Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
This nonprofit fan-made episode was created after having obtained legal permission from both Hasbro and Time Warner to use their characters - and took exactly 54 weeks to create. We are not associated with Hasbro or Time Warner in any way. To learn more about the film, feel free to visit the official website at http://www.doublerainboom.com where you can download our storyboards, animatics, puppet rigs, backgrounds, promotional videos, and more!
But first things first. It was really cool, and at some moments it felt like watching a genuine episode. The story was... decent. The premise was good and half of the execution was good as well. Animation was top-notch, so nothing to complain about, there. I also felt the background music was nice. Atmospheric, not intrusive and it felt fitting to the general tone of the show.
Now, as for the bad things... I disliked the voices... not the voices themselves, but the sound quality. Don't get me wrong, it was all very good. But when everything's excellent, I would get picky. Yes, the voices' sound quality wasn't bad. BUT it just wasn't as good as the music. It's something I noticed immediately. Twilight's VA was quite convincing, and while it did not have that special "flavor" that Tara gives, she maintained the idea of the character.
Rainbow could have done with a bit more raspiness on her voice, if they wanted to match the character. Pinkie Pie did not appear much but I felt it was properly done. Now, I haven't watched
PPG in English (I'll confess I saw a few episodes in Spanish when I was much, mch younger), but the voiced there seemed just fine to me.
The whole PPG part was unnecessary, from the narrative standpoint
. I understand this is also a "personal project" for the guy leading the group, and so in that sense it was good for him to include a portion that would need a different type of animation and all that. But I remember the initial premise being "an episode that could have been a real episode in the show". Well, guess what? This one does not cut it. If that was the premise, it's a failure.
No matter how much we like it, no matter how well done it was, it would be a failure if we take that into account.
One thing that WAS "realistic" but still bothered me was that not all of the mane6 had speaking roles in the episode. I dislike it when it happens in regular 22 minute episodes. But 27 whole minutes here!! And only three of them had speaking roles. Shame, shame indeed. Particularly because Fluttershy and Rarity are probably my two favourite.
A few minor things were the high usage of memes and stuff. I even feel that "Tim/e Turner", or "Dr. Whooves", or whatever the character's name is supposed to be now was given a tiny teeny bit too much of screentime. I just disliked the moment where they had to make him make a face, as if he was more than he is. I know it's just a nod to the fans and yadda yadda, but... On the other hand, Derpy's scene was fine. Some people think it was too long. And I'll admit I rose my eyebrow when I saw her eating the muffin and I thought "oh dear, here we go". But the whole things falling on her head thing was cute, so in the end I wasn't too bothered.
Lyra and Bonbon appeared the right amount of time, I feel, too.
Oh, and that Trollface at the beginning. Meh. Shouldn't have been there.
So in conclusion, I rate this very highly... but I can't give it a perfect 10. Because of how ambitious the project was, I would have expected it to go exactly the way it was supposed to go. Creating something that could LITERALLY be on the show.
It's still an INCREDIBLE effort with a FANTASTIC result. And, despite the flaws it has in my opinion, it's definitely a must-watch.
Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
I'm starting to wonder if this wing-business with Twilight will ever start feeling natural. Eagerly awaiting the new episodes so that I might get used to the wings being part of her character.
In March I had the opportunity to meet, get an autograph and a photo with John de Lancie. Of course, I ended up not going (money issues, though I had arranged some funds.) *sigh*
Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
I'm starting to wonder if this wing-business with Twilight will ever start feeling natural. Eagerly awaiting the new episodes so that I might get used to the wings being part of her character.
Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
If not for the high school environment I would have some hope for this movie. But it's just something with the setting that feels like this feature won't offer what I'm looking for from MLP:FIM.
It's the same people who picked something that should not have been liked by me and turned it into something that was great. Same storywriters, same composers, same animators.
Sure, while the "high school" idea, and an American take on it at that (don't throw rocks at me, sorry), is not what I'd like to see, I think the premise will give some fun moments. I'll be honest with you guys, though... Not particularly excited about this having a romantic interest (which it seems will have). I won't judge before I watch it. And I'll be honest with you guys; I have the feeling I'll like it. Maybe it won't be perfect, and maybe not what I would have done with this premise. But I don't think it'll be awful. Not for me, at least.
And if you want my opinion, having such a strong opinion before it airs will only make it harder for you guys to enjoy it!
Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
