But while the My Little Pony franchise would see much brighter days, the movie was a flop that killed theatrical plans for G.I. It’s a humble effort from Hasbro, and at least it has some jaunty bangers (“ Nothing Can Stop the Smooze” and “ There’s Always Another Rainbow”). And so we got the chaotic and underwhelming My Little Pony: The Movie, which throws in celebrities to voice non-pony characters: Danny DeVito, Tony Randall, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Rhea Perlman (the latter two voice bat-eating, scene-stealing witch sisters named Draggle and Reeka, respectively). The colorfully maned dolls with their tattoo-like “rump designs” (later called “cutie marks”) may have been popular with the target audience, but the toy company didn’t know what larger story to sell these characters with. Take Hasbro’s other toy turned cartoon adaptation of 1986, My Little Pony: The Movie. The business of making a movie from a toy used to be so small, so innocent. 1980s Hasbro had figured out the cartoon-storytelling landscape but was far from having the “ The Touch.” My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) Taking away Optimus Prime and replacing him with a whole bunch of other characters proved to be a disastrous act for the overall brand’s momentum and led to a commercial decline. It was an amazing disconnect for the company, which was smart enough to enliven its action figures with story lines (many written by Bob Budiansky for the brand’s Marvel Comics run). The red, white, and blue leader of the Autobots, famously voiced by Peter Cullen and his earth-shaking timbre in the cartoon, was knocked off as part of Hasbro’s desire to make way for the 1986 toyline. Hasbro’s first attempt at getting into the movie business was marred by a baffling act of self-sabotage: killing off robot in disguise Optimus Prime in the middle of his feature-length debut. We will, however, be talking about a jillion Transformers movies. Joe: The Movie), later purchases (like Power Rangers), and streamer sequels ( My Little Pony: A New Generation). In this case, we’re looking at movies based on properties owned by Hasbro upon their theatrical release, so we’re omitting direct-to-video installments (sorry, G.I. It’s time to look at what has filled the Hasbro Cinematic Universe so far and consider the products that have bulked up or diminished its reputation. Hasbro did manage to “Pass Go” with two movies this year: March’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and June’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which comes packaged with a cliffhanger unlike any other Hasbro film yet. To render plastic into flesh and blood is no small task, especially considering the wealth of toys and games whose feature adaptations have been abandoned during the gold rush: Ridley Scott’s Monopoly movie, Adam Sandler’s Candy Land flick, Taylor Lautner’s Stretch Armstrong project, and movies about Magic: The Gathering. The result is what we’re calling the Hasbro Cinematic Universe, a collection of (mostly unrelated) films, some of which are good, some of which are bad, and all of which put nostalgia up on the big screen. Since 1986, the Rhode Island–based company has been attempting to make it in Hollywood, turning nostalgia into blockbusters. The box office, though? That’s a different story. Joe, and tons of beloved board games, clearly enjoys success in the toybox. Hasbro, the company behind Transformers, G.I. Photo-Illustration: Vulture Photos: Paramount Pictures, Alamy, Lionsgate
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |