{ "id": "epx0gegp3z", "slug": "my-little-pony-the-movie-1986-film", "title": "My Little Pony: The Movie (1986 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "label": "Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts", "label": "Animated and short films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "label": "Animated films by source material and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject.films-with-original-stories-and-animal-l", "label": "Films with original stories and animal leads", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject.films-with-original-stories-and-animal-l" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: Animated films by source material and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "label": "Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts", "label": "Animated and short films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "label": "Animated films by source material and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject" } ] } ], "excerpt": "My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) is an American animated musical fantasy by Sunbow, Marvel, and Hasbro, directed by Mike Joens. Witches create the Smooze to ruin Ponyland's Spring Festival; it grossed $5,958,456 and was panned (Metascore 23).", "snippet": "My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) is an American animated musical fantasy by Sunbow, Marvel, and Hasbro, directed by Mike Joens. Witches create the Smooze to ruin Ponyland's Spring Festival; it grossed $5,958,456 and was panned (Metascore 23).", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject.films-with-original-stories-and-animal-l", "markdown": "# My Little Pony: The Movie (1986 film)\n\n**My Little Pony: The Movie** is a 1986 American animated musical fantasy film based on the Hasbro toy line [My Little Pony](https://www.edgepedia.org/my-little-pony).[1](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/My_Little_Pony_The_Movie?hl=en_US&id=EC9363A892F53A55MV) It was produced by Sunbow Productions, Marvel Productions, and Hasbro, and released theatrically in the United States by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG).[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/companycredits/) The film follows the ponies of Ponyland as the witch Hydia and her daughters create the Smooze, a purple ooze meant to ruin their Spring Festival, and it earned about $6 million against negative reviews, a result that led Hasbro to refocus on the toy line and television series rather than theatrical features.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0091584/) • [4](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47829/1/ClaireBurdfield%204214759.pdf)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Type | American animated musical fantasy, G-rated, 86–87 minutes[1](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/My_Little_Pony_The_Movie?hl=en_US&id=EC9363A892F53A55MV) • [5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) |\n| Director and writers | Michael (Mike) Joens; screenplay by George Arthur Bloom, with Roger Slifer also credited[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57417-MY-LITTLE-PONY----THE-MOVIE) |\n| Production companies | Sunbow Productions, Marvel Productions, Hasbro; US theatrical distributor De Laurentiis Entertainment Group[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/companycredits/) |\n| Release | Wide release June 6, 1986 in 421 US theaters; Rotten Tomatoes and the AFI Catalog list June 20, 1986[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_little_pony_1986) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57417-MY-LITTLE-PONY----THE-MOVIE) |\n| Box office | $5,958,456 domestic; opening weekend $416,108, 7.0% of the total[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) |\n| Reception | Metascore 23 (generally unfavorable); Tomatometer based on 3 reviews, audience Popcornmeter 72% from over 5,000 ratings[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_little_pony_1986) |\n| Home video | Shout! Factory issued a 30th-anniversary DVD (released January 27, 2015) with sing-alongs as a special feature[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-the-movie) • [5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe ponies live happily in Ponyland, where preparations for the Spring Festival are under way.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-the-movie) From their home in a volcano, the witch Hydia and her daughters Reeka and Draggle plot to make Ponyland \"dank, dark and dreary,\" and they create the Smooze, a massive purple ooze that turns anyone it touches into a meanie, intending it to destroy the ponies' annual festival.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-20-ca-11591-story.html) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0091584/) • [11](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/my-little-pony-the-movie-30th-anniversary/) A subplot follows the pushy baby pony Lickity Split, who runs away after ruining a dance routine; the ponies must stop the Smooze and find her and her dragon companion [Spike](https://www.edgepedia.org/spike-my-little-pony), helped by woodland creatures, human friends, and other allies.[11](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/my-little-pony-the-movie-30th-anniversary/)\n\n## Production\n\nThe film followed two earlier primetime television specials and continued the adventures of the horses living in Dream Castle.[11](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/my-little-pony-the-movie-30th-anniversary/) It was created as a tie-in to the heavily marketed My Little Pony toy franchise.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-the-movie) The hand-drawn animation was produced for Sunbow/Marvel in Japan and Korea, with [Toei Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/toei-animation) and AKOM responsible for the work; AKOM, founded in Seoul in 1985 by Nelson Shin, is credited with the animation.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-20-ca-11591-story.html) • [12](https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/bitstreams/7d9d1b98-3a18-46d3-a771-1fac7426fd0b/download) • [13](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/d2492609215cd311123628ab69fa585f.pdf) Music was recorded at Wilder Brothers Recording Studio and Mega Music and mixed at Saturday Morning Studios, with dialogue recorded at B & B Sound Studios; casting was by Reuben Cannon & Associates.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/companycredits/)\n\n**Voice cast.