My Little Pony: The Movie has added one of the biggest pop stars in the world to its cast in the shape of Sia. The singer-songwriter is basically going to play an equestrian version of herself, too, as she's signed up for the role of pony pop star Songbird Serenade, while she's also set to record two original tracks for the film.
The latest casting decision for My Little Pony was announced at the panel for the film at San Diego Comic-Con, where it was confirmed that Sia would be taking one of her first forays into acting alongside the already confirmed cast-members Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The New Black), Emily Blunt (Into The Woods), Kristen Chenoweth (The Peanuts Movie), Taye Diggs (Best Man Holiday), Michael Pena (Ant-Man), and, most surprisingly of all, Liev Schrieber (Spotlight). Sia's addition to the cast is a calculated, but undeniably smart move from Hasbro and Lionsgate to broaden the appeal of My Little Pony: The Movie, by tapping into Sia's huge fan base. In the past, both The Smurfs and Home have used the same process to try and boost their release, as they added the likes of Katy Perry and Rihanna to their casts, despite the fact that neither had much acting experience.
My Little Pony: The Movie is based upon the hugely popular television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, which, in addition to appealing to young girls, has rather surprisingly garnered a large following of older viewers, who refer to themselves as Bronies. The movie adaptation will revolve around the Mane 6, who, to the uninitiated, are Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity. When a new dark force threatens Ponyville, the sextet have to travel beyond the realms of Equestria, where they meet new friends and overcome a variety of challenges in their attempts to save their home through the magic of friendship.
Tara Strong, Cathy Weseluck, Andrea Libman, Tabitha St. Germain and Ashleigh Ball are all reprising their characters from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Meghan McCarthy, who has been involved in the franchise since she scribed 2013's My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, has written the script, while My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic director Jayson Theissen is once again overseeing production.
On the face of it, a My Little Pony Movie probably sounds like the least appealing cinematic idea imaginable. However, the success of The Lego Movie, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and pretty much anything that Pixar gets its hands on proves that the animation genre can be twisted and turned into surprisingly heartfelt and hilarious endeavors. We'll get to see if My Little Pony: The Movie can do just that when it's finally released into cinemas on October 6, 2017.
