A Canterlot Wedding
"A Canterlot Wedding" | |
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My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes | |
Episode nos. | Season 2 Episodes 25 and 26 |
Directed by | James Wootton |
Written by | Meghan McCarthy |
Produced by |
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Featured music |
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Editing by |
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Original air date | April 21, 2012 |
Running time | 44 minutes (combined) |
Guest appearances | |
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"A Canterlot Wedding" is the title of the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth episodes of
"A Canterlot Wedding" was series developer Lauren Faust's final involvement in the show. The episodes are a direct reference to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. They deal with themes that have been considered serious and complex for a children's television series; scholars believe that they involve feminism-related themes. Before the premiere of "A Canterlot Wedding", The Hub began a major marketing campaign that included interactive content on the network's website, promotional events, and a print advertisement in The New York Times in the form of a ceremonial wedding announcement. The episodes' debuts attracted almost one million combined viewers, and critics praised their ambition, music, and visual sequences.
Plot
Part 1
Twilight berates her brother; he apologizes and asks Twilight to be his "best mare", to her delight. Shining Armor reveals he is marrying her "foalsitter" Princess Cadance, further cheering up Twilight. She meets a cold and distant Cadance who has no memory of a special rhyme they used to share. During the wedding preparations, Twilight further distrusts Cadance, as she criticizes every aspect of her friends' planning. As pressure from the ceremony mounts, Twilight's friends dismiss her claims about Cadance's poor behavior, saying Cadence is just stressed. Twilight approaches Shining Armor with her concerns, but Cadance takes him aside, casting a seemingly evil spell upon him.
The next day, at a wedding rehearsal, Twilight decries Cadance as evil, causing Cadence to run off in tears. A furious Shining Armor explains that Cadance is being rude due to pressure from the wedding planning and the spell she cast on him was meant to help him deal with the migraines caused by the casting of the shield. He dismisses Twilight as his best mare, claiming she shouldn't come to the wedding at all, and he, Celestia and Twilight's friends, who also refuse to believe her, leave her alone to go check on Cadence, who arrives to comfort Twilight. When Twilight tries to apologize, Cadance transports her beneath Canterlot.
Part 2
Twilight is in the long-forgotten crystal caves beneath Canterlot. An image of Cadance taunts her, saying the marriage will continue without Twilight's interference. Twilight shatters a crystal wall; she finds a dishevelled Cadance. Enraged, Twilight attacks the second Cadance, who proves herself to be the real Cadance by reciting the shared rhyme from their youth. Cadance explains she was abducted by an impostor who wants to marry Shining Armor. Twilight and Cadance escape to stop the wedding. Meanwhile, the fake Cadance plots against Shining Armor and the others.
Just before the ceremony is completed, Twilight and the real Cadance expose the deception. Enraged, the fake Cadance reveals her true image as
Celestia commends Twilight's conviction that ultimately saved the day. The real wedding goes ahead as planned; Twilight, who again becomes best mare, eagerly oversees preparations for a much more appreciative Cadance. After the wedding ceremony, a celebration with Twilight as the wedding singer ensues.
Production and promotion
"A Canterlot Wedding" was series developer
An advertisement formally announcing the marriage of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor was placed in
Themes
The episodes have been subject to
Broadcast and reception
Ratings
Both parts of "A Canterlot Wedding" premiered on The Hub in the United States on April 21, 2012.
