MLP G5: What Went Wrong

[@kuro_neko5863]

A show will live or die by their showrunner. Lauren Faust was exactly what MLP needed. And even though she left after season two, she'd built a strong base and a strong team to continue on. G5 doesn't have that and it's killing it.

[@somerandomdude7785]

Why not have Meghan McCarthy direct G5 again? She'll save the show.

[@Heavilune]

@@somerandomdude7785 YeS! She would be the shows save and grace!

[@inevitableanarchy4203]

Agree. G4 had a good showrunner and it grew and developed naturally, with the goal of providing good stories and characters. G5 felt artificially hyped with its only goal to be as marketable as G4, with none of the natural growth or development put into it.

[@Corrector1]

Disagree. The show developed a ton of problems after she left. Inconsistent characterization, failing to properly expand on the lore, poorly handled aesops, bad redemptions and nonsensical plot developments that show the new people weren't putting near as much thought into the show as her and her original team did. G5 is just continuing to remove the things that Lauren Faust did to make the franchise a wider success.

[@kuro_neko5863]

@@Corrector1 I don't know if I'd be that harsh, but I more or less agree. There was a drop in quality after Faust left. How much of that was McCarthy and how much much was executive meddling we'll never know. Though McCarthy was brought in to replace Faust specifically because Faust wouldn't bow to executive meddling and McCarthy would. That said, Faust isn't coming back. Hasbro wouldn't go for it even if she would. So McCarthy might be the best we could hope for. But we're not likely to get her back either. If that was on the table she'd already be onboard. The Hasbro execs aren't going to understand what's going wrong. They never understood why G4 was popular. I greatly fear the franchise is dead again for a few decades. Until Hasbro gets desperate enough for that lost merchandising revenue that they'll take a gamble on another passionate person with some (to them) crazy ideas.

[@noobartist6009]

My theory is that Hasbro wants to get rid of the adult fanbase they amassed and delibrately sanitised the writing and style.

[@Subject_Keter]

"WE ARE MAKING TOOOOOO MUCH MONEY! QUICKLY EJECT IT ALL OUT!" - Basically

[@sweetdreams1028]

Or much like The Owl House got cut short for not fitting the “Disney brand”. That was a special cartoon that appealed more to teens and adults, so one dude decided to roost the show. Same thing must’ve happened to MLP. This is why people keep making the “It’s just a kids show/movie.” Comment. Because companies can’t stop treating animation like a genre instead of a medium of expression, entertainment, and art.

[@hexbug101]

Based

[@Therealsheinheadmanager]

@@sweetdreams1028 it is a genre and an art form but if its for kids parents don't want them to be watching something associated with adults who are in love with childish things its creepy

[@gadaboutgriffon4446]

Instead of a sequel to G4 I think everyone would have wanted a prequel focusing on the time the tribes were divided or early in celestial, and luna’s lives and their adventures.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

That would have been awesome!

[@gadaboutgriffon4446]

@@DanknDerpyGamer imagine if you will, the main characters are Clover the clever, private pansy and smart cookie, trying to convince other from their tribes that thy can be friends with the other tribes. Most are on the fence but some (three one from each tribe stigian being open to the idea but not yet on board because of an old grudge with clover) join them. Then in the next season the sirens show up and stigian gathers the pillars together. Then clover compares notes with starswirl and begin coming up with a theory that magic combined from all three tribes has a multiplication effect. They start to spread that unity of the tribes is best. But clover’s presence in a way makes stigian withdraw from the group.

[@w1mpyyyyy]

Or they could’ve made a small series or movie about it

[@w1mpyyyyy]

@arianna1906 I agree

[@SofiesPalace]

Or how Celestia and Luna earned their wings/ became the rulers of equestrian, adventures of Starswirl and the pillars, etc

[@funnatopia704]

The problem with G5, simplified: G4: grandma making the perfect cake. G5: grandson that doesn't know how to bake trying to follow her recipe.

[@Gnarrkhaz]

I doubt that grandson has met his grandmother even once.

[@Realwenda333]

1:10 what oyster is it?!?!?!

[@Realwenda333]

can.i see?! can.i see?!

[@Realwenda333]

@@Gnarrkhaz is a bully!

[@Realwenda333]

Feel free to send me a mail or later to the meeting or if something changes, I’m there.

[@ManaAdvent]

Yeah, the biggest problems with G5 are that it should've been it's own thing and not a sequel to G4, causing lore/world building continuity errors in the process. Also, there is too much disconnect and inconsistency in general with the different VAs to the varying animation quality and styles from the big budgeted 2021 movie to the 2D YT shorts to the downgraded 3D of MYM to even the comic style. Not to mention the characterizations being all over the place with Izzy turning into a Pinkie clone and mediocre writing. Even from the beginning it feels like Hasbro has been playing it safe with this gen by going the CGI route which I didn't really like including the designs, still preferring G4's styles. G5 is just very underwhelming to me and the new characters aren't interesting to me either and as said, it's going backwards instead of forwards.

[@Heavilune]

I wholeheartedly agree

[@Corrector1]

It really does feel like Hasbro decided to play things safe at some point. It also feels like they're cheaping out on various parts of the generation, with the animation in the movie being the only thing that really feels high budget. Strangely, leaked documents show that they were originally intending to target a slightly older audience and focus more on lore and long term storytelling. I wonder why that changed.

[@jacobpearce3118]

exactly G5 honestly should've been its own thing. I swear it really feels like they're trying to rope old bronies of the show in. And what really showed that they were still linking onto G4 was when Discord returned in this generation -_-

[@Subject_Keter]

@@jacobpearce3118 I wouldnt "mind" that but it so cheap! It a double dip!

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@jacobpearce3118 It should have been it’s own thing or they should have just continued G4. I know G4 had its ending and the comics. But it would have been nice to get more stories for background ponies and non ponies.

[@Funny_in_blue]

I was so hyped for G5. I waited years for it to come and loved all the concept art. Buuut I was left dissapointed. How could they just completely erase everything Twilight and her friends achieved in uniting not just the different kinds of ponies but creatures as well? I saw one piece of concept art that had all the original Main 6 characters looking like vikings or ancient Greek citizens. That would have been so cool to see! There was a lot of potential and yet we get hot garbage :/ I didn't hate the movie, it was cute and I enjoyed watching it. Series is meh. Overall it is nothing compared to G4.

[@Subject_Keter]

Do you happen to know a video that showed that viking mane 6 art? I would love to see it.

[@Corrector1]

@@Subject_Keter I don't know about the Mane Six, but I do know of one piece of concept art that shows that the earth ponies were originally designed with a celtic/nordic aesthetic. i.redd.it/ncg5dew0urk81.jpg

[@Subject_Keter]

@@Corrector1 I still would of liked the ponies on Different Planets.

[@VioletNKisHere]

@@Subject_Keter that would be cool.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

I was actually fine and dandy with the turn the story took when the second comic was release. It explained things pretty cleverly, which I didn't expect. Personally I love the idea of a post-apocalyptic MLP. But it didn't dig into that enough. From what I could tell it went back to fluffy tales from Maretime Bay.

[@rosepeltanimations]

The G5 Dragon looks like something straight out of cocomelon

[@benjaminbarriga7821]

Yeah the dragon looks ugly I don't like it (no offense).

[@Carlie-df6xr]

I don’t like the G5 dragons, they look more like ponies than dragons bruh😭😭😭

[@WerehogFan18]

MLP G5 had a lot of great potential, only to fall backward on itself. Instead of being its' own thing, they rely on referencing G4 because it's so popular. G5 doesn't know what it wants to be; it basically devolved to G3 with the story and characters.

[@bethanyemma6488]

This is a really unpopular opinion but I honestly love how they're relating this to G4. I had such a connection to G4 that when it ended it was really hard on me, so it was really bittersweet to see G5 trying to tie G4 into their new series and stuff.

[@halllloooooooooo356]

@@bethanyemma6488 I don't HATE the idea, what I hate is the execution.

[@Eri__draws_123]

​@@halllloooooooooo356Fr like what happened to everything the mane six achieved, like it went from a happy harmonious land then devolved back to before Celestia was ruler, but put it in the future. And what happened to Twilight? She was the ruler-did she die or something and Equestria just became madness.

[@kitkatyas]

G5 creeps me out a bit

[@bluestudios4734]

So are you saying that you don’t like G5?

[@anika_diaryシ]

I feel the same way too lol 😂

[@Walter_Wide.]

​​@@bluestudios4734 who does? "Oh but we have new graphics and 3D" only argument, all g5 characters look the same, and they use lame names. And it over all feels more modern than 4g with its cities and tools. Me personaly i liked the more vintage like style with castles and houses with hay as roof, now mlp looks just like an average disney movie, but worse

[@moonrabbit9621]

agreed, i love all incarnations of MLP (even the weird looking g1 toys), but the 3D just looks...wrong.

