting Twilight in person. When Crystal Prep's Twilight follows her to the portal to Equestria, the device absorbs the portal's magic and seals it off. The device similarly affects Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy when they attempt to befriend Twilight, creating dimensional rifts to Equestria and giving Twilight's dog Spike the ability to speak.

Following Twilight's victory in the games' academic decathlon, the games continue with a "tricross relay", a relay race between archery, speed skating and motocross. Applejack transforms after advising Twilight in the race, causing the device to steal Applejack's magic and create a rift that summons monstrous plants. Rainbow Dash "ponies up" to save the other competitors before losing her own magic, allowing Canterlot High to win the event, but causing Cinch to accuse Canterlot High of cheating due to their perceived magical advantage.

Before the final event, Cinch and the Shadowbolts pressure Twilight into releasing the magic within her device to harness it against the Wondercolts. The magic instead corrupts Twilight, turning her into a winged monster[N 1] who proceeds to destroy the statue portal and open more rifts that threaten to destroy the parallel world. As the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts work together to save their classmates, Sunset notices her friends' magical auras and realizes that their magic manifests when they exhibit the same traits as the Elements of Harmony. Gathering their magic with the device, Sunset assumes an angelic form resembling Princess Celestia,[N 2] closes the rifts, and returns Twilight to normal.

Refusing to relent for manipulating Twilight, Cinch threatens to report the incident to the school board. When taunted that no one would believe her account of the magical incidents, however, she concedes to a tie that is celebrated by both teams. Reconsidering her Everton application, Twilight realizes she is happier at Canterlot High and transfers there, where Sunset and the other students welcome her as a new friend.

In a pre-credits scene, the Twilight from Equestria emerges from the portal with the counterparts of her friends gathered around it. She apologizes for her absence, explaining that she has just escaped from a time travel loop, before gawking at the sight of her own counterpart.

Cast
See also: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls § Characters

Production

A forest clearing, used both for the Friendship Is Magic episode "Bloom & Gloom" and for this film, was previewed in a background image shown online back in November 2014.[4]

The third installment was first teased by Rainbow Rocks co-director, Ishi Rudell on December 12, 2014. Brony Donald "Dusty Katt" Rhoades asked wondering about Rudell's silence on Twitter, and Rudell replied that he was "too busy working on #3".[5]

On January 29, 2015, Australian home media distributor Beyond Home Entertainment stated via Facebook that they had obtained distribution rights for seasons 4 and 5 of Friendship Is Magic, in addition to Rainbow Rocks and the "third Equestria Girls [film]".[6] Further confirmation was given during Hasbro's investor presentation at the 2015 New York Toy Fair, along with other products in the Friendship Games lineup.[7][8]

The concept designs for the film's ending credits were done by Katrina Hadley with Chris Lienonin and Jeremy Mah on the layouts.[9]

Music
Main article: List of songs in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic § Friendship Games

Like the previous two installments, the songs were composed by Daniel Ingram with lyric writing shared between Ingram and screenwriter Josh Haber; with the exception of "Friendship Games", "ACADECA" and "Right There in Front of Me" which had lyrics solely by Ingram. Even though it wasn't listed in Discovery Family's televised broadcast of the film's ending credits, "What More Is Out There?" can be heard in the film. Although "Right There in Front of Me" is listed in the credits, it is absent in Discovery Family's broadcast. Song production was done by Caleb Chan with vocal arrangements by Trevor Hoffman.

  • "Friendship Games" – Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and ensemble (voiceover)
  • "CHS Rally Song" – Rainbow Dash and full company
  • "What More Is Out There?" – Twilight Sparkle
  • "ACADECA" (Academic Decathlon) – Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer and full company (voiceover)
  • "Unleash the Magic" – Principal Abacus Cinch, Twilight Sparkle, and the students of Crystal Prep Academy
  • "End Credits Song: Right There in Front of Me" – Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and ensemble (voiceover)

"Right There in Front of Me" plays over the closing credits on the film's DVD and Blu-ray versions.[10] According to Rudell, the song "Dance Magic" is unrelated to the film.[11]

One of the deleted scenes included in the Blu-ray and DVD set is an alternate version of the song "What More Is Out There?", featuring both Crystal Prep's Twilight Sparkle and Canterlot High's Sunset Shimmer.[12] The song was originally intended as a duet for the two characters, but due to time constraints and the removal of a subplot, it was ultimately rewritten as a solo for Twilight.

