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My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
S8.E7
All episodes
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  • User reviews
IMDbPro

Horse Play

  • Episode aired Apr 28, 2018
  • TV-YTV-Y
  • 22m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
411
YOUR RATING
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010)
AnimationAdventureComedy
Princess Celestia's dream of being in a play is fulfilled when Twilight casts her in one, but realizes that her talents lie elsewhere.Princess Celestia's dream of being in a play is fulfilled when Twilight casts her in one, but realizes that her talents lie elsewhere.Princess Celestia's dream of being in a play is fulfilled when Twilight casts her in one, but realizes that her talents lie elsewhere.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
411
YOUR RATING
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Denny Lu
      • Mike Myhre
      • Jim Miller(supervising director)
    • Writers
      • Lauren Faust(developed for television by)
      • Kaita Mpambara
      • Bonnie Zacherle(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Tara Strong(voice)
      • Nicole Oliver(voice)
      • Cathy Weseluck(voice)
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Denny Lu
      • Mike Myhre
      • Jim Miller(supervising director)
    • Writers
      • Lauren Faust(developed for television by)
      • Kaita Mpambara
      • Bonnie Zacherle(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Tara Strong(voice)
      • Nicole Oliver(voice)
      • Cathy Weseluck(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos6

    My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010)
    My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010)
    My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010)
    My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010)
    My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tara Strong
    Tara Strong
    • Twilight Sparkle
    • (voice)
    Nicole Oliver
    Nicole Oliver
    • Princess Celestia
    • (voice)
    • …
    Cathy Weseluck
    Cathy Weseluck
    • Spike
    • (voice)
    Andrea Libman
    Andrea Libman
    • Fluttershy
    • (voice)
    • …
    Ashleigh Ball
    Ashleigh Ball
    • Applejack
    • (voice)
    • …
    Tabitha St. Germain
    Tabitha St. Germain
    • Rarity
    • (voice)
    Kelly Sheridan
    Kelly Sheridan
    • Starlight Glimmer
    • (voice)
    Colin Murdock
    Colin Murdock
    • On Stage
    • (voice)
    Gavin Langelo
    Gavin Langelo
    • Gallus
    • (voice)
    • (credit only)
    Lauren Jackson
    Lauren Jackson
    • Silverstream
    • (voice)
    • (credit only)
    Shannon Chan-Kent
    Shannon Chan-Kent
    • Smolder
    • (voice)
    • (credit only)
    Katrina Salisbury
    Katrina Salisbury
    • Yona
    • (voice)
    • (credit only)
    Vincent Tong
    Vincent Tong
    • Sandbar
    • (voice)
    • (credit only)
    Devyn Dalton
    Devyn Dalton
    • Ocellus
    • (voice)
    • (credit only)
    • Directors
      • Denny Lu
      • Mike Myhre
      • Jim Miller(supervising director)
    • Writers
      • Lauren Faust(developed for television by)
      • Kaita Mpambara
      • Bonnie Zacherle(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Celestia's got talent
    Celestia has come on a long way as a character, though actually do like her. In the earlier seasons she was too underused and too much like a just there plot device done little with, with some exceptions. Then there were later episodes such as "A Royal Problem" that made her a lot more interesting and a fully fleshed out character where the problems had with her by fans were addressed. Her chemistry with Twilight has always been great too.

    "Horse Play" does a great job with her and it is one of her best episodes. Loved her more mature chemistry with Twilight here and it was great too to see another episode that sees Spike likeable. "Horse Play" is not a 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' classic, but it is one of the best episodes of Season 8 quite easily in my view. Not only does it replace "Surf and/or Turf" (not a popular opinion) as the best episode since the "School Daze" season opener, it surpasses it.

    The animation is beautifully crafted. With a lot of rich attention to backgrounds and facial expressions and the colours are eye popping in their vibrancy. The music has a good deal of atmosphere and character and in terms of how instruments are used it is very easy on the ears. The voice acting is typically excellent, with both Tara Strong and Nicole Oliver pulling out all the stops in dignified, heartfelt performances. Especially in the confrontation.

    Absolutely love Celestia's character writing here with her being as fleshed out as she was in "A Royal Problem", she has flaws but they are not exaggerated and it was easy to feel for her in a relatable situation. Twilight does cause a big problem, but in a with good intentions way rather than being cruel. She comes over as sympathetic and learns from her mistake. Her chemistry with Celestia really shines in their big confrontation. The rest of the Mane 6 shine in their own way and it was great to see Spike's character writing be close to how it was in Season 6, which was a big upgrade from the previous seasons. Insteaad of emphasising too much negative qualities, Season 6 and this episode saw him as the voice of reason, proving that Spike is a good character when written well.

    Writing is some of the most mature of Season 8 and balances funny humour and poignant sentiment beautifully. The story is compelling, delivered with a lot of verve and emotion. Complete with a very relatable and interesting moral that isn't ham handed. Nice too to see the Equestria lore expanded upon.

    Really there is very little wrong with "Horse Play". The very end is a touch weird but that is being nit-picky.

    Otherwise, great. 9/10.
    helpful•6
    0
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Sep 20, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 28, 2018 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Allspark Animation
      • DHX Media
      • Hasbro Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      22 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1080i (HDTV)
      • 480i (SDTV)

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