What is it about royalty weddings that excites so many people? Think back to last summer when the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was all the rage. The media couldn’t give viewers enough information about every element in the ceremony. People woke up in the middle of the night to see live coverage from England. Bookies took bets on the dress designer. Even when Kim Kardashian had her wedding ceremony on E!, the infotainment media compared it to a royal wedding since Kim was allegedly America’s Princess bride. Neither ceremony lived up to the hype. Thankfully there’s finally a ceremony worthy of an aristocratic attitude with My Little Pony Friend: Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding.
The revamped My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic series has attract a larger crowd than elementary school kids. Lauren Faust had worked on both Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends before revamping the animated show that was a toy catalog. She wanted to add depth to the pony characters and their situations. Her plan has proven to be a major success. College kids have embraced the series without it merely being a nostalgia trip. Brony Culture has sprung up across the nation. Even though Faust stepped away after the first season, the series maintained her core directions. The show has become a major hit on The Hub, a channel run by toymaker Hasbro. The two-part “A Canterlot Wedding” had over a million viewers which is astounding for the channel.
“A Canterlot Wedding” reminds viewers of the bumpy aspects of the happiest day in a couple’s life. Shining Armor is going to marry Princess Cadance in the biggest event in the land. Shinging Armor’s sister Twinkle Sparkle is ticked off that she has to learn about the ceremony with everyone else. She thought they were tight. Things get worse when her meeting with the Princess is extremely cold. Twinkle swears this royal horse is a royal fraud. Nobody wants to believe her especially her brother. As things develop, this wedding is much more exciting than most soap opera weddings. This is the reason why older viewers are attracted to what should just be a kiddie show.
Also on the DVD are three episodes dealing with love, society and equines. “The Best Night Ever” invites the ponies to an upper crust bash that’s above their social graces. “Sweet and Elite” takes the unicorn out of Ponyville, but can’t get Ponyville out of the unicorn. “Hearts and Hooves Day” is a four legged version of Valentine’s Day. The trio of extra episodes blends well with the Royal wedding event. While it’s easy to mock the Brony culture, the show itself is a step above its original cartoon series. You should click play on the remote with your pinky sticking out to feel a royal flourish.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfer brings out the colorful designs used on the animated horses. The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0. The levels are proper for the music and the clopping of hooves.
Extras include two Sing-Alongs to let kids join in on “Love is in Bloom” and “Valentine’s Day Song.” The lyrics appear on the screen so you can keep up with the ponies. And Coloring Sheet are PDFs ready to be printed out.
My Little Pony Friend: Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding is the ceremony of the season. Little horses, royalty and intrigue sits well with a slice of cake.
Shout! Factory presents My Little Pony Friend: Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding. Starring: Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball and Tabitha St. Germain. Boxset Contents: 5 episodes on 1 DVD. Released: August 7, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
