# My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games
**My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games** is a 2015 animated musical fantasy television film, the third installment in the Equestria Girls spin-off of Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise, following *My Little Pony Equestria Girls* (2013) and *My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks* (2014)[1](https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Equestria_Girls%3A_Friendship_Games). It pits the human counterparts of the ponies at Canterlot High against rival students from Crystal Prep Academy in a series of academic and athletic events, while a human-world Twilight Sparkle investigates the magic leaking into her universe[2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/). The film was produced by DHX Media, directed by Ishi Rudell, written by Josh Haber, and produced by Devon Cody[3](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/cast/2030312310/) • [4](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/my_little_pony_equestria_girls_rollercoaster_of_friendship).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | First aired on Discovery Family Channel in September 2015; DVD and Blu-ray released October 13, 2015[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games) • [2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/) |
| Position in series | Third Equestria Girls film, after *Equestria Girls* (2013) and *Rainbow Rocks* (2014)[1](https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Equestria_Girls%3A_Friendship_Games) |
| Runtime and rating | 72 minutes; rated NR on home video and G on streaming guides; Common Sense Media rates it for age 6+[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games) |
| Central conflict | Canterlot High versus Crystal Prep Academy in the Friendship Games, a competition held every four years and historically dominated by Crystal Prep[2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/) |
| Key new character | Sci-Twi, the human world's Twilight Sparkle, a Crystal Prep student voiced by Tara Strong, who transforms into Midnight Sparkle[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games) |
| Writing change | The first Equestria Girls film not written by Meghan McCarthy, who wrote the previous two; Josh Haber wrote the screenplay[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4450396/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/cast/2030312310/) |
| Audience score | 6.6 on IMDb from about 3,000 votes[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and story
The film is set in a parallel universe to the *Friendship is Magic* pony world, where the franchise's characters appear as teenage humans at Canterlot High[2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/). Canterlot High competes against Crystal Prep Academy in the Friendship Games, a contest of academic and athletic events including archery, motocross, and roller skating[4](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/my_little_pony_equestria_girls_rollercoaster_of_friendship) • [2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/). Crystal Prep has dominated the games, which are held every four years[2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/).
**Sci-Twi and the magic problem.** The central new character is a second Twilight Sparkle: the human-world version, nicknamed Sci-Twi by the filmmakers, a studious Crystal Prep student who does not know [Sunset Shimmer](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunset-shimmer) or the other main girls and has built a pendant to investigate the magical energy she keeps encountering[2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/) • [5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games). Crystal Prep's principal, Abacus Cinch (voiced by Iris Quinn), pressures Twilight to use whatever powers she has to help the school win[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games). Meanwhile, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna ask Sunset Shimmer to keep the Canterlot girls' magic out of the games so Canterlot High is not accused of cheating[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games).
Twilight's experiments unleash magic that closes the portal between worlds and threatens the human world itself, culminating in her transformation into a power-crazed magical creature, Midnight Sparkle, and a large anime-style magic battle against Sunset Shimmer[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games) • [2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/). The DVD Talk reviewer Francis Rizzo III called this climax one of the most exciting moments the franchise had featured[2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/).
## Cast and production
[Tara Strong](https://www.edgepedia.org/tara-strong) voices Sci-Twi and Midnight Sparkle, Rebecca Shoichet voices Sunset Shimmer (and Sci-Twi's singing voice), Ashleigh Ball voices [Rainbow Dash](https://www.edgepedia.org/rainbow-dash) and Applejack, Andrea Libman voices [Pinkie Pie](https://www.edgepedia.org/pinkie-pie) and Fluttershy, Tabitha St. Germain voices Rarity and Vice Principal Luna, and Cathy Weseluck voices Spike[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games). Crystal Prep's students, the Shadowbolts, include Sugarcoat (Sienna Bohn), Sour Sweet (Sharon Alexander), Indigo Zap (Kelly Sheridan), Sunny Flare (Britt Irvin), and Lemon Zest (Shannon Chan-Kent)[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games). William Anderson composed the score[3](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/cast/2030312310/).
The film was the first in the Equestria Girls series not written by Meghan McCarthy, who wrote the previous two[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4450396/). Hasbro supported the release with a toy line built around the two schools' rivalry, including Wondercolts and Shadowbolts "Sporty Style" deluxe doll assortments priced at about $19.99, with dolls tied to the archery, motocross, and roller-skating events[8](https://corp.hasbro.com/static-files/ac35cfa5-4a47-4f27-9f29-f5dc90db8dfb). A ten-minute preview aired on [Discovery Family](https://www.edgepedia.org/discovery-family) on August 29, 2015 alongside the first four of five Friendship Games animated shorts released separately from the film[1](https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Equestria_Girls%3A_Friendship_Games) • [9](https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Equestria_Girls%3A_Friendship_Games/Animated_shorts).
## Reception
Common Sense Media rated the film for age 6+, describing it as the third installment of the franchise's high school films and warning that first-time viewers would be confused because the film provides no backstory for the Equestria Girls premise; it also noted the heavy tie-in merchandising[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games). In *The Guardian*, critic Mike McCahill called the film "obvious product" but credited it with attractive design and a peppy collegiate spirit[10](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/22/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games-review). The DVD Talk review praised the animation and the climax while judging the songs fewer and weaker than in the song-heavy *Rainbow Rocks*, singling out Sci-Twi's ballad "What More is Out There?" as the highlight[2](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/). On IMDb the film holds a 6.6 rating from about 3,000 votes[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games).
The film also passes all three criteria of the [Bechdel test](https://www.edgepedia.org/bechdel-test): it has multiple named women who talk to each other about subjects other than a man[11](https://bechdeltest.com/view/6482/my_little_pony%3A_equestria_girls_-_friendship_games/).
## References
1. [My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Wiki](https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Equestria_Girls%3A_Friendship_Games)
2. [Francis Rizzo III (2015). My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Friendship Games review, DVD Talk](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/69972/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/)
3. [My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Friendship Games - Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games/cast/2030312310/)
4. [My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games, Rotten Tomatoes](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/my_little_pony_equestria_girls_rollercoaster_of_friendship)
5. [Parents' Guide to My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games)
6. [My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Friendship Games streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games)
7. [My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Friendship Games (2015), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4450396/)
8. [My Little Pony Equestria Girls 2015 Product Descriptions, Hasbro](https://corp.hasbro.com/static-files/ac35cfa5-4a47-4f27-9f29-f5dc90db8dfb)
9. [My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games/Animated shorts, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Wiki](https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Equestria_Girls%3A_Friendship_Games/Animated_shorts)
10. [Mike McCahill (2015). My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/22/my-little-pony-equestria-girls-friendship-games-review)
11. [My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Friendship Games, Bechdel Test Movie List](https://bechdeltest.com/view/6482/my_little_pony%3A_equestria_girls_-_friendship_games/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Animated and family franchise film entries › Musical and fantasy entries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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