[@kitkatyas]

@@Walter_Wide. the same face thing actually drives me insane

[@Wissle]

My one deal-breaking problem with g5 is that setting. They really went ahead and killed everyone from g4 to use "the same" world. The way to make me like something is not killing what I love and building something new on the grave.

[@Wissle]

@arianna Seems plausible

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

I actually would have loved a post-apocalyptic G5 centered around picking up the pieces and unraveling happened to G4. I was really excited after the comic where Discord returned, but then things stared to suck again.

[@OkamiGirl64]

I couldn’t agree more. G5 is doomed to live in the shadows of G4. Perhaps that is what Hasbro wants in a way. It’s clear from their marketing they are targeting moms and very young children much like they did over a decade ago. Ultimately that’s fine; if that is the direction Hasbro wants to go in (likely for financial reasons) then they have every right to do so. What bothers me is they still don’t want to loose the G4 fans they have, so they give us glimpses of what could have been (for example making G5 connected to G4) without fully delivering (and yes I’m aware there’s more backstory in the comics, but again that is ultimately done for G4 super fans and I think that level of depth should be seen in the actual show). It’s a marketing decision, and one I wish was actually utilized to its fullest potential. G5 is ultimately a step backwards from G4 and is no different to other generic “girl” cartoons available. In 2022 both adults and children want more from media (Bluey is a prime example of this success) and G5 in terms of characters and story telling seems to have come out of the mid 2000s. I did enjoy the movie, but everything since to me has been a disappointment. I hope things pick up with the series, however I am not optimistic.

[@Corrector1]

So far, the connection to G4 feels like it only exists to try to keep the bronies around, not out of any desire to actually expand on the setting. I understand if children are their primary target, but G4 showed that "My Little Pony" _can_ appeal to people outside of the target demographic, so I don't see any reason to not try to create something genuinely good.

[@aquaponieee]

i think the people at hasbro actually see the brony fanbase as a negative thing maybe

[@Beautylifestyle222]

I want a luster dawn toy

[@anthonyrausch5708]

The biggest problem with “G5”: 1: IT TAKES PLACE IN A FUTURE EQUESTRIA THAT NO-PONY ASKED FOR 2: IT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

[@D2jess]

That is so true 😮😮

[@theyellowshoe]

At first I thought it would go the "history" route. Sunny's father has these artifacts from the distant past (G4), I thought it picked that road. I think that's a cool idea, as the main 5 are looking for & finding items from the past, connecting G4 to G5. As a big fan of G4 I have questions, the main one, "what happened"? G4 ended perfectly!

[@Huk256]

Yeah, sadly, I have to agree. Continuity stuff aside... To me, it seems G5 lacks someone who would simply... care about both quality and any sort of 'lore.' Lauren cared, and so did Meghan and most of the stuff running G4 after Lauren left. G5 looks like it lacks such a person. Aside from the movie, everything seems to be mashed together following a pattern 'throw in some jokes, add some ponies arguing, and resolve everything with a hug, gag, or a song.' Zipp seems to be the only character the staff cares about. The rest of the crew are getting almost zero character development, as if the writers forgot about them. This doesn't bode well... All we can do is wait and hope it will improve when 'Make Your Mark' hits the stream.

[@somerandomdude7785]

For the first time ever, MLP will have crude jokes, a conflict involving arguments escalating into violence which is resolved with said violence & Sunny becoming a prideful mare.

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@somerandomdude7785 Sounds like G4 2017 movie when you describe it like that lol.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@somerandomdude7785 Did you ever watch the first season? Literally boast buster has all of that.

[@x-itsamystery-x1132]

Sadly, it did not get any better

[@archerinspace]

What I'm worried about with G5 is that its had some horrible executive meddling or its been rushed. Maybe both. The signs of it are clear since it's been shown that there were a ton of ideas that just never got implemented into the movie or special, and even the shorts suffer from showcasing any major lore building. Only the comics for some reason seem to have this, but it might be due to a different person heading the project. As for the animated content, it also bothers me they dont explain any of the magic outside of 'it's your sparkle' or some cutesy mushy nonsense. Why do all earth ponies have cutie marks then if they can all do the same thing? shouldnt one's magic come from their spark of specific talent? It overall truly is trying to be g4 without realizing what made g4 actually good, and is more distracted with that than actually making their story and world make sense. I'd love to see what they can do with what's been established and also address where their main movie villains even went.

[@Corrector1]

Some of the cut stuff sounded more interesting than what they ended up going with, such as the setting taking place on a world tree or earth ponies have a Celtic/Nordic theme. Instead, they went with phones. It really does feel like they decided to play it safe at some point, and the generation is relying on shallow attempts to be "hip" rather than attracting fans with creative and thoughtful writing. All of the discrepancies between generations and seeming lack of interest in explaining why things are different mean that it's very likely that it's a sequel just to try to keep Generation 4 fans around rather than out of any desire to properly follow up on Friendship is Magic. The directors seemed to have an attitude of "We want it to be connected to G4, but we don't want to acknowledge G4 in any meaningful way." I don't know about rushed, but it feels like Hasbro isn't shelling out much money for this generation. The movie's directors generally didn't have impressive resumes and were mostly made up of guys, Tell Your Tale has a very cheap look, most of the new voice actors only have a few roles to their names and the studio doing Make Your Mark is a newer one, and I hear that the special had a lot of animation problems. It feels like most of the effort was put into the movie and they were relying on a good first impression to keep people invested long term instead of overall quality.

[@princesspikachu3915]

I think part of the problem is that the series was and movie were being developed right around the time that Covid-19 was disrupting everything. The creative team probably weren’t able to juggle good ideas with each other in person like with G4. I’m guessing that it’s the same reason that Disney’s Raya movie was also botched. And I’m guessing some ideas might have been taken since both G5 and the Disney film had similar plot. That said I do like G5 more than Raya but they both had pretty much the same plot. Shame because I think that if they were able to work on G5 in person instead of having to work from home, we may have gotten a worthy successor instead of an awkward attempt to tell a story that already was told by a different movie that same year.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@princesspikachu3915 IDK about that, after Season 2 some say, the Gen 4 writers could not be constient and basically crashed alot. I thinl Gen 5 was always going to suck as it would be a complete change up while leeching off Gen 4. Imo the only thing you can prove thay got screwed over by Covid (imo) is Xmen's Reign of X they had some of the most boring stuff i seen cause they had supply issues hinder them.

[@Revkor]

my bet that g5 was supposed to be a full reboot with no connection to G4 but Hasbro decreed it should and sadly tyhe new tema lacks the talent to make that work

[@AlwazACaliGirl]

I really is amazing how a series so rich with lore, characters, and overall expectation on how the world works could turn into such a dry sequel. It really does feel like no effort is being put into this series and it feels like the original creative team isn't involved either. This series is going to crash as hard as the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

[@trentpenner429]

Crash as hard as Cats: The Movie (When the theaters were empty before Covid)

[@somerandomdude7785]

@@trentpenner429 You probably didn't know what MLP & Star Wars have in common: Bad next generation stories that gradually worsens as it progress. Cats doesn't have any of that.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@somerandomdude7785 And people who couldnt figure out why people beloved it and probably couldnt make a good anything without latching onto something like a crab.

[@arosegaming4793]

I would have been okay with G5 being a 'sequel' if they a) included aspects of the old series, like windegoes, b) had made Twilight and her friends a TV show theorizing about the past- showing some clear differences from what we know so we would know that what they understood of their history must be false or c) Had crazy friendship pairings to start the series, say a town of yaks and earth ponies that got along, or dragons living near unicorns because they both had an appreciation for all things shiny, give the series some intrigue. If we were exploring how we got from point a to point b at all, in any capacity, I would have been happier with it. Instead, we're left both disappointed and wondering

[@mariahs6]

So far, I like G5. It definitely needs more time finding its ground in terms of storytelling [and pacing in certain Tell Your Tale episodes] but I have hope considering the new villainess we see at the end of the Make Your Mark Special. The movie's art style is gorgeous and I've come to like Tell Your Tale's. It works very well for the format! My main gripe has to be that Hasbro decided that there was so much development in G4 that they didn't want to use a completely new world in G5 but we haven't gotten much worldbuilding on how these other places came to be. I thought for sure Zephyr Heights was Canterlot, but then along came the comics to denounce that theory.