Responses
"A Canterlot Wedding" received positive reviews. Emily St. James gave the double episode an "A−" rating, considering it to be a reason why she felt Friendship Is Magic was one of the best children's programs.[15] Articles in the New York Daily News and Entertainment Weekly described the episodes as "charming and surprisingly complex" and "ambitious, absorbing, and thoroughly entertaining".[7][12] Journalists have praised "A Canterlot Wedding"'s themes, describing them as serious, complex, and mature for a children's television series.[12][16] Common Sense Media writer Emily Ashby called the episodes "an illustrator of life lessons that have value for kids of all ages".[16] According to Shaun Scotellaro, founder of fan site Equestria Daily, Cadance was initially criticized by Friendship Is Magic fans for being a "pretty pink alicorn princess"—which was "the exact opposite of what we wanted"—but in the end the show's fans enjoyed the episode, and Scotellaro described it as "perfect".[17]
St. James and Sherilyn Connelly of SF Weekly called the music "one of the best things about this show" and "just breathtaking", respectively.[15][18] Reviewers often singled out "This Day Aria" for particular acclaim. Connelly considered it to be showstopping, and approvingly likened it to "La Resistance" from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and "Walk Through the Fire" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.[18] St. James favorably compared it to the Disney villain songs;[15] similarly, Comic Book Resources's Hannah Grimes cited the song's resemblance to Disney musical numbers, stating it "easily takes the cake as the best song in the entire [of Friendship Is Magic]. ... [I]t's on another level compared to the music in the rest of the series."[19]
Critics also praised the episodes' visual sequences. St. James complimented the way "the bright colors and beautiful backgrounds contrast nicely with the more simplistic Flash animation that drives the program".[15] Multiple writers enjoyed the fight between the ponies and the Changelings: Connelly found it thrilling, especially Pinkie Pie's use of Twilight as a gun;[18] and St. James considered it to be vibrant and pleasurable. Other sequences singled out by critics include the "bouncy and fun, filled with real joy and heart" wedding;[15] the climax in which Cadance and Shining Armour defeat the Changelings that "gets [Connelly] gooey inside every time"; and the scene in which Cadance transports Twilight to the caves, which Connelly described as "the most disturbing the show has yet produced".[20]
Home media release
On August 7, 2012,
Notes
- season 5 episode "The Cutie Re-Mark – Part 1".[2]
References
- ISBN 978-1-613-77605-6.
- ^ "The Cutie Re-Mark – Part 1". My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Season 5. Episode 25. November 28, 2015. Discovery Family.
- ^ Fletcher 2018, p. 27.
- ^ a b c Busis, Hillary (February 14, 2013). "My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Homages to Star Wars, Bond, More". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ a b Begin 2015, p. 100.
- ^ Begin 2015, p. 85.
- ^ a b Busis, Hilary (April 13, 2012). "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Exclusive: A Royal Wedding Invitation". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ "Celebrate the Wedding of the Year with Special Two-Part My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic on The Hub" (Press release). Los Angeles, CA: Discovery, Inc. March 28, 2012. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012 – via TV by the Numbers.
- Yahoo News. Archived from the originalon April 26, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ Fletcher 2018, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Valiente & Rasmusson 2015, p. 94.
- ^ a b c Hinckley, David (April 20, 2012). "Hub's My Little Pony Trots Along with a Heartwarming Royal Wedding Tale". Daily News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
- ^ Profis, Michelle (April 29, 2012). "Royal Wedding Anniversary – How It Influenced Pop Culture". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "Hub TV Network Scores Record High Audience with Outstanding Performance of Special Royal Wedding of the Year on My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" (Press release). Los Angeles: Hasbro. April 24, 2012. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e St. James, Emily (April 21, 2012). "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – 'Royal Wedding'". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ a b Ashby, Emily (August 6, 2012). "My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ Busis, Hillary (January 31, 2013). "My Little Pony: Fan Fury over Princess Twilight". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c Connelly, Sherilyn (August 15, 2012). "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 2 Finale and Wrap Up". SF Weekly. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Grimes, Hannah (March 5, 2022). "The 10 Best Songs from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Connelly, Sherilyn (August 8, 2012). "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 2, Episodes 24 & 25". SF Weekly. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Z (August 7, 2012). "You Are Formally Invited to the Royal Pony Wedding". Wired. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- Shout! Factory. Archivedfrom the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
Works cited
- Valiente, Christian; Rasmusson, Xeno (2015). "Bucking the Stereotypes: My Little Pony and Challenges to Traditional Gender Roles". Journal of Psychological Issues in Organizational Culture. 5 (4): 88–97. ISSN 2041-8426.
- Begin, Mary Jane (October 13, 2015). My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria. ISBN 978-1-419-71577-8.
- Fletcher, Kevin (2018). "My Little Pony, Communalism and Feminist Politics". In Dale, Catherine; Overell, Rosemary (eds.). Orienting Feminism: Media, Activism and Cultural Representation (1st ed.). Springer Link.
External links
- "A Canterlot Wedding – Part 1" at IMDb
- "A Canterlot Wedding – Part 2" at IMDb