My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria (Johnsonverse)

My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria is an American-Canadian-Irish animated series based on the 2010 relaunch of the My Little Pony franchise by Hasbro. It focuses on various background characters who were fan-favorites on parent show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010-2020), particularly among the show's brony community.

First announced in 2014 in response to the success of the 100th episode of Friendship is Magic, "Slice of Life", which aired in its fourth season, the series began airing on Netflix in 2015, and since then, it has received universal acclaim. Reruns have aired on The Hub and Cartoon Network's daily schedule since 2017 and 2018, respectively. The sixth season was released on November 6, 2020, and despite the fifth generation of the franchise being set for a 2021 release, the series has been renewed to seventh and eighth seasons.

Premise
The series focuses on

Opening sequence
The opening sequence for the series starts with a bird's eye view of Ponyville as the first few notes of the My Little Pony theme music plays. It zooms in to a shot of Derpy throwing muffins from her muffin cart, before she waves to her friends, who are then shown doing what they're characterized as. The show's logo forms, and the credits "Developed for Television by Tim Johnson" and "Based On "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" Developed by Lauren Faust" appear at the end, against a purple background.

Theme lyrics
The theme song is written by Daniel Ingram and Tim Johnson, and was performed by Shannon Chan-Kent as Derpy with background vocals by Ashleigh Ball, Rebecca Shoichet, Kazumi Evans, Cathy Weseluck, Lee Tockar, Terry Klassen, and Peter New.

''Backup singers: Oh, oh... Derpy: Equestria is the place Backup singers: Equestria... Derpy: Where we all have fun Everypony can''

WORK-IN-PROGRESS

Main

 * Derpy Hooves (Tabitha St. Germain, speaking voice; Shannon Chan-Kent, singing voice) is the protagonist of the series. She is a clumsy but well-meaning mailmare who also sells muffins on the side. In addition, Derpy is surprisingly great at some things, such as singing, for example.
 * Octavia Melody (Kazumi Evans) is a musician. She likes to play classical music.
 * Vinyl Scratch a.k.a. "DJ Pon-3" (Jesse Nowack) is a DJ. She is a laid-back, smooth-talking pony who loves to
 * Dr. Hooves (David Tennant, speaking voice; Peter New, singing voice) is Derpy's husband. He is a Time Lord from Gallifrey stuck in a pony's body and sent to Equestria after an encounter with The Master; this fact is not revealed in the series.
 * Lyra Heartstrings (Ashleigh Ball) is the
 * Sweetie Drops a.k.a. "Bon Bon" (Chantal Strand) is a
 * Berry Punch (Lauren Emily Jackson) is a
 * Cherry Berry (Cathy Weseluck) is a
 * Minuette (Rebecca Husain) is an old friend of Twilight Sparkle.

Recurring

 * Dinky Doo (Caitlin Carmichael) is Derpy and Dr. Hooves' daughter.
 * Golden Harvest a.k.a. "Carrot Top" (Cathy Weseluck) is a
 * Roseluck (Kazumi Evans) is
 * Amethyst Star (Brenda Crichlow) is a
 * Flower Wishes (Ashleigh Ball) is a
 * Steven Magnet (Lee Tockar) is a sea serpent who

Also recurring in Friendship is Magic

 * Discord (John de Lancie) is a semi-reformed draconequus who
 * Trixie (Kathleen Barr) is a blue unicorn who constantly refers to herself in the third-person.
 * Big McIntosh a.k.a. "Big Mac" (Peter New) is a stallion who usually only says "Eeyup", with a deep, masculine voice.
 * Cheerilee (Nicole Oliver) is
 * Cranky Doodle Donkey (Richard Newman) is a cranky donkey.
 * Matilda (Brenda M. Crichlow) is
 * Bulk Biceps (Michael Dobson) is

Development
In 2013, it was announced that the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic would receive a spin-off. Rumors that it would focus on fan-favorite background characters circulated heavily.

Casting
Many of the actors

Animation
The animation is provided by Boulder Media, Johnson's Irish animation studio, in collaboration with CinarDHX Media, Johnson's Canadian animation studio.

Broadcast history
My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria was first released on Netflix on November 6, 2015. It became one of the highest-watched series on the platform. It was renewed in January 2016,

Reception
The series was critically acclaimed for its premise, its animation and voice acting, and its storytelling. Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 100% rating, its critic consensus stating,

Controversy
The show received some controversy for the fourth-season episode "The Wedding of Lyra and Bon-Bon", which depicts the characters Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon getting married.