[@marybdrake1472]

I have to take a bit of an issue with how My Little Pony and Friends has been described. Growing up with it I watched as not one tea party ever occurred, not once. Both Tirac (Tirek) and Lavan died. The witches from the volcano of gloom were soundly defeated, twice. Squirk and and Krank were, well, flushed for the lack of any better words. Seriously, they were caught in a nest and sucked won a whirlpool. Give me a better description if you can. I'd honestly like to hear it. The Raptorians were vitrified, turned into glass in other words. Porcina, who had been manipulated by the Raptorians was turned from her harmful path, but she was never in charge to begin with. In Escape from Catrina, Catrina was confronted with the choice between her life and well being. Or her addiction, she chose the former. To characterize this first series as something that was vapid and giggly is a supermassive mistake. It was very hard hitting at times, albeit in a rather rushed fashion. And didn't really pull any punches when you get down to it. The biggest problems it had were pacing and execution. Even then I was aware of that, and re-watching it again on DVD only drives that point home all the more. After seeing the New Generation movie I had suspected that the following series would never hit the middling heights of said movie, and so far, it's looking like that will be the case. So yeah, that is where we stand in regards to the latest version. Lastly, Rescue at Midnight Castle aired in 1984, so we're two years out of that 40 year marker still.

[@PlanetZoidstar]

I guarantee 99% of G1 critics never watched the show, they likely saw the intro or heard a parody of the commercial jingle and drew their conclusions from that.

[@marybdrake1472]

@@PlanetZoidstar Probably, yeah. I do have to criticize this channel holder too. She presented that moment with Baby Shady completely out of context. I mean no slight against her, but that filly was crying because she had been fished out of a life an death situation in which she nearly drowned. Mortal danger was somewhat common during this show, and age wasn't an exemption from facing it. I do agree that this new series is in an unenviable spot though. The creators would have been better off just making an unrelated show instead of a follow up.

[@princesspikachu3915]

I have watched some of G1. I cannot stand how Shady is treated in the movie. Or how Spike is treated by Baby Lickety-Split. I found myself rooting for the witch sisters and the mother. Yeah it gets dark at times but it’s the writing that’s awful. And the ponies are often awful to each other. And the humans are not written well at all.

[@VioletNKisHere]

@@princesspikachu3915 agree, G1 is great with villains and terrible with heroes. They are all so boring and bland,

[@VioletNKisHere]

I agree. The characters are kinda underdeveloped. Some show unique traits like Wind Whistler but it has many of the same problems merchandise driven shows of the era have.

[@m_a_d_c_a_t_s9020]

I always loved this quote: "It is strange how, just as soon as an article becomes successful, somebody starts to think that it would be even more successful if only it were different. There is a tendency to keep monkeying with styles and to spoil a good thing by changing it." Henry Ford - My Life and Work Here is a portion of a press release by Hasbro: After a decade of heart-warming friendships, daring adventures, and endless laughs, the beloved pony world of Equestria is expanding to introduce a new generation of ponies to a new generation of fans. With even more humor, heart, and adventure, audiences will be swept away to a contemporary and immersive pony universe brought to life like we’ve never seen it before. It really seems like Hasbro has fallen into the trap Ford describes. Hasbo's attempts to introduce "a new generation of ponies to a new generation of fans" has left their existing fandom finding little in common between G4 and G5 (different characters, different settings, different animation style, etc.). Pretty much everything that made G4 special to its fans has been purged in G5. I believe the 3d style was the "contemporary universe" stated above and planned panacea for G5. The 3d style has instead turned into a liability (expensive, quality issues, and restrictions not found in 2d). Oddly, a very similar issue occurred when Turner tried to make a sequel to Jonny Quest. The sequel called "Real Adventures of Jonny Quest" had a massive advertising campaign and also relied (in part) on computerized 3d animation called Questworld. It lasted two seasons and was a failure due to the numerous changes (characters were older - this ruined Jonny's pup Bandit, violence turned down, an emphasis on Jonny rather than his father, etc.). Remember that saying - those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it? I think it is going to happen with MLP G5. If Hasbro felt G4 was getting a bit "stale", and wanted to use the same world, then promoting the fillies from G4 to the main cast and keeping the same style would have been the best approach. You see this a bit in anime. This gives your existing fanbase something to latch on to. It also allows you to keep all the unique places you have developed in Equestria (Canterlot, Carousel Boutique, etc.) rather than building anew which has left G5 looking pretty mundane.

[@inevitableanarchy4203]

The decision to go full-3d animation definitely turned liability. Especially considering they launched the movie first. The movie was beautifully animated, but that only sets exceptions ever higher for the upcoming series. Which judging from the quality of Make Your Mark, are very unlikely to be met.

[@Corrector1]

@@inevitableanarchy4203 That is a potential issue I've considered. When you release a movie during a show, the improved animation feels like a treat. When you release the movie first, it's hard to forget your first impressions.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@Corrector1 Especially as they seemingly paided no expense for the Movie and seem to be scrambling to glue Sunny mane onto her model properly.

[@princesspikachu3915]

Ouch. I actually liked the late 1990’s Johnny Quest sequel reboot. I didn’t even try to watch the original until a few years ago (2011) and I did NOT enjoy the original 60’s cartoon. Too boring and slow paced. I much prefer the reboot that I grew up with watching on Toonami back in the day.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@princesspikachu3915 I like the old one better, was from a different era and i liked it.

[@Aelvir114]

What’s even worse is that the plot for G5 goes FAR beyond the oversimplification of Twilight and her friends. They’ve established that it’s set 1,000 years after FiM and SOMEHOW Twilight is dead from old age, despite being an Alicorn like Celestia and Luna (who were well over 1,000 years-old at the start of FiM, with Celestia’s aging compared to 1,000 prior in a later flashback where she vanished Luna to the moon for a millennium is basically no aging, so Alicorns are either immortal or survive thousands of years). Not only that, they clearly didn’t care about carrying on the appeal of FiM as they clearly wrote the store to not feature any prior characters outside of pointless cameos and references that mean nothing, change the artstyle from what I can only describe as what a fantasy world in a little girl’s imagination, complimented by German expressionism elements and blatant surrealism, is abandoned for a hyperrealistic art direction with architecture and buildings looking akin to the late 20th century at the least, uninspired designs, and (in the case of the KZbin shorts and the Netflix show, mostly the former) complete abandonment in of the unique and creative facial expressions FiM was known for. What SHOULD have been done was set it a couple or few decades later that way it can focus on not just the movie’s new cast of characters but also the fillies of Gen 4 (especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders) as adults as secondary characters. But nah, just kill them off i guess Hasbro. In the wise words of AVGN: WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!

[@NightCloudI]

Maybe Twilight is dead because she only became an alicorn she wasn't from any special alicorn civilization like possibly Luna and Celestia were. Or maybe It's just the fact that they promised Twilight won't outlive her friends.

[@EinerHaar14]

​@@NightCloudI and cadence?

[@NightCloudI]

@@EinerHaar14 Cadence also wasn't originaly an alicorn, but a regular pegasus pony, so probably same as Twilight.

[@KiraTheFox]

Twilight died cause she sacrificed herself and put her magic into the 3 gems I agree aswell this could have been way better if they planned it out better

[@Aelvir114]

@@KiraTheFox That’s not how she died. We know she made the three crystals but those didn’t cost her her life. If it did it would be pure speculation. Her cause of death is NEVER stated

[@shadowhound5113]

The biggest problem with gen 5 is that it was connected to gen 4. It was never allowed to stand on its own. Only being on Netflix was a big mistake.

[@anthonyrausch5708]

5:47 - At this point;”HASBRO NEEDS TO GO LITERALLY BELLY UP” they are just making “VERY STUPID BUSINESS RIGHT NOW”!!!!

[@99ZondaS]

The fact that the deleted scenes/art and the comics seem to show better world building than what we're actually getting makes me think Hasbro is interfering way too much with the creative process.

[@jacobc8036]

A company messing with the creatives and in so doing skiing their cash cow?! NO that's impossible!/s

[@dougsfilmtv9810]

I will agree with your point on this. I really like Friendship is Magic and there was something special about that show because some of the MLP staff that worked on that show are Doctor Who fans, Beatles fans, Star Wars Fans, etc. That show had pop cultural references which I like, and their writing was really good and there are good stories I do like from Friendship is Magic. If they are going to do a Make your Mark TV series, why not explore the old places in the Make your Mark series like Canterlot, Ponyville, Cloudsdale, Manehatten and The Crystal Empire? I think you are spot on about the writing and I think that is why I think the Make your Mark special was a weak special and If I was the showrunner, I would make sure to make good stories like what G4 did.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Seeing what became of places like Saddle Arabia and Filliedelphia too heh ... god, the location names and horse wordplay... 😂🤣

[@maxstroberger5404]

Honestly Cleo G4 could have kept going via spin off series like friendship school tales or the power ponies and the G5 could have been its own thing not in the same world but I would really like to know how they would start all over again from scratch?