Release

Theatrical

The film received a theatrical debut exclusively at the Angelika Film Center in New York City on September 17, 2015. William Anderson, Ashleigh Ball, G.M. Berrow, Josh Haber, Daniel Ingram, Brian Lenard, Andrea Libman, Ishi Rudell, Rebecca Shoichet, Tara Strong, and Cathy Weseluck, including Sarah Michelle Gellar from Buffy the Vampire Slayer[13] and comedian Jim Gaffigan,[14] were among those in attendance.[15][16] Also in attendance was The Real Housewives of New York star Kristen Taekman,[17] Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi, America's Got Talent host Nick Cannon, former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber, fashion photographer Nigel Barker, Sons of Anarchy's Drea de Matteo, and fitness guru Tracy Anderson.[18]

Friendship Games had a limited theatrical release in select Vue Cinemas theaters in the United Kingdom between October 24, and November 1, 2015.[19] The film had a limited theatrical release at various Hoyts theaters in Australia between October 31, and November 10, 2015.[20] In México Cinépolis it had a limited theatrical release between October 9 and 18, 2015.

Television

In the United States, the film was premiered on Discovery Family (a joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro) on September 26, 2015. On December 24 (Christmas Eve), 2015, the film made its debut in the United Kingdom on Pop.

Home media and streaming

In the United States and Canada, Shout! Factory released Friendship Games on DVD (Region 1), Blu-ray disc, digital download release,[21] and in a box set alongside its two predecessors on October 13, 2015.[22] DVD and Blu-ray special features consist of four storyboard animatic deleted scenes, audio commentary, sing-alongs, and five animated shorts.[23] Primal Screen released a Region 2 DVD on November 2, 2015, and includes the five animated shorts and a recap of the first two Equestria Girls films.[24]

On November 30, 2015, the My Little Pony Facebook page posted an advertisement promoting that the film will be added to Netflix on December 1, 2015.[25] The version used on Netflix is the same as the one found on the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film with the end credits song, "Right There in Front of Me", playing over the film's end credits.

Merchandise and other media
Main article: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

The film is a part of sport-themed Friendship Games lineup, a third installment in the My Little Pony: Equestria Girls toy line and media franchise, which was first displayed at London's 2015 Toy Fair in January,[26] and mentioned with other supporting products, alongside this film, during Hasbro's investor presentation in February that year.[7] LB Kids published a novelization of the film.

Animated shorts

A series of animated prequel shorts for Friendship Games, similar to those produced for Rainbow Rocks, was announced on February 13, 2015.[27] On July 31, 2015, the My Little Pony Facebook page posted some instructions for playing in the "Friendship Games Fantasy League" and indicated that a new short would be released every Saturday during August 2015.[28] Like the Rainbow Rocks shorts, these are also separate from the film.[29] A total of five shorts were released; the first four of these, paired with a 10-minute preview of the film, aired on Discovery Family on August 29, 2015.[30]

No. Title Directed by Written by Original airdate
1"The Science of Magic"[31]Jayson ThiessenNatasha LevingerAugust 1, 2015 (2015-08-01)
Sunset Shimmer studies her friends' pony hybrid transformations to better understand how magic works in the parallel world.
2"Pinkie Spy"[32]Jayson ThiessenNatasha LevingerAugust 8, 2015 (2015-08-08)
Rainbow Dash tries to spy on Crystal Prep Academy's sports team, but Pinkie Pie ruins her attempts to remain unseen.
3"All's Fair in Love & Friendship Games"[33]Jayson Thiessen—August 15, 2015 (2015-08-15)
Lyra Heartstrings (Ashleigh Ball) and Sweetie Drops (Andrea Libman) compete to earn a spot on the Wondercolts team in the Friendship Games tryouts.
4"Photo Finished"[34]Jayson ThiessenIshi Rudell and Jayson ThiessenAugust 22, 2015 (2015-08-22)
Photo Finish (Tabitha St. Germain) gets carried away when Vice Principal Luna asks her to take pictures for the Canterlot High yearbook.
5"A Banner Day"[35]Jayson Thiessen—August 29, 2015 (2015-08-29)
Flash Sentry, Micro Chips (James Kirk), and Sandalwood (Vincent Tong) have conflicting ideas on their welcome banner for Crystal Prep Academy.

Apart from the shorts above, a Friendship Games "blooper reel" was posted on the official Equestria Girls website on May 3, 2016, containing fictional outtakes of various scenes from the film.[36]

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was released on September 17, 2015 on iTunes[37] and on Amazon.com on September 18, 2015.[38] The first three singles, "Friendship Through the Ages",[39] "My Past is Not Today"[40] and "Life Is a Runway",[41] were first released by Hasbro's YouTube channel on March 31, 2015; later re-uploaded on April 2, 2015.

