# My Little Pony: The Movie (1986 film)
**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)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Production companies | Sunbow Productions, Marvel Productions, Hasbro; US theatrical distributor De Laurentiis Entertainment Group[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/companycredits/) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The 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/)
## Production
The 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/)
**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/)
## Release and box office
The 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)
## Reception
Critics 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/)
## Aftermath and legacy
The 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)
## References
1. [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)
2. [My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) – Company credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/companycredits/)
3. [My Little Pony: The Movie – Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0091584/)
4. [Claire Burdfield, University of Nottingham thesis on My Little Pony](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47829/1/ClaireBurdfield%204214759.pdf)
5. [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)
6. [My Little Pony – The Movie (1986), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57417-MY-LITTLE-PONY----THE-MOVIE)
7. [My Little Pony (1986), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_little_pony_1986)
8. [My Little Pony: The Movie critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-little-pony-the-movie-1986/critic-reviews/)
9. [My Little Pony: The Movie – Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/my-little-pony-the-movie)
10. [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)
11. [My Little Pony: The Movie—30th Anniversary, Video Librarian](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/my-little-pony-the-movie-30th-anniversary/)
12. [Aalto University thesis on the first-generation My Little Pony toy series](https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/bitstreams/7d9d1b98-3a18-46d3-a771-1fac7426fd0b/download)
13. [Foreword on AKOM Production Company and Nelson Shin](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/d2492609215cd311123628ab69fa585f.pdf)
14. [My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091584/ratings/)
15. [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)
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*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*
*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*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license