[@disneyvillainsfan1666]

What makes me sad is that I really LOVED The 2021 movie. The main characters were great on their own, and while the story was not perfect, it felt like it would be a promising New Generation of Ponies. Unfortunately, The rest of Gen 5 was such a giant mess, that I wasn't exactly a fan for long. I was not expecting these g5 shows to be as Phenomenal as FIM, but they felt like a large downgrade from what I loved about MLP.

[@SofiesPalace]

If it really wanted to be connected to g4 then the show could’ve been an actual show in that world, solving the continuity errors, like an old tv show from Sunny’s dad’s time that Sunny could’ve been inspired by and they could’ve found out that Twilight and her friends were real ponies that were turned into a tv show to inspire people by the 2 girls who were inspired by the friendship journal or someone else.

[@millabasset1710]

I said it years ago, you simply could have given G4 characters their own mini series after G4 ended. The characters to work with Sunset Shimmer Starlight Glimmer Trixie Vinyl Spike The Dazzlings That's just several with a lot of potential. You don't even need to keep the flash medium, you can animate them however you want. I'm not gonna lie, I would love to see Sunset Shimmer in that G5 movie rendering.

[@Subject_Keter]

I would love to see Trixie do a full on Magic Show

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Part of me would have loved to see them continue something like G4, but with the buildup of events that lead to the problems that sparked the state of Equestria in G5 (as opposed to just jumping to G5 from G4, then filling in the blanks backwards - which I still would like to see, don't get me wrong0.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@DanknDerpyGamer That pretty much one of the big issues, you cant just tease us with that and go "that a story for a later time" the time is now to ease the connection. Not to fumble and dance around it.

[@Skaz32225]

That would have been an awesome mini series. If you add Princess Luna and Tempest Shadow to it, you'll get a real reformed ponies crew. And to see Sunset Shimmer finally live up to her magical talents would be fantastic.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

@@Subject_Keter Watching season 8 again, I also am finding myself REALLY wishing they did a spinoff with the students at Twilight's school of friendship - SO MUCH potential STILL exists in the G4 world for unique and fun things... ahhhh!

[@inevitableanarchy4203]

G4 grew in popularity because it appealed to people naturally, thru good direction, writing, characters, animation, etc. Faust knew what she wanted the show to be and was able to lay the foundation for MLP:FIM to be successful. And it grew and developed by itself, throwing acknowledgement to its previous generations, but not relying on its connection to them as a reason to exist. G4 was its own thing. G5 feels artificially hyped. It wasn't created with the goal of being its own thing, it didn't develop naturally. It was created to try and ride the success of G4 with (aside of the movie animation) as little effort as possible. Story-wise, in making it a direct sequel to G4 rather than its own thing, its now stuck. Basically establishing that everything G4 ever did was pointless, erasing all the work Twilight had done for Equestria and wiping everything away. The new comic that came out recently only drags G4 thru the mud even more, for the sake of G5. I like [the idea of] G5, I like the movie and the characters. But it really feels that (unlike g4) it has no goal in-mind. Its just exists because G4 was popular. Make Your Mark and the youtube mini-series definitely give the impression they dont know what direction they are going in. Imagine if G4 started back in 2010 with the RainbowRoadtrip movie and the Ponylife youtube series instead. Might have affected G4's success. Losing some your main voice actors before the series even begins is also a real show of confidence. To sum up, G5 isn't itself bad, but it was handled poorly. Honestly, if they had just cut ties to G4 and let G5 be its own thing, with a goal in-mind, it could have done alot better.

[@Subject_Keter]

"But you should give it a chance!" It literally making people who would throw money at them fall on the floor and be annoyed to death. And why must you put that thought in my head "Gen 4 started with Rainbow Roadtrip" oh god oh no

[@HerrWayne45]

I have to say I agree with you. the best thing from it is the fan art though.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@HerrWayne45 I swear the community could make a bettwr Gen 5, also Sunny looks cute in her fanart.

[@HerrWayne45]

@@Subject_Keter if the community were able to consolidate and were to agree on a direction in which to take on G5 and then not succumb to infighting, then yeah I'd agree. Me personally I think izzy looks the cutest but right now in most of the series besides MYM zipp so far has the strongest characterization. Thats not to say sunny isn't a cute tho she totally is cute.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@HerrWayne45 like this is s o o bad My brain is thinking of a way to put Gen 5 aspects in a story I want to write and the Main Pony wizard basically lets a evil Twilight see a bad outcome of the story conflict and Twilight is horrorified by it. Or she accidently creates Maretime bay during Season 4 and it plays around with ideas and narratives.

[@TheSimba86]

I liked the G5 movie but so far everything after that has been pretty lackluster

[@yondaime500]

6:55 If you're seriously considering applying to work on MLP, take a look at Jim Miller's interview to Equestria Daily to know what you're getting into. It's not just one person or team making the creative decisions, it's a lot of back and forth between Hasbro's marketing, the writing staff in the USA and the animation studio in Canada, to juggle all the different interests and constraints. Lauren Faust left because she didn't want to deal with that. To give you an idea of Hasbro's level of micromanagement, here are some examples of things they specifically requested (other than the obvious stuff everyone knows about, like the pink princesses): - Vinyl Scratch being mute - Vinyl and Octavia being roommates - The Power Ponies - Rainbow Dash and Applejack being together in the end So you have to navigate that sort of stuff and try to tell a coherent story. It can be an interesting creative challenge, but it's not for everyone.

[@Subject_Keter]

Wonder why they wanted Vinyl to be mute? But isnt the sign of a great person to handle all that AND push through to make good stuff? I get it annoying but that life aint it.

[@somerandomdude7785]

Have Make Your Mark written & animated by Frenchies instead.

[@LukiKruki]

@@Subject_Keter It's diversity move for Public Relations boost. It's nothing abnormal in these days.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

What drew me into MLP with G4 was that it was so unlike G3 and ... G3.5 ... **shudders uncomfortably** - it wasn't this uber girly fru fru thing, or didn't feel like that - unlike G3, it had characters anyone could enjoy (who worked together really well), whose experiences were relatable, a variety of stories anyone could find enjoyable, worldbuilding, character development, GREAT use of humor (with good timing ... usually - not always, but a lot of the time), episodes with a lot of heart, and a sprinkle here and there of adventure... oh, and continuity actually being somewhat maintained well... oh, and really catchy songs - one thing I think G5 DOES have going for it right now. Definitely orther aspects I neglected to mention, I'm sure, that made FiM stand out. I feel like if future generations of MLP could have some kind of balance of those elements, like how G4 had these various elements somewhat balanced (IMO) - regardless of who the specific characters are or dimension the story takes place in is like, it'd be hella enjoyable at the least (IRRESPECTIVE of if ultimately could match the energy that G4 had or not). Oh hell, I'll just say it: On top of all that, we need someone who at least thinks, plans, and has experience growing up with the franchise *like* Faust did to have that happen, IMO. (As in, doesn't have to be Faust, but should be someone who thought like she did, put her experience with the franchise, her heart, her deciation into it like she did - which IMO made the show continue to stand out even after she left (and in that I include keeping the right people involved to keep the show going after she left)).

[@mikudayo3655]

I feel that g4 is more memorable and charming than g5. The quality of the new gen is less than before.

[@SammyJ_Studios]

If anything I blame Netflix, who defined "Boss Baby" as ideal children's entertainment and cancelled everything that didn't look like it.

[@bane2988]

Hasbro doesn't want the fandom and are clearly doing their best to pretend it never happened. You'd have to be blind and deaf to not know what made G4 so popular in the first place, the fact that G5 is so soulless is no accident.

[@ethanbrumley9346]

The thing with g5 is that there is only one regonizeble land mark wich is Canterlot from the comic book series but other than that it just feels like a whole different planet

[@Subject_Keter]

I swear it like Twilight was asleep one day so her friends made a model to simulate a ancient ruined Canterlot, put Twilight in there to scare her and they all had a laugh afterwards. Also very convience letting the Everfree Forest grow sooooo much it pratically covers any way for us to "Prove" if it the real Canterlot. I wouldnt put it past Dischord to make a place to shame himself for not doing enough to save Fluttershy.

[@jacobc8036]

@@Subject_Keteryou just made me think they shoved Twilight i to one of those VR Pods from Fallout 3, only instead of Tranquility Lane, the wasteland is what's simulated.

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

The Movie The Reboot The Special The Comic The Game The Series (epsode 1 yet to be aired) What a clusterbuck of continuity! I have no freaking idea where the story is currently and where it is going.