No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."Friendship Through the Ages"Daniel Ingram, Katrina Hadley, Brian Lenard, Jayson Thiessen, and Michael VogelRebecca Shoichet, Andrea Libman, Kazumi Evans, Ashleigh Ball, and Shannon Chan-Kent2:08
2."My Past Is Not Today"Daniel Ingram, Katrina Hadley, Brian Lenard, Jayson Thiessen, and Michael VogelShoichet2:19
3."Life Is a Runway"Daniel Ingram, Katrina Hadley, Brian Lenard, Jayson Thiessen, and Michael VogelEvans1:58
4."Dance Magic"Daniel IngramShoichet, Ball, Chan-Kent, Libman, and Evans2:04
5."The Friendship Games"Daniel IngramShoichet, Ball, Chan-Kent, Libman, Evans, and choir2:41
6."CHS Rally Song"Josh Haber and Daniel IngramBall, chorus2:30
7."What More Is Out There"Josh Haber and Daniel IngramShoichet2:48
8."ACADECA"Daniel IngramFull company2:42
9."Unleash the Magic"Josh Haber and Daniel IngramIris Quinn, Shoichet, and choir3:09
10."Right There in Front of Me"Daniel IngramShoichet, Ball, Chan-Kent, Evans, and Libman2:59
Total length:25:19

Reception

Television viewership

When the film was premiered on Discovery Family on September 26, 2015, it was viewed by 436,000 viewers. According to the Nielsen ratings, it was watched by approximately 120,000 of adults 18-49.[42]

Critical response

The film received mixed-to-positive reviews by critics. Daniel Alvarez of Unleash the Fanboy gave the film a score of 8 out of 10, calling it "another quality installment in the Equestria Girls series." He praised the film's characters, calling Sunset Shimmer "a great focus", as well as the film's songs and "epic climax." However, he noted that several negatives "hold it back from being near perfect", such as Principal Cinch, whom he called "the worst antagonist."[43] Geekscape's Adam Lemuz praised the film as "a great follow-up to Rainbow Rocks." He further complimented that "fans of the previous films will get a lot of enjoyment out of it as it delivers plenty of solid laughs and noteworthy songs."[44] Ed Liu of Toon Zone called the film "solid addition to the Equestria Girls franchise", but felt it was "overly familiar" and "a little padded" when comparing it to the first film's story. He also praised Sunset Shimmer's development from "a vintage mean girl to a strong, assertive character in her own right", calling her character arc initiated from the first film "a wonderful long-form story".[45] Mike Cahill of The Guardian gave the film two out of five stars, calling it "craven commercialism", but adding that "it's not unattractively designed, and its peppy collegiate spirit trumps the sappiness of Disney's Tinkerbell spin-offs".[46]

Notes
  1. Identified outside the film as "Midnight Sparkle".
  2. Identified outside the film as "Daydream Shimmer".[3]
  3. Erroneously named as "Lemon Tart" in the film's end credits.

