Sunday, September 21, 2014

DVD Review - My Little Pony: The Complete Series



My Little Pony: The Complete Series
Starring: Bettina Bush, Scott Menville, Keri Houlihan, Susan Blu, Katie Leigh, Sherry Lynn, Nancy Cartwright
Ellen Gerstell
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: September 30, 2014
Retail: $29.93
ASIN: B00KTFJ6DS
Running Time: 720 minutes
Rating: PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Anyone growing up in the '80s will probably remember the overload of Saturday Morning Cartoons and weekday afternoon cartoons. Toy companies took advantage of the animation popularity and began making cartoon shows based on their toy-lines. Hasbro produced animated series based on their line of toys for Transformers and G.I. Joe, which were marketed for boys. The My Little Pony toy-line for girls was released in 1983 and it became so popular that Hasbro produced two TV-Specials that aired in 1984 and 1985, along with a feature film in the summer of 1986. A weekday animated series followed that September, featuring a 10-minute My Little Pony segment followed by another Hasbro cartoons (The Glo Friends, MoonDreamers and the Potato Head Kids). The series only lasted 65 episodes over the course of two-seasons.

Over the years there has been several DVD releases, but My Little Pony: The Complete Series will be released on a 4-disc set for the first time by Shout! Factory this Tuesday. The series is set in the magical Ponyland where the Little Ponies live a peaceful life at the Paradise Estate, but the Little Ponies have enemies that want to destroy them. Throughout each episode The Little Ponies must try to outwit witches, trolls, goblins and other creatures that try to do them harm.

The original untitled My Little Pony special was re-edited into the two-part episode, titled Rescue from Midnight Castle, and the TV-special Escape from Catrina was also re-edited into a two-part episode, which served as the series-finale.

Episodes on the the four-part disc are:

Disc One
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 1
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 2
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 3
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 4
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 5
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 6
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 7
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 8
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 9
The End of Flutter Valley, Part 10
The Ghost of Paradise Estate, Part 1
The Ghost of Paradise Estate, Part 2
The Ghost of Paradise Estate, Part 3
The Ghost of Paradise Estate, Part 4
The Great Rainbow Caper
The Glass Princess, Part 1
The Glass Princess, Part 2
The Glass Princess, Part 3

Disc Two
The Glass Princess, Part 4
Pony Puppy
Bright Lights, Part 1
Bright Lights, Part 2
Bright Lights, Part 3
Bright Lights, Part 4
Sweet Stuff And The Treasure Hunt
The Return of Tambelon, Part 1
The Return of Tambelon, Part 2
The Return of Tambelon, Part 3
The Return of Tambelon, Part 4
Little Pieces Of Magic
The Magic Coins, Part 1
The Magic Coins, Part 2
The Magic Coins, Part 3
The Magic Coins, Part 4

Disc Three
Mish Mash Melee
Woe Is Me, Part 1
Woe Is Me, Part 2
Fugitive Flowers, Part 1
Fugitive Flowers, Part 2
Would Be Dragonslayer
Baby, It's Cold Outside, Part 1
Baby, It's Cold Outside, Part 2
Crunch The Rockdog, Part 1
Crunch The Rockdog, Part 2
The Revolt of Paradise Estate, Part 1
The Revolt of Paradise Estate, Part 2
Through The Door, Part 1
Through The Door, Part 2

Disc Four
Rescue From Midnight Castle, Part 1
Rescue From Midnight Castle, Part 2
The Quest Of The Princess Ponies, Part 1
The Quest Of The Princess Ponies, Part 2
The Quest Of The Princess Ponies, Part 3
The Quest Of The Princess Ponies, Part 4
Spike's Search
The Golden Horseshoes, Part 1
The Golden Horseshoes, Part 2
Flight To Cloud Castle, Part 1
Flight To Cloud Castle, Part 2
The Ice Cream Wars
Somnambula, Part 1
Somnambula, Part 2
The Prince And The Ponies
Escape From Catrina, Part 1
Escape From Catrina, Part 2


While I do know that adult male fans of My Little Pony are called "bronies," I would never consider myself one. I haven't seen the 1986 series since I was between five and six-years-old when it originally aired. I recall watching it with my aunt (who is six-years-older than me). I was probably just buying time until The Glo Friends or the Potato Head Kids segments came on. That being said, I was feeling a bit nostalgic when I asked to review My Little Pony: The Complete Series DVD set earlier this month. Being an adult, I like watching any 80s' and early '90s animation shows, even the ones aimed for a female audience.

As you can seen in the clip that I embedded from YouTube, the opening My Little Pony theme long is a little silly and outdated. There were many low-quality cartoons in the '80s, but the animation in each My Little Pony episode holds up pretty well compared to the new Generation Four series, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. It is too bad that the series only lasted for two seasons, but only a few '80s cartoons made it pass the 65th episode rule. Overall, I enjoyed watching the My Little Pony: The Complete Series and I highly recommend it to other fans, young and old.



*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.


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