[@krilc]

The video game too, which I think is set in the future since sprout is redeemed, but maybe not since we dont see the Evil Queen shadow pony

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

@@krilc Oh Luna, I forgot the GAME. /)_- could this continuity be any more broken? Game of Thrones and Star Wars stumbled at the finish line. MLP Gen 5 hasn't even gotten out of the gate with a first episode!

[@Subject_Keter]

@@SilverSpoonRiche Literally my thoughts! They just need to c h i l l out and release the show.. cuz frankly most of us are waiting for that but the more this train wreck is happening, more people are leaving for good shows. If i had a kid, i legit would put Hot Wheels Acceleracers on. Way better.

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

@@Subject_Keter Oh snap, you invoked the ponies rival corporation Mattel! LOL

[@Subject_Keter]

@@SilverSpoonRiche lol But if you havent watched it, I say watch Hotwheels Highway 76 and Acceleracers, they are good movies for kids and do stuff mostly well for what it is.

[@Strawberry.sugarglider]

G5 basically undid everything that happened in G4. They basically said that everything twilight and her friends did didn’t last and fell apart to where ponies live separately again like literally the wayyy beginning of G4s backstories. Like how did they go so wrong 🤦‍♀️

[@Purgious]

I think any pony movie is doomed to succumb to corporate meddling I really think Hasbro tried to catch the same lightning in a bottle without understanding why. It's leading G5 in the wrong direction

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Indeed, IMO while there are some ... like saveMLP ... who are focusing (way too much) on "fixing" G4, I just hope that fans can articulate what the elements that made G4 stand out, and express to Hasbro - firmly, or persistently, that it'd be nice if they kept those elements in mind through G5 and beyond - allowing the franchise to evolve in a way where it will still have some form of the charm that made it appeal to a wide audience.

[@amesstarline5482]

G5 feels like the opposite of IDW Sonic- G5 MLP tries adding onto a lore that forces it to be reliant, while IDW Sonic starts fresh and keeps up a pace built up from previous comics.

[@supersonic2175]

Yeah especially the metal virus saga

[@Ninisalazarrobertsss]

G4 is a classic one. But g5 idk but i hope it works out on the storyline. Im interested what happend to twilights reign

[@nicklopez3133]

You should read the Gen5 comic's if you're not already doing so.

[@Ninisalazarrobertsss]

@@nicklopez3133 I already did read the comic i was waiting for the issue#3 to come out somehow on july. Well now you mentioned it. Im kinda interested on the comics instead of the Animation

[@nicklopez3133]

Gotcha. I think that Issue #3 come's out Wednesday the 27th but I could be wrong. Right now I'd say that the Gen5 Movie and the Gen5 Comic's are pretty much on the same page despite one being animated and one not. And what you think of this. MLP:ANG. Oo.

[@dripcat7332]

@@nicklopez3133 oooohhh it comes out at the same date of my sisters birthday :D

[@nicklopez3133]

@@dripcat7332 What a coincidence. ^^

[@everythinggirly916]

G5 in a way feels like a fanfiction of G4. I'm glad we got a new cast of characters and it's not a complete reboot. I just wish G5 wasn't building on an already established world and lore. That's why I was more intrigued when I started watching Filly Funtasia. I still think G5 has potential, it just has to work with it and not only focus on the pony races.

[@doubledogdareya]

I really loved G4 (My profile pic says it all) and I was really disappointed in G5. I didn't connect to the characters well except for Sprout, which I feel like is a very interesting take on a "comic relief" character in making him the main villain. Other than that, though, I feel like they basically changed their target audience to little kids again instead of family.

[@Milo-draws]

G5 has it's ups and downs, but when they changed the voice actors i got pissed.

[@dustinfreeman1451]

I think G5 had to deal with the lore from G4. I also think that the Make your Mark episodes would explain what really happened during Twilight's reign.

[@ThyWeepingWillow]

1:52 as someone who did watch gen 1 in the past, i think this bit isnt completely right. there wr a lot of monsters in g1 that wr interesting, and fights and such, and villains and characters that even made a comeback in g4. though it had a lot more cringy moments and acting xD, i did love the og one since it felt adventurous aswell. (not speaking of the other gens though, i didnt like what came after until g4)

[@OkamiGirl64]

I think the quote (by Lauren Faust) was very likely referring to G3 which she was given to look over to develop G4 in which case it was exactly has described.😂 I completely agree with your take one G1 though!

[@ThyWeepingWillow]

@@OkamiGirl64 yeah in that case its right, but because it did show a clip of G1, i did just want to mention it haha XD

[@serraramayfield9230]

@@OkamiGirl64 One thing I fear is if G5's reception falls far enough that Faust forces herself to come back.

[@Naharu.]

I have little sisters and l have *never* seen them watching anything g5 related except for the movie, but they still regularly binge g4

[@domajackthesheepoid3948]

After the New Generation Movie.... This god damn series took a ninety degree nose dive in god damn flames...

[@kory4370]

If Hasbdo wanted it to be connected to G4 to make writing easier, I would’ve wanted a backstory series on Celestia and Luna. Since something I personally didn’t like about G4 is how they were these all powerful characters but always seemed so weak in comparison to villains and even Twilight. That way it’s easy to make it since die hard fans already would love it and newer fans would be introduced to a “new” series while not being confused on certain characters since Celestia and Luna were already side characters in the G4 show.

[@johnsmith5255]

6:53 Heck, they could easily ask the majority of the fanbase for good ideas. I'm sure that they can filter through all the chaff and find some real gems, and it would be budget friendly, too, if they just did this every so often. In fact, a good time to do this would be during their annual MLP conventions. They can see if anyone in the fanbase has any good story ideas for continuing the generation that is running at the time (in this case, G5), or some ideas for a future MLP show. Like you, Cleo, I also have ideas for an MLP show and it is even in a totally separate universe (and it is anime style, too, complete with chibi scenes mixed in 😁). It involves solving the mystery of a continuous, centuries-long, magic-fueled natural disaster that spans the entire show. It also would have the main characters slowly learn and develop their own strengths/virtues at different paces, with each reaching their peak at the end of each season. There would have also been a big reveal about one of them during the show finale (I came up with an awesome major scene for that one). The main character gang would have also been a mixture of species, like the 'Student 6' was. I have no skill at coming up with individual adventures for each episode, though. I'm definitely no Lauren. This idea is just a compilation of main plot points and scenes that would be scattered throughout the show. The story writers would have to fill out the rest. Still, a small grouping of plot points and major scenes would have given the show makers a direction to go on and can easily be created by anyone with a good enough imagination.

[@ArcadeAnimations]

MLP could’ve so easily used twilight’s predecessor that they showed in the very last episode, and how she learned the magic of friendship just like twilight did (or another fun thing they could’ve done could been a Cadence tail like ✨ my little pony love is magic✨)

[@AutisticAkechi]

I totally agree, it feels like they’re just trying to make something popular to make money. The movie was pretty good but then they made the weird KZbin series which felt like a gross pony life and made the characters all weird, and then they went through all the trouble of making a 3D series when they don’t have that big of a budget for it. I also dislike a little bit of their looks, their faces look too human like and it’s easy to tell on the toys. I’ve collected the toys for years and have ONE g5 Izzy toy, and her eyes aren’t on the sides of her head like, a pony should? Also the eyebrows and hairline throw me off. They don’t have a horse hairline they have a human one and it’s WEIRD to attempt to style. I liked the characters a good amount after watching the movie but watching them be weirdly all over the place with different writing for them and different voice acting makes me confused what their exact personalities are and which ones I like or not. That’s just my thoughts on it.

[@CCG15thelocalpieceofpaper15]

I think creating G5 was the biggest mistake Hasbro made. The idea in concept is a good idea on it's own, but making it a sequel to G4 and yet not including ANY of the rules just makes it all feel like one big plot hole. I get the idea that times change and all, but what about consistencies in the story? I think instead of making G5, Hasbro should've focused more on Luster Dawn and her story as the new G5, or even retroactively creating a story about Celestia and Luna's backstory, or even Cadence's backstory. That would probably make everyone a lot more satisfied and tie up a bunch of loose ends that's left up solely to speculation by the fans

[@johnadams7145]

I feel like people are being so harsh on G5. Obviously it isn’t perfect, but we have only gotten one movie, one special, and one web series not meant to be taken too seriously anyway. I like what It has to offer so far and am looking forward into seeing what it develops in to.