References
  1. "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games". Shout! Factory. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  2. Heldman, Breanne (July 22, 2014). "'My Little Pony: Equestria Girls — Legends of Everfree': Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  3. Hadley, Katrina [@isitlunchyet_t] (September 26, 2015). "[Katrina Hadley on Sunset Shimmer's transformation]" (Tweet). Retrieved July 23, 2016 – via Twitter.
  4. Caesar, Phil (November 2014). "Untitled". phils portfolio. Blogger. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  5. Rudell, Ishi (December 12, 2014). "#3 confirmation tweet". Twitter. Retrieved December 12, 2014. (Archived locally)
  6. "Mark Davenport – Have you taken over taken the rights of..." Facebook. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  7. Hasbro (February 13, 2015). "2015 Investor Update at Toy Fair" (PDF). p. 63. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2016.
  8. "Hasbro Annual Investor Meeting at Toy Fair (Transcript)" (PDF). Reuters. February 13, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2016.
  9. Rudell, Ishi [@ishiH3Art] (September 28, 2015). "[Film's ending credits crew confirmation]" (Tweet). Retrieved September 28, 2015 – via Twitter.
  10. Rudell, Ishi [@ishiH3Art] (September 27, 2015). "["Right There in Front of Me" to be heard on the film's DVD and Blu-ray versions confirmation]" (Tweet). Retrieved September 27, 2015 – via Twitter.
  11. Rudell, Ishi [@ishiH3Art] (September 27, 2015). "["Dance Magic" unrelated to "Friendship Games" movie confirmation]" (Tweet). Retrieved September 27, 2015 – via Twitter.
  12. Cups (October 1, 2015). "Friendship Games Deleted Scene – and it's a song!". Equestria Daily. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  13. Haber, Josh [@joshhaber] (September 17, 2015). "[Buffy's Sarah Michelle Gellar at A.F.C.'s "Friendship Games" premiere confirmation]" (Tweet). Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via Twitter.
  14. Haber, Josh [@joshhaber] (September 17, 2015). "[Comedian Jim Gaffigan at A.F.C.'s "Friendship Games" premiere confirmation]" (Tweet). Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via Twitter.
  15. Weseluck, Cathy [@CathyWeseluck] (September 9, 2015). "[Weseluck attending "Friendship Games" premiere at A.F.C. confirmation]" (Tweet). Retrieved September 9, 2015 – via Twitter.
  16. Anderson, William [@Wm_K_Anderson] (September 17, 2015). "[Anderson, Ingram, Shoichet, and Strong also attending A.F.C.'s "Friendship Games" premiere confirmation]" (Tweet). Retrieved September 14, 2015 – via Twitter. |date= mismatches calculated date from |number= by two or more days (help)
  17. Taekman, Kristen [@KristenTaekman] (September 17, 2015). "We had such a great time..." (Tweet). Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via Twitter.
  18. "Stars Come out to Celebrate the Third Installment of My Little Pony Equestria Girls with the "Friendship Games" Premiere from Hasbro Studios" (Press release). New York, NY: Hasbro; Sony Music Entertainment. September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015 – via Market Watch.
  19. "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games". MyVue.com. October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  20. "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games". Hoyts.com.au. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  21. My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games Official Trailer #1 (2015). YouTube. Shout! Factory. July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  22. "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (Three Movie Gift Set)". Amazon.com. July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  23. Milligan, Mercedes (July 9, 2015). "'Equestria Girls: Friendship Games' Set for October". Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  24. "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games [DVD]". Amazon UK. August 19, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  25. My Little Pony Official (Hasbro) (November 30, 2015). "Equestria Girls: Friendship Games Netflix Premiere". Facebook. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  26. idlemichael (January 19, 2015). "Toy Fair 2015 – what did we see? Beware: Potential EG3 Spoilers!". UK of Equestria. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  27. Marimo (February 13, 2015). "Friendship Games Release Date and Shorts Announced". Derpy News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  28. Hasbro (July 31, 2015). "Want to participate in The Friendship Games?". Facebook. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  29. Miller, Jim [@TheBiggestJim] (August 15, 2015). "["Friendship Games" shorts separate from its movie confirmation]" (Tweet). Retrieved August 15, 2015 – via Twitter.
  30. Sneak Peek: My Little Pony Equestria Girls Friendship Games August 29th Promo. YouTube. August 18, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  31. MLP: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games "The Science of Magic" EXCLUSIVE Short. YouTube. August 3, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  32. MLP: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games "Pinkie Spy" EXCLUSIVE Short. YouTube. August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  33. MLP: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games "All's Fair in Love and Friendship Games" EXCLUSIVE Short. YouTube. August 17, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  34. MLP: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games "Photo Finished" EXCLUSIVE Short. YouTube. August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  35. MLP: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games "A Banner Day" EXCLUSIVE Short. YouTube. August 31, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  36. "Equestria Girls Videos | Equestria Girls Song | Equestria Girls Movie". Hasbro. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  37. "My Little Pony Equestria Girls: The Friendship Games". iTunes. Apple Inc. September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  38. "My Little Pony Equestria Girls: The Friendship Games". Amazon.com. September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  39. MLP: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks – "Friendship Through the Ages" Music Video. YouTube. April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  40. MLP: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks – "My Past is Not Today" Music Video. YouTube. April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  41. MLP: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks – "Life is a Runway" Music Video. YouTube. April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  42. Mitch Metcalf (September 29, 2015). "Top 100 Saturday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.26.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  43. Alvarez, Daniel (September 27, 2015). "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Friendship Games Review". Unleash the Fanboy. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  44. Lumez, Adam (September 29, 2015). "Geekscape TV Reviews: 'Equestria Girls: Friendship Games' Spoiler Free". Geekscape. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  45. Liu, Ed (October 15, 2015). "Review: "My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games" Mostly Has Its Game On". Toon Zone. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  46. Cahill, Mike (October 22, 2015). "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games review – rehoofed high jinks". The Guardian. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
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