MLP N Friends cartoon production thread

[Greebtron]

As you may have seen recently, the Sunbow Marvel Archive received the Transformers portion of paperwork from the estate sale of storyboard artist Wendell Washer. I was able to get the word to the MLP G1 fanbase, and that material is now in the hands of a fan who is in the process of getting everything scanned. There are at least a dozen storyboard packs, a big model sheet book and numerous other items in the assortment. As this will take a while to get digitized, I'll keep this thread ongoing:

Check for updates at: https://sunbowmarvelarchive.blogspot.com/p/mp-5201-my-little-pony-1984-1986-sunbow.html

We start off with the first special: Rescue At Midnight Castle. A 25 page press pack with a somewhat different story summary to what made air, and the first of four storyboard segments. This one is an earlier version of the Sea Ponies song sequence where we find that they're not quite as helpful as their tune asserts.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

The press pack is right. 'Charming' is exactly the right word for this special. The animation style is immediately lovable.

I do wonder what went on with the writing, because it feels like a glimpse of a show we never got. This special introduced a lot of stuff that never showed up again.

 

[Greebtron]

"The Rainbow of Darkness, that darkness sends. NOW BEGIN THE NIGHT THAT NEVER ENDS!"

Full Act III storyboards are up

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Storyboard artists are underappreciated. Some of those panels are very cute.

 

[Greebtron]

And on to the main series we go

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I'm excited about this. I'm going to be keeping a close eye on Whizzer as we go through these. Some people here remember why.

This storyboard has a floor plan! Oh I'm going to like this.

 

[Greebtron]

Before Cam Clarke, Rob Paulsen and Townsend Coleman became Turtles, they and Charlie Adler were the Big Brother Ponies.

Full storyboards for David Wise' Somnambula, Part 1 now up

 

[Greebtron]

The available samples from Baby, It's Cold Outside and Somnambula, Part 2 are up. As well as the full set for Quest Of The Princess Ponies, Part 1.

 

[Greebtron]

Last episode of the series (not counting the re-edited special) David Wise' The Prince And The Ponies

I've double-checked and there are four more sets still to come, with The End Of Flutter Valley and The Return Of Tambelon getting some rep.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Interesting. The princess ponies were supposed to carry their wands in scabbards.

G1 as a whole is remarkably attentive to how ponies interact with props, and evidently it was intended to be even better.

 

[Greebtron]

Here are some witches for your weekend.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I never liked the witches, but they get more interesting on subsequent viewings. They feel less out of place after the show introduces humans left and right, and their long family line gives us things to wonder about.

There is so much about the intended setting of G1 that remains completely mysterious. It's a changing world, but we never got to see what the world used to be. The early specials and the movie all feel like sequels to shows we never got.

 

[Greebtron]

The Witches of Mount Gloom are cooking up a Dark and Dirty tune.

The End Of Flutter Valley parts 3 and 4 full sets (with songs) are up. 11 episodes represented so far and still a bit more to come: https://sunbowmarvelarchive.blogspot.com/p/mp-5201-my-little-pony-1984-1986-sunbow.html

 

[CoffeeHorse]

This stuff makes me want to rewatch the show. I found The End of Flutter Valley very tedious but these storyboards are charming as heck.

 

[Greebtron]

This stuff makes me want to rewatch the show. I found The End of Flutter Valley very tedious but these storyboards are charming as heck.

The inherent problem with asking the guy who just gave his 'A' material for the movie to effectively do another movie, but in rigid ten minute chunks and put everything back to the status quo when he's finished.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

The art was also a problem. It's less expressive than these storyboards, and it lets the story down in an important way. Flutter Valley is barely more than a wasteland to begin with. The damage just doesn't come across as severe enough for a story of its length.

It is shocking how good some of these panels look. Colorize these and add some speech balloons and Hasbro could sell this.

 

[Greebtron]

We are talking about AKOM in 1986. Compared to TF, this show lucked out.

On the subject of comics, seems Wendell was one step ahead.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

That scene lost so much in the animation.

I hope more turns up. I do like G1, and these storyboards are like seeing these scenes again for the first time. Ponies are fun to draw, and this artist clearly got into it.

 

[Greebtron]

Last full sets up. Still some loose odds and ends to come, as well as a big model sheet book.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

"L.O. Note: Make spooky."

More interesting stuff here.

The End of Flutter Valley Part 9: The heads in these storyboards are very Rescue at Midnight Castle. Imagine if the whole series stuck with that style.

The Return of Tambelon Part 4: Grogar actually got creepier in the animation. Very surprising. These storyboards also confirm that Whizzer was supposed to be one of the captured ponies here. She is very difficult to spot in the episode, if she's there at all, making it seem like she managed to get away at the end of Part 3. This is something of a running gag with her.