[@daraghokane4236]

Movie was good KZbin shorts na

[@johnadams7145]

@@daraghokane4236 The shorts are decent for what they are, I was never expecting episode level story and character from them. They are a lot better than anything G3 put out and are better than Pony Life

[@serraramayfield9230]

@@johnadams7145 People misjudge Pony Life too, you're not at ALL supposed to take it seriously, not even canon

[@Gnarrkhaz]

First impressions are everything.

[@daraghokane4236]

@@Gnarrkhaz the critique was it didn't explain everything that happen a 4 hour lore dump would be a boring ass movie. The news don't do that with current events as it actually isn't needed to know about the history of the world to get a gist of current affairs

[@workingman9019]

Lauren Faust made G4 what it was. You can still see in dc superhero girls the soul of mlp. Lauren Faust was basically a nerdy boy, she liked girly stuff but also a lot of boy stuff. So many references little girls would not get. Like discord hiding in the cardboard box, Indiana Jones references, and etc.

[@crimsonthescarletqueen3452]

Also, what's the deal with the cutie marks now? Is the cutie mark magic just gone now as well? Is destiny no longer a thing? I mean we've had the theory sprout is such a bad chief and stuff because it's not his destiny but now I'm starting to think that the cutie marks are just decorations. Hitch is a good example, he has absolutely nothing related to animals and yet they all love him, and he now has a dragon who has wings without the molt.

[@Subject_Keter]

I love how some people just ignore the massive issues like that to the "they will explain it later" idea... They could madecus care by showing Spourt drawing up the plans for his robot as he feels confused why he is doing it before agreeing the bad crops must be thrown away or something like that. Abreath of all that, we got a weak villian that makes Pony of Shadows seem good.

[@JaguarCats]

Honestly G5 feels like a slap in the face of all the progress that Twilight and her friends made in the previous series. As how could ponies slip so far back?! I realize that all societies have their highs and lows but according to the comics things almost immediately into Twilight's reign began to slip! Why not show us a world where things **progressed?** Show us a world thats just as advanced at G5 yet at the same time confirm that things are **better** because of Twilight and her friend's efforts. By all means have a new threat present itself but don't make G4's cast's efforts be in vane to where some one else has to fix their mistakes!

[@Rainbow_Dash99]

I wish g4 MLP stayed forever 😢

[@mariophreak]

Everything has its time. I wouldn't want it to go on forever and become like The Simpsons.

[@Rainbow_Dash99]

@@mariophreak yeah true

[@David13ushey]

So here's the thing. G5 was strategically flawed. g4 was successful and profitable. The urge to milk it and link it to G5 was also unsustainable. However, by creating a high budget film with expensive voice actors, they essentially overlooked the fact that they created an expectation for a product they weren't interested in maintaining. Linking it narratively wasn't bad, but it was tricky, because G4 ended with excellent resolution. Third, they weren't willing to commit to a narrative aesthetic where the story gave the viewer an experience as to what to expect. All three locations are pretty, benign, and more or less stable. Sure, Canterlogic is a little bit facsist, but by and large no one is starving. The stakes seem pretty low. They we lead into what was essentially the message of season 9 being forgotten, with the races in opposition and magic gone. So what's the problem? Only Sunny seems to care. Magic doesn't MATTER to this world, but we are told of course it must matter, because it's magic as we say so. Then we get the youtube series and... no. Whomever greenlit this was wrong. You do not create an expectation for one product, then completely reverse it with this. Narratively these did nothing but undermine everything you were trying to establish. Honestly, they would have been better off releasing 4 of these shows where the ponies infodumped over what they knew about Twilight's time. Setting up a coherent world would at least give us an idea of what to expect and the stories to anticipate. Finally the second movie dropped on netflix and it establishes... almost nothing. It's the season 7/9 lesson all over again. Racism bad. Worse, it doesn't even get INTO racism. People are racist because they're bad, mistaken, or evil. Once they're not, they're not racist anymore. Uggggh... Here's my fear. Hasbro is scared. They want to play it safe and they are making what they think is safe content. But this world, right now, is not safe. The problems 10-14 year olds face today isn't fixed by 'well suddenly they're not racist anymore'. Show me real conflict. Show me actual struggle. Show me the consequences of failure. Be bold or chill for 4-5 years. There's some awesome animation on netflix alone that you're competing against. They might not talk about roe vrs wade, but an arbitary rule banning pegasi from flying or unicorns from casting can be a stand in for the conflict of following the rules and when not to follow the rules.

[@Corrector1]

>However, by creating a high budget film with expensive voice actors, they essentially overlooked the fact that they created an expectation for a product they weren't interested in maintaining. It does kind of feel like most of the effort went into the movie, and they were hoping that would be enough to maintain people's interest long term. A lot of other stuff in the generation makes me think that they're penny-pinching. >You do not create an expectation for one product, then completely reverse it with this. Narratively these did nothing but undermine everything you were trying to establish. Yeah, I've thought that TYT had the potential to taint people's expectations if it was bad enough. On the other hand, the show has manage to establish a fanbase and I think more people liked it than they like the MYM special. >Finally the second movie dropped on netflix and it establishes... almost nothing. That's one reason why I didn't like the movie. It doesn't explore the topic of racism in an interesting way. It's just "diversity is good!" I really want "My Little Pony" to be the smart kind of kids' show, and actually have nuanced messages instead of simple and easily resolved conflicts. >There's some awesome animation on netflix alone that you're competing against. That just adds to my frustration. There are shows that push boundaries that "Friendship is Magic" never did and it sucks to feel that G5 is going backwards not just in comparison to FiM, but in comparison to other cartoons. I wanted G5 to feel like an evolution of the best parts of FiM and perhaps even be better than it in some areas.

[@TheSultan1470]

Wtf

[@abigailssandiego6793]

Hasbro be like……. ‘We could use a g6!’

[@WeirdWonderful]

G5 seems to have rather pointlessly kept itself in the same universe as G4, but was set so long after the original that there is basically nothing familiar and it may as well have been a completely new setting, because yeah, centuries ago the show we like happened, but everything is so different now it's being set in the same world is basically academic at this point. Edit: Not helped by the fact that switching from 2D to 3D *already* adds a level of disconnect as is.

[@allthingsjustice6465]

I feel like mlp gen 5 represents our normal world going backwards.

[@moon45ben17]

My biggest problem so far with G5 is the special None if it made sense there was no reason to keep the dragon egg a secret there’s no reason to keep the magic glitching a secret there was no reason for that fight on top of the lighthouse and I hate the design of Sparky. The feature film was fine it was fun and the shorts there’s something to watch sometimes I get a good laugh like the one about dumpster diving.

[@Subject_Keter]

The only thing i can say I like is the Crystal Brighthouse cuz i love stained glass artwork and the mane 5 sleep together but everything else like sucked.

[@darkPegasista]

Gen 5 is very out of place. I don't understand how it's supposed to play in Equestria when they have almost nothing that could indicate them being the same universe. They are like centuries appart and nobody cares to explain why that happened and how it changed so drastically, instead they are just bouncing and laughing at useless tasks in a 40+ minute filler episode where absolutely nothing happens. They ruined a great potential, it's sad, depressing and disappointing

[@allisonsrose]

I just kind of wish they stuck with the same developers of g4 and kind of did like what they did with the past generations, stuck with familiar characters but with added tweaks!!! like for example, how they had g3 rainbow dash but rewrote her character for g4 almost completely. I wish they did that for g5, another complaint is how it’s 3D animated. I feel like my little pony is just MEANT to be 2D animated and they could’ve done so much with the use of 2D animation, it could’ve been so beautiful. Aesthetic wise and Story wise

[@thelemoncoffee]

i'll put my thoughts this way; i wrote two lists of questions i have for g5 on a google doc the other day; one for what we got, and one for if it wasn't tied to g4. The one for not tied to g4 had 16 questions..... the one for what we got was 47. grantid, three of the major questions got answered by the comics, knocking that 47 down to a 44- but the comics shouldn't be doing that job for the main series.

[@ixiahj]

When I saw the G5 ANG movie, I had high expectations for the series. It was set in a dystopian apocalyptic world. I thought the series was going to be the Transformers Prime of MLP where every episode starts with a character saying "Prevuously on My Little Pony." They would have adventure episodes focusing on rediscovering their lost past and linking what happened between g4 and g5. Each discovery they make leads to another question creating a fear of the unknown and a dread of the truth. Until they uncover the truth which is revealed to be scarier than the unknown. But no... It looks like it just wants to be a baby show. Not even a typical tea party girl show but something for an even younger audience. Sad.

