TRIBECA FILM FEST 2014: A BRONY TALE
As a kid, when I wasn’t running around playing Star Wars, I played with My Little Ponies like it was my job. I mean, what’s not to like as a little girl? Brightly colored plastic ponies with long hair that you could brush with a colored coordinated comb?! What?! Never did I think that at the age of 33, I would be sitting down to watch an entire documentary about grown men indulging in the new animated version of the series. Dudes watching a little girl’s show?! And it’s seriously not a weird thing. It’s just a thing. A truly awesome thing.
In A Brony Tale, director Brent Hodge happens to be close friends with voice actress Ashleigh Ball. Ashleigh is the voice of two characters on the cartoon series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. One day, she receives an invitation to something called BronyCon in NYC. She has heard through the grapevine that the show has somehow collected a fan base of, besides kids, predominantly straight male fans from ages 18-35. This confuses and frankly concerns her as she is invited to speak at this convention. Hodge then puts our minds at ease by spotlighting real fans all over the U.S. Real-life bros, war vets, bikers, college kids, dads and high schoolers alike.
Not for one second do you ever think anyone is creepy or out of bounds. This incredible subculture is one based on the moral lessons from the series itself. The message on the show is about acceptance, love, and doing what’s right. The humor in each episode knocks you out. I’ve seen the show. Netflix has about a billion episodes… okay, they currently have 65 episodes and a handful of movies that you can stream, but still. That’s a whole lot of ponies!
The phenomenon came to life with an online forum called 4chan. With an appreciation for the art, running jokes and themes, the show became a platform rife for creating internet memes to be posted on the site. Once the show runners learned of the Brony movement, they got bolder in their writing, even creating a guest character called Derpy Hooves as a nod to the fans. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has really witty writing often referencing pop culture. Stephen Sondheim was the inspiration for several original songs and a pony named Doctor Whooves was created to honor David Tennant’s incarnation of the 10th Doctor on Doctor Who. The fandom is not only comprised of little girls and men. Some older female fans sometimes take on the badge of “Pegasister” in referring to themselves. Either way, it’s all in good fun. A Brony Tale is a wonderful documentary filled with the sheer joy that comes with being a part of a fandom. Bronies exist. Deal with it. I have.
VERDICT: MUST SEE
Writer/Director: Brent Hodge Starring: Ashleigh Ball, The Bronies, Hey Ocean Runtime: 77 min. For Tribeca Tickets and more info: TICKETS
BOTTOM LINE: This doc is fun. It’s heartfelt and insightful. You will walk away feeling good and feeling informed about a cool group of people that you may not have thought you’d ever understand.