** [Cloris Leachman](https://www.edgepedia.org/cloris-leachman) voiced the witch Hydia, Rhea Perlman voiced her daughter Reeka, and [Madeline Kahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/madeline-kahn) voiced Draggle; [Danny DeVito](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-devito) voiced the Grundle King and Tony Randall was also in the cast.[11](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/my-little-pony-the-movie-30th-anniversary/) Nancy Cartwright voiced Gusty and Bushwoolie #4, Frank Welker voiced Bushwoolie #3 and a Grundle, and Peter Cullen voiced Grundle and Ahagg.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) TV Guide noted that parents might be mildly amused by the cast of famous voices.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986/critic-reviews/)\n\n## Release and box office\n\nThe Numbers records a wide domestic release on June 6, 1986 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, opening in 421 theaters with $416,108 and peaking at 1,003 theaters.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) In its third week (June 20), the film took $953,025, bringing the total to $2,975,671.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) Rotten Tomatoes lists the original theatrical date as June 20, 1986, and the AFI Catalog likewise dates it June 20, 1986, while a [University of Nottingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-nottingham) thesis dates the release to August 6, 1986.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_little_pony_1986) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57417-MY-LITTLE-PONY----THE-MOVIE) • [4](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47829/1/ClaireBurdfield%204214759.pdf) Final domestic gross was $5,958,456, all of it domestic, with no recorded international gross.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0091584/) Inflation-adjusted, this equals $18,164,448.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritics received the film poorly. Its Metascore is 23, labeled generally unfavorable.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986/critic-reviews/) Nina Darnton of *The New York Times* allowed that it might keep 3- to 7-year-olds entertained for an hour and a half, but found nothing that would move children and little wit for parents.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986/critic-reviews/) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) called the story treacly sweet and the animation simplistic.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986/critic-reviews/) Charles Solomon of the *Los Angeles Times* wrote that \"the sugary cuteness of the Little Ponies masks a corporate greed as cold and sharp as a razor blade,\" and described the animation as looking like \"rewarmed Saturday morning kidvid.\"[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986/critic-reviews/) • [10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-20-ca-11591-story.html) Rotten Tomatoes counts 3 critic reviews, while its audience Popcornmeter stands at 72% from more than 5,000 ratings, and IMDb users rate it 6.0/10.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_little_pony_1986) • [14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/ratings/)\n\n## Aftermath and legacy\n\nThe film was a commercial failure, grossing a reported $6 million, and it led Hasbro to refocus on the My Little Pony toy line and cartoon series while avoiding big-budget theatrical releases.[4](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47829/1/ClaireBurdfield%204214759.pdf) The franchise later returned to theaters with the 2017 film produced by Hasbro's Allspark Pictures and Lionsgate, announced in 2015 as Hasbro's first animated feature.[15](https://newsroom.hasbro.com/news-releases/news-release-details/magic-friendship-comes-big-screen-new-my-little-pony-movie) For the film's 30th anniversary, Shout! Factory issued a new DVD including sing-alongs, which Common Sense Media describes as offering today's fans a look at what the original franchise was and old fans a bit of nostalgia.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-the-movie)\n\n## References\n\n1. [My Little Pony: The Movie – Movies on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/My_Little_Pony_The_Movie?hl=en_US&id=EC9363A892F53A55MV)\n2. [My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) – Company credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/companycredits/)\n3. [My Little Pony: The Movie – Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0091584/)\n4. [Claire Burdfield, University of Nottingham thesis on My Little Pony](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47829/1/ClaireBurdfield%204214759.pdf)\n5. [My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) – Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/My-Little-Pony-The-Movie-%281986%29)\n6. [My Little Pony – The Movie (1986), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57417-MY-LITTLE-PONY----THE-MOVIE)\n7. [My Little Pony (1986), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_little_pony_1986)\n8. [My Little Pony: The Movie critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986/critic-reviews/)\n9. [My Little Pony: The Movie – Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-the-movie)\n10. [Charles Solomon, \"'Pony' Has a Bad Case of the Cutes,\" Los Angeles Times, June 20, 1986](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-20-ca-11591-story.html)\n11. [My Little Pony: The Movie—30th Anniversary, Video Librarian](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/my-little-pony-the-movie-30th-anniversary/)\n12. [Aalto University thesis on the first-generation My Little Pony toy series](https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/bitstreams/7d9d1b98-3a18-46d3-a771-1fac7426fd0b/download)\n13. [Foreword on AKOM Production Company and Nelson Shin](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/d2492609215cd311123628ab69fa585f.pdf)\n14. [My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/ratings/)\n15. [Hasbro newsroom: The Magic of Friendship Comes to the Big Screen in a New My Little Pony Movie (August 7, 2015)](https://newsroom.hasbro.com/news-releases/news-release-details/magic-friendship-comes-big-screen-new-my-little-pony-movie)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated films by source material and subject › Films with original stories and animal leads*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"My Little Pony: The Movie (1986 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[My Little Pony: The Movie (1986 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"My Little Pony: The Movie (1986 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "My Little Pony: The Movie is an American animated musical fantasy by Sunbow, Marvel, and Hasbro, directed by Mike Joens." }