[@Corrector1]

1:32 If only we _could_ ignore them, amirite? 1:44 It's worth clarifying that this description _doesn't_ apply to the original "My Little Pony n Friends" cartoon. The first cartoon was an adventure show through and through, and it's what Lauren drew from when she thought of her own ideas for the franchise. 2:50 Indeed. But I've described it as putting the world's best make up on an incredibly vapid person. The art may be beautiful, but the writing was very generic. 3:05 Hearing that G5 would be a sequel sunk most of my expectations for it. Having an interesting setting was one of the reasons FiM became such a success and I wanted them to come up with a lot of cool new lore for us to discover. But I was also skeptical that they would truly expand on anything in G4, given how uninterested the writers for G4 often were in exploring the setting. So far, all of my fears have come true. There seems to be no attempt to maintain continuity beyond establishing that the Mane Six lived in the distant past. FiM's setting was a world that largely ran on magic, yet everything seems to be working the same without it. Indeed, the connection to G4 was easily the most common complaint about the movie, and connecting the series may have actually hindered G5's popularity instead of supporting it. 4:32 Having the silly short series before the main series may not have been a wise idea. If they did it the usual way, then people who didn't like TYT's style could easily dismiss it as an irrelevant side series. But this was the first major series after the movie and we still had a few months before anything else came out. Its problems may have tainted the generation for some people. Then again, I've seen more praise of the web series than of the Make Your Mark special. It's going to be something if "Pony Life" is actually the more well liked series this time around. 4:54 Casting more prominent actors for the movie may have been a short sighted decision. Maybe it would draw more eyes to the film, but it also means that any replacement actors would have to live up to their performances. Even if they did, it can be hard to work past first impressions. So far, Izzy's the biggest sticking point among the fanbase. 5:23 That's really one of the most frustrating things about G5. FiM raised the bar and other cartoons raised the bar even higher. To see the franchise continue to degrade instead of evolve really churns my butter.

[@Subject_Keter]

The Current Xmen Writers are doing the same thing Gen 4 writers did "etugh, I dont want to explode all these crazy concepts, i want to play with my action figures on my time! ... fine but i am going to make it boring."

[@airu5424]

Honestly I would have loved to see a story of celestia and Lunas early rule and how they became alicorns, sure it’s connected to gen 4 but it’s not reliant on it in the same way and already has solid drama built into it

[@Tequila4Days]

Spot on as always. I sense a short run of G5 due to its many flaws, followed up by a better G6 that's trying to be more like G4.

[@PeacePetal]

Trying to be like G4 is exactly what's killing G5.

[@trentpenner429]

Let's be like *G3*

[@somerandomdude7785]

Have the story destroying what remains of G4 instead.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@somerandomdude7785 Why doe? That just stupid and petty.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

@@PeacePetal Is it trying to be G4? Maybe I'm being stupid, but I am having trouble sensing those vibes.

[@w.dgaster5927]

I would have liked it if G5 picked up where G4 ended in season nine with twilight sending her student into ponyvile. I would have loved if G5 had actually picked up from there and continued her students story. Instead of completely changing everything and throwing off the years of lore and continuity the series had. G5 barely mentions G4.

[@Lillyhoves]

Gen 5 seriously lacks the diversity of gen 4 like this is the same world and last we saw equestria was very diverse what happened to all the creatures, what happened to school of friendship

[@wolfstrike2676]

I liked generation 3 because it made interesting characters that could then exist in generation 4, such as breezies while in ther first one it created spike which also got more attention in generation 4

[@owenwildish331]

In a way, I kind of would like to see a sort of revival of G2 but in a similar style to G4 (perhaps as hybrid of G4 & G1), I have a pet theory that because it was the first reboot of MLP back in the late-90s and people at the time were unaccustomed to such big toy reboots at that time and the toys were so different in design compared to G1's era, I imagine many parents and older siblings who were more familiar with the original G1 toys may have assured the G1 toys were at a glance just knock-off fakes pretending to be MLP or something along those lines, also video and computer games were starting to seriously take over from toys in general, basically, people often don't like change, especially if it the first time regardless of quality... if I'm not mistaken, because of this I think was a bit unfair to G2 back then but understandable, nowadays people are a bit more use to change and a bit more reasonable in their criticisms, though sadly many still don't like changes to their preferred version of favourite franchises, especially the less reasonable younger ones who are not as use to things being changed or updated, they often can't even except the older versions either, from what I can tell anyway.

[@gamingonamonday6342]

G4 was lightning in a bottle, all the right things at the right time.

[@moalzaben5554]

Mlp: fim was a journey that was worth going on from the exciting beginning to the ending that went out with a bang, Lauren Faust and her team truly created characters that will be remembered for generations and Twilight’s message to the whole was that friendship never dies and she’s damn right! Just look at the awesome fan base that we’re all lucky to be apart of it. G4 was one of many reasons why my love for marine biology grew especially because of Fluttershy, she loved animals in general and I love marine creatures! Truly awesome show! But the idea of having g5 taking place thousands of years in the future with friendship and magic forgotten was extremely bad, I wonder who’s the idiot who decided that this was a good idea, thus ruining Lauren Faust’s work including her team! And hell even Twilight and the rest of the Mane 6’s work for uniting all of the creatures of equestria, not just the different kinds of ponies, but also the other creatures as well and turning villains like Discord into good people, G5 just washed it all away FFS!!

[@beanerjeffreys9667]

I’ve stopped associating G5 with my precious childhood hood go-to show G4 It’s just too painful

[@yondaime500]

I'm just speculating as I don't have any behind the scenes info on that, but I have a feeling that the 2021 movie was made to answer some criticism that the 2017 movie received, namely that it was too "shrill" and that the complex lore alienated the people who had not watched the show. So they made a simpler kumbaya story with worldbuilding that is more grounded in real life, and hired celebrities to voice the main characters with their normal voices. I don't know how well that worked, since barely any critics reviewed the movie as far as I can tell. It only got 11 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, while The Mitchells vs the Machines (same year, same streaming platform, same age range) got 202. But regardless of the movie's performance, it created a lot of problems for the series going forward. They had to replace all the voice actors, which is always annoying, and the new VAs sound off either because they don't sound like the original, or because they're trying too hard to sound like the original and it's hurting their performance. On the animation side, they're trying really hard to make it look "exactly like the movie" with much less time and a much lower budget, and the result hasn't been great so far. And on the writing side, it seems that the writers are jumping through all sorts of hoops to justify the lore the movie established haphazardly to make its plot work, as we can see in the comics and will probably see in Make Your Mark as well. So I guess it comes down to how well G5 is going to be able to leave the movie behind and find an identity that works better in the long run.

[@somerandomdude7785]

Alter Izzy's character heavily so that her sanity gradually declines as the story progress. And then you will feel bad for her.

[@Subject_Keter]

I saw some critics who didnt like Gen 4 movie like Gen 5 for tackling "le racism" but it felt hollow compared to when they did it in FiM as you SAW the changing views and how the divides formed but in the Gen 5 movie... it honestly felt like they didnt even know if the other species were still alive.

[@yondaime500]

@@Subject_Keter Yeah, and it's sad to think that they messed up the lore and erased all of Equestria's history and infrastructure just to make the racism story work, and it still didn't work. Basically the opposite of what Hearth's Warming Eve did.

[@Corrector1]

The impression I get is that the movie was well received by most of the people who watched it, but it never really blew up. When "Encanto" came out people were memeing "We don't talk about Bruno", but nobody was memeing "Angry Mob Song". Even most of the critic reviews praised it for being a cute, wholesome story that kids would enjoy, they weren't praising it as a masterpiece of storytelling. I think it was a flash-in-the-pan success. You make good points about how the movie hindered the rest of the generation. One of the directors admitted that they didn't think of how the ponies got separated, and something that important should have been hashed out as soon as the decision was made to make G5 a sequel. I wouldn't be surprised if the development of the generation was poorly managed behind the scenes.

[@Subject_Keter]

@@Corrector1 Oh man I knew it! It felt like the ponies never ever SEEN the other species in 2 generations, it was like your grandpa telling to be careful about them dragons.

[@michaelaburns734]

G4 had that unique spark and the ponies were just incredible personalities and relatable and you wouldn't believe Me and Starlight think alike. Plus I love this mare being a punk rockette. Starlight and Queen Crysalis fight was epic. G4 set the bar TOO HIGH. G5 was okay but I liked G4 more because of not only characters but how it shaped Media as a whole. When do you see Felicia Day John Delancy heck WILL SHATNER AND WEIRD AL IN MLP?!

[@NightCloudI]

I think the reason why G5 doesn't appel to me that much is because of the 3D animation. I'm just not used to it and the tale your tale animation is not better either.

[@simonsykes6683]

i wish mlp g4 have character spinoffs like spinoff of applejack or other characters and having there own villains

[@abd_md]

If they focused more of the budget on the story then it would be 100% better, I don’t think the 3D look is even worth it.

