Review & Giveaway: My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding!

When I was a little girl, one of my most favourite toys were My Little Pony.  I had a massive collection that I kept in a very special toy bin in my basement, and I remember my ponies fondly.  I also had my dad record a My Little Pony movie that was on TV during my childhood, and I think I wore out the VHS tape re-watching it!

Ah, VHS.  The... good old days.... (? Eh.  The days.)

Did you know that YOUR little girl could be watching My Little Pony on DVD?  Just released, on August 7th, was My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding.  This DVD from Shout! Factory in collaboration with Hasbro Studios features FIVE episodes of the show, as seen on Treehouse TV in Canada and the HUB TV Network in the USA.  The DVD also includes colouring sheets and two sing-alongs as bonus features.  The animation may be an updated style, but the thought of little girls getting as much joy out of My Little Pony as I did as a little girl myself?  Warms my heart!

Now here's where it all gets a little... weird.

I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of this DVD set.  The first thing that happened was, my boyfriend enlightened me that there is a whole group of ADULTS who find the new My Little Pony animation omgz super awesome.  They apparently think it's "amazingly well-produced", and that the musical numbers are catchy.  I was pretty shocked to find this out, but it sure adds an interesting twist to this review!  Apparently they call themselves "Bronies", and while this totally squicks me out initially, it's oddly awesome to hear a grown male friend of mine explain the whole phenomenon (he's a producer for a radio station, he has his finger on the pulse of popular - and nerd - culture).  I have been so enlightened since receiving this DVD to review... I feel like I now possess a very treasured piece of media.  Who knew?! (I like the meme with the first date... the gal who is remembering classic Pony, which is what I did when I saw this DVD series, and the Brony being all, GET OUT OF MY CAR.  Amazing).

But what do I personally think of this series now that I've had the opportunity to watch it myself?

Well, I absolutely see why adults find this show entertaining.  Lauren Faust, the original executive producer and storyboard artist for this show, used to be a story artist for The Powerpuff Girls.  You can definitely see the similar flash animation style, and it's very appealing.  There is a lesson that is appropriate and sweet for kids, but there is a lot of humour that grown-ups would 'get' too.  I was actually impressed with how much I enjoyed watching this cartoon!  The songs are well-written and extremely catchy.  I love the way the theme song of the show begins with the classic "My Little Pony" tune and then ramps up to a newer, catchier tune.  That sets the overall tone of this show, a great nod to the classic 80s show with a very modern twist.

Would you like to receive a copy of this DVD?!  You can share it with a little lady in your life, or apparently a grown adult gaming nerd -- the possible target audience is so wide with this series!  (I feel so "in the know" now.)  All you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form below, and a winner (US or Canada) will be drawn on within 48 hours of 12:01 am Saturday, August 18th.  In order to be eligible to win, make sure you click "leave a comment", and leave the mandatory entry comment.  Otherwise, you will not be eligible.

a Rafflecopter giveaway