My Little Pony: A New Generation lives up to its name, unveiling a whole new Equestria where a lot has changed since the day of Twilight Sparkle. The new Netflix film, which premieres September 24 on Netflix, takes place many years after the events of Friendship Is Magic series in a time where fear has divided the world between Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi.
One brave Earth pony named Sunny Starscout (Vanessa Hudgens, The Princess Switch) teams up with an upbeat unicorn named Izzy Moonbow (Kimiko Glenn, DuckTales) to discover what happened to magic and hopefully reunite the ponies. On their journey, they run into a Pegasus named Zipp Storm (Liza Koshy, Work It) and start piecing together the puzzle.
Glenn and Koshy, whose camaraderie from Liza On Demand perfectly translates to voice acting and interviews alike, spoke to Screen Rant about the powerful messaging you can learn from ponies and the onscreen music that stayed with them offscreen.
Screen Rant: I had so much fun watching My Little Pony: A New Generation. What was it that made each of you want to join the magical - or in this particular case, magic-less - world of Equestria?
Liza Koshy: It's a magic-less world in which we all realize the magic that [is] within ourselves and among each other, and that what makes us all so different is what makes us unique and unified. We're coming together over those differences and realizing our similarities, the love that we all have for each other, and the magic in our world, and allowing it to rise again.
So, yes, it was a great use of 90 minutes of my time to watch it - and a great use of, I guess, a month of recording it. It was just a fun project to be a part of, and I got to work and put up with my friend again.
Kimiko Glenn: My Little Pony is such an iconic franchise, and I think the themes most importantly are just so universal and so timeless. It's so much about how the fear doesn't serve us, and you see that throughout the entire movie. Actually, what brings us together is what makes us stronger, and I think that's something we can always be reminded of and always take from, and we tend to forget it.
It's so easy to get protective over ourselves or one another, but it's just a story about love and friendship in a way that I think is for the whole family. It seems like it could be geared towards younger kids, but it's for everyone. It's literally so fun to watch.
Just from the musical standpoint, they have incredible composers on this. Like, the songs are bops.
Liza Koshy: Yeah, they are! And they are not humble about it.
Kimiko Glenn: It's so hard not to get up and dance. I listened to my song for the first time, and I literally got up and danced around.
Liza Koshy: I couldn't help but gyrate to your music. It was so good. Sofia Carson has an amazing number too, and Vanessa Hudgens. Everybody contributed their powers.
Kimiko Glenn: "Angry Mob Song" is so funny.
What was it was like to record for the film? Was this post-pandemic or pre-pandemic?
Kimiko Glenn: There were things that happened during the pandemic.
Liza Koshy: Yeah, I recorded all my beats in Houston, Texas, I was at home living with family, and it was the first job that I did where I wore four masks and walked into the studio and was terrified. And the whole team made me feel right at home in a place that was definitely not home or the place where you're supposed to be. But it was safe and lovely, and they created such a warm environment to play in.
Also, I rode a little pony to church earlier - that moral messaging? You literally encompassed the film so well, with that moral message of not leaning into the fear. We learned that message as a whole in the pandemic, falling into your comfort zones and being within your own bubble. It helped me so much as a human, and I'm so excited.
Kimiko Glenn: Nothing was more relevant than this movie during the pandemic. I'm so glad this is coming out. It's such a good message we need to be reminded of.
I love Izzy's wide-eyed innocence. Can you talk about her feelings on Earth ponies when she first arrives? What is her impression?
Kimiko Glenn: I think she's so welcoming of anyone. She has no fear, no preconceived notions about anyone; she just loves, and she's so open-hearted. I think that's what I love about Izzy: she's just like, "Hi, new friend!" That's literally what she says as one of her first lines, and she's just so excited to welcome people into her world, to show people who she is and learn who they are. That's one of my most favorite things about this character, and that's why I love her.
On the other hand, Zipp is royalty in the land of the pegasi, and yet she's not necessarily comfortable with her role in her community. Can you talk about her perspective on her family and Equestria?
Liza Koshy: Zipp Storm is the older sister to Pipp [Sofia Carson] who is this - "pip star sensation" is what I like to call her - influencer in her world of Equestria. She influences the culture, and she is a leader of sorts - but she's creating this entire version of herself online that she lives, and it's not necessarily her entire truth. She's creating a version of herself that others can digest and love and celebrate, but it's not really her.
I gave away the whole movie, but Zipp is this older sister, and I'm clearly younger sibling energy, so to embody her was so fun. To be in her power, knowing her truth, and making sure that others live theirs too. She has no choice, towards the climactic point of the movie, but to face her truth and allow others to live it too. She says, "No, this is the way it is, and we should acknowledge that and know that we are just as powerful without this or that." I'm giving too much away.
But I loved playing Zipp, and she just stands for individualism. She has this amazing energy about her that's kind of androgynous and lovely, like David Bowie-esque. It's a really cool character to be able to play and represent and to have a younger generation see that it's okay to embody both sides of the masculine and feminine and celebrate that. Zipp was a fun character.
Kimiko Glenn: It was cool juxtaposition from what I normally see you play; it was very grounded. Almost like the straight man - or woman. But it was really cool; there's a cool energy that you brought.
Liza Koshy: I'm animated in real life, and then my actual animation's like, "I'm... pretty much human."
Kimiko Glenn: My friends who have seen it are like, "Who is that? Oh my gosh, that voice is amazing."
What did you guys do as preparation to become one with your character? What was your way into your horse girl, or pony person?
Kimiko Glenn: I think Izzy embodies everything that I wish I was more of. I feel like it's really work to be happy in a certain way. And I think she's just so naturally open, and so bright-eyed and ready to accept and to feel secure in her surroundings.
Liza Koshy: You're literally describing yourself. That's exactly how I see you.
Kimiko Glenn: But certain characters, which we experienced in Liza On Demand, really help and are almost therapeutic for you as a human. They help remind you of certain things. I just would meditate on that before I would go in and live in that space. And I would always leave feeling happier and more open, just because I had played her for hours.
Liza Koshy: She would send me voice notes right after her voice sessions, and it brought so much joy into [her] life too. I could see that it just makes it glow. But she also brought so much life to the movie too for such a wholesome character. She's comic relief and, overall, it's just good to know that energy exists in this world that obviously needs it. They need Izzy.
Meanwhile, Zipp is like the brains of the operation. How do you ground yourself in that character?
Liza Koshy: Yeah. It's very like, "Okay, this is what we're gonna do. Here's the plan." Zipp has this idea of how things are going to break down, just because she is an older sister and has understood guiding her younger sister through this spotlight that she's in. It comes through with this really grounded energy and this all-knowing vibe, so her energy is just that we're just coexisting in this world. "I'm here, you're here." Izzy is very excited to meet everyone, and Zipp's just like, "We're all here together."
It's a beautiful balancing contrast between these characters [even when] there's so much in common. It was really fun. I embodied my older sisters, so shout out to Olivia and Rahel.
My Little Pony: A New Generation is available to stream on Netflix on September 24.