[@bluestudios4734]

Your not a fan of G5 series?

[@peachymunmagenta]

G5 is just My Little Pony Tales 2, just for G4 this time. It’s a bad spin-off/continuation like MLP:T was for G1. Of course, I haven’t slept and it’s 6 am so this might be inaccurate at _best_

[@dartagnanearl1467]

The Problem with G5 is that we don't get much answers as to what happen to Equestria after the many years of absents what to the Dragon , Griffons, and Chinglings they should be around right but no the only characters around are Earth ponies, Pegasus, and Unicorns which is strange cause in FIM they were on good tier did they became in danger , died , relocated the Gen 5 Movie nor the show explained what happen to them which is confusing me.

[@Aestholus]

The world of g4 became really big with lots of different races having their own locations. They forced a connection and all that was left were 3 cities one for each big pony tribe.

[@82dorrin]

G4 took some time to really hit its stride. I expect G5 to take some time, too.

[@theohvist128]

Thing is, G4 already had an idea of what it was, how it's world operates, and our main characters place in it all. Show me one nuance or paralleling Virtue or Vice or even a long-standing goal or dream to the G5 Characters. Because for the life of me, *_I_* cannot see it.

[@obitosenju3768]

Many have forgoten but the show became became beloved almost literally after ep 2 while G5 could not achive that 1 movie, special, Multiple shorts and comics. Shit many consider s2 or 3 the peak of the show too

[@Subject_Keter]

Issue is Gen 5 seemingly is hitting all the rocks along the way with people leaving left right and center. I am not sure how they can sustain a massive audience if they are blasting them away.

[@TheSultan1470]

Exactly. It got good after Lauren left

[@Subject_Keter]

@@TheSultan1470 Ratioed Lel

[@PWingert1966]

Follow up. A small number of G5 products showed up in my local Dollar store at the middle of April. Tehy are still there! They have been moved from primary display space in the toy aisle to secondary to bottom of the shelf and now thrown into bins under the shelf. Not one of them has been sold. Today they cut the price in half from $5 to $2 with sale price stickers. They can't even give this stuff away. If it's not moving at the dollar store, then it certainly isn't moving at Walmart. Toys 'R US had a couple of items for a week before they went on clearance and have not been restocked. Most of the toy line was not picked up. Walmart is the same issue I found a couple of package damaged items in the clearance bin. In the old days they would have an entire section of the toy aisle set up as a complete display of everything and then have a mid-aisle feature. Now its like they are embarrassed to even show them. It's like they went straight to the clearance bin when they came in.

[@CooperDoodlian]

G4 is basic definitions of fantasy, traditional, and cultural ideas put together into one. It has a huge range of new ideas, morals, and new friends to make up for since the past 9 years of the shows runtime. However, G5 has nothing like that. It just removes all of that sincerity from G4 and replaces those aspects with more modern features from our own world It feels like G5 is nothing like G4 somehow.

[@GreenDYT]

It was told that the event of the g5 takes place hundreds of years later, meaning it didn’t happen yet

[@cupcaketoysandart4444]

They should hire you as a consultant to guide them in the right direction. I agree its very disappointing. I was excited about the fact it was in the same universe but I have just been extremely disappointed and have so many questions about what happened and we aren't getting answers just a boring meaningless story.

[@sl3epyramboy]

I honestly really love the new animation but like you said its going back to the cutesy sidr

[@Kins_Adventures]

I wish that G4 CONTINUES

[@benjaminbarriga7821]

Me too.

[@Meme-Dealer8323]

@@benjaminbarriga7821 Too bad, It's already Dead! 😈

[@Meme-Dealer8323]

@@benjaminbarriga7821 Plot twist! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnOZqqhrgap3pas

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

No. I'm glad they let the show with dignity instead of dragging it on.

[@Usako_IDVTuber]

Maybe G5 should have been its own story and delved into a new lore of its own and just get rid of the G4 lore since they basically tried to get rid of it anyway for G5.

[@mewzaque2085]

The biggest mistake they made with g5 was making it part of the same universe as g4. It’s basically doomed to be eternally compared to g4 by anyone watching

[@leiathrix]

This, it should have been a separate/parallel universe no doubt

[@alekpo2000]

it creates a ton of questions that turn into plotholes cuz the old universe got some preexisting rules that this generation is ignoring all together.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

I disagree. I would have LOVED a G5 that was essentially post-apocalyptic. People say "Oh noes! They ruined Twilight's world!!!" but nothing good lasts forever. The comic where Discord was reintroduced got me so excited. If the whole series had focused on resettling the north, picking up the pieces, unraveling the mysteries of the past, I think I would have been in heaven. But they should have hired a G4 enthusiast as a writer, because the movie made so many basic errors in the canon.

[@S-Fan2006]

I feel that G5 really could improve in multiple areas. Heck, I even wrote my own idea for a narrative that, while would be a few series/seasons long, would’ve been rather interesting so, I’ll tell you some of my idea for a plot: there’s this group of villains called the Feared 6, the group itself doesn’t actually exist, though the would-be members were imprisoned in stone by the Mane 6, who later joined each imprisoned would-be member of the Feared 6, with all members separated (five of these members would be completely original characters we’ve never seen, while the last one was a G4 villain, and is imprisoned by Twilight. The first to be freed (and the only one who gets trapped again) would be the one imprisoned by Rainbow Dash, when Loyalty on its own starts to fade (side note: when each would-be Feared 6 member is freed, the Mane 6 captor is also freed). This one would be a pegasus stallion named Solar, who is trapped again by the Mane 5, before being freed when Rainbow Dash (after thinking like Twilight) decides that Solar should be reformed, which he does. Afterwards, each of the other Feared 6 members, those being a female chimera named Temptress (imprisoned by Applejack), a talking male timberwolf named Birch (imprisoned by Fluttershy), a female centaur named Rabid (imprisoned by Rarity), and a draconequus named Figment (imprisoned by Pinkie Pie) end up being released, and, unlike Solar, roam free and try, and fail, to defeat the Mane 5. A thestral mare named Bite Mark takes Solar’s place as a member of the Feared 6, after Solar gets on her bad side, but in an AU where Solar never reforms, Bite Mark would never join the Feared 6, or oppose them. The last villain to be freed would be Midnight Sparkle, but unlike the original, this one is the result of the Mean 6 Twilight being revived by the magic container (how that happens is up to you), but she cannot summon rifts. Midnight only faces the Mane 5 once unlike the others, before she forms, and becomes leader of, the Feared 6. After all the members gather, with the exception of Solar, who is replaced with Bite Mark, the Feared 6 plan a revenge scheme on the Mane 5 and Mane 6 in the G5 finale and are defeated, with Midnight being turned into a log again, while all the others return to their original forms and suffer a fate that doesn’t see them in stone. That’s the basic idea. Let me know what you think.

[@princessstar512]

I’m personally mixed on g5 of MLP as a whole. I really liked the movie (although it’s not one of my favorites) but I wasn’t really a fan of the special which I have very mixed feelings on. I didn’t really watch too many of the Tell Your Tale shorts because they just didn’t interest me that much. Overall I’m concerned for the future of g5. I’ll still try to give it a fair chance when the series comes out, but I can say for certain that I won’t like it as much as Friendship is Magic.

[@lazyrat6687]

the movie felt rushed in my taste and wasn't as meaningful

[@princessstar512]

@@lazyrat6687 That’s fine. It’s your opinion after all. Even I find it a bit too flawed to be one of my top favorites, and it’s definitely inferior to the best episodes of Friendship is Magic.

[@prottatype9508]

it just doesnt give off the same energy that mlp had yknow

[@counterCanter]

I'm a fan of the g5 animated stuff on the level of its "cute and enjoyable", but im a much bigger fan of the g5 comics story-wise. I think they're a WHOLE lot better at telling an interesting story with what g5 has given it, and I'm really looking forward to seeing where they're going!

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Some will disagree, but IDGAF - the comics, IMO, are really enjoyable in terms of the mix of new and old, building on existing worlds, and telling the tale of what happened between G4 and G5 ALONGSIDE moving the worldbuilding forward - which I honestly WANT to see when the G5 series kicks into gear (... this fall? I don't remember).

[@Subject_Keter]

@@DanknDerpyGamer I think this September?

[@princesspikachu3915]

The only thing I can think of that is good about G5 so far is the boy pony Hitch being a “mane” character. Unfortunately I cannot find any merchandise of him. Only Sunny, Izzy, and “Tweedle-Dee” and “Tweedle-Dumb” pegasus ponies. I don’t know their names because my 4 year old daughter didn’t want to finish the movie so I’m calling them what I think they should be called.