’My Little Pony’ leaps to the big screen

A dark force threatens Ponyville, and The Mane 6 — Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong), Applejack (Ashleigh Ball), Rainbow Dash (Michelle Creber), Pinkie Pie (Nicole Oliver), Fluttershy (Andrea Libman), and Rarity (Tabitha St. Germain) — embark on an unforgettable journey beyond Equestria where they meet new friends and exciting challenges on a quest to use the magic of friendship to save their home.

Few animated characters inspire the love and loyalty of the colorful characters from “My Little Pony,” fearless foals who make a 21st-century leap to the big screen in “My Little Pony: The Movie.”

In this first full-length theatrical feature, all the Earth ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns and other magical creatures of Equestria branch out into new colorful worlds, confront a new antagonist, and find new pals. Joining The Mane 6 that fans love from the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic television program are new characters, including Tempest Shadow (Emily Blunt), a conflicted and devious pony unsure of her place in Equestria; Grubber (Michael Peña), Tempest’s wise-cracking hedgehog soldier with an endless appetite for tasty treats; Princess Skystar (Kristin Chenoweth, a royal and excitable pony longing for adventure; Queen Novo (Uzo Aduba), Skystar’s protective mom, who has to learn to loosen the reins on her daughter; Captain Celaeno (Zoe Saldana), a danger-courting cockatoo and leader of a ragtag gang of adventurers; the rogue-ish and charming Capper (Taye Diggs), a street cat who knows all the angles; and The Storm King (Liev Schreiber), a mysterious, and possibly dangerous, wizard whose evil plan involves purloining some pony magic.

There are quite a few themes going on in the film. One of the main ones is about reliance, how a character’s decisions are not based on. You’re the sum of the friends you choose to keep, as well as all the strength that comes from that. During this adventure, Twilight has a lot of weight on her shoulders. So there are things there that adults can relate to in there. Normally, Twilight has a lot to worry about, and now she’s been tasked with saving Equestria in a way she never had to before. It’s one of those times in life when you either turn to your friends for help, or wrongly think you have to shoulder the burden all by yourself.

Since the early 1980’s, the ‘My Little Pony Franchise’, based on Hasbro’s incredibly popular toy line, has been matching children’s imaginations with the colorful and courageous equine inhabitants of a magical and sprawling pony world known as Equestria. As several incarnations of ‘The My Little Pony Universe’ galloped up to the 2010 premiere of the immensely successful ‘My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic’ television series created by Lauren Faust, the Ponies gathered whole new generations of young fans. But for their leap to the big screen, the look and feel of the ‘My Little Pony’ world is gently adjusted.

Some of the visual flourishes are quieter, but nonetheless crucial: The character’s horns are narrower, their ears more pointed, and their eyes now have sparkles and transparent highlights. The movie adds a lot more subtlety; much fuller animation. And that’s part of the personality; really getting into the character’s little quirks. Whenever you go from TV to film, the animation has to up it’s game. The show famously has wonderful colors and scenery. This movie is even bigger and better, and more colorful and polished.