History WesternAnimation / MyLittlePonyANewGeneration

** One of the unicorn foals in Bridlewood (the one who says "Ooh! You said a bad word!") has a British accent while none of the other unicorns do.

** Phyllis hisses "[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi It's your]] ''[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi dessss]]''[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi -tiny]]" at Sprout. Later, he enters the Canterlogic factory [[Film/StarWarsANewHope as an imposing silhouette wearing a cape and breathing very heavily.]] Subverted when he steps out of the shadows and it's revealed he's just sipping a smoothie.

** Sunny and Izzy have travel montage where the landscape changes around them. The golden tones of the forest background strongly imply that this is a nod to a very similar scene in ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn''.
** Phyllis hisses "[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi It's your ''dessss-tiny'']]" at Sprout. Later, he enters the Canterlogic factory [[Film/StarWarsANewHope as an imposing silhouette wearing a cape and breathing very heavily.]] Subverted when he steps out of the shadows and it's revealed he's just sipping a smoothie.

** In the trailer, Sunny and Izzy are shown traveling as the landscape changes around them... and the golden tones of the forest background strongly imply that this is a nod to a very similar scene in ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn''.
** At one point, Sprout enters a factory silhouetted [[Franchise/StarWars wearing a cape and breathing very heavily]]. However, the lights turn on and it is revealed he is just sipping on a smoothie.

A comic called ''My Little Pony: A New Generation Return to Canterlot'' was announced. Created by [[Creator/IDWPublishing IDW]], the comic serves as a sequel to the movie taking place not long after it. The plot involves one of the pony crystals being stolen by a thief with our heroes tracking down the culprit's location to Canterlot.

* ContrastingSequelSetting: In the hundreds, if not thousands, of years since ''Friendship is Magic'', the three kinds of ponies have gone from living in harmony to living in fear of each other.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: After Sunny interrupts the Canterlogic demonstration, Hitch levies this trope at her for not providing any proof the other races are harmless.

* ArtEvolution:
** While ostensibly taking place in the same universe as G4, the pony designs here are slightly more realistic in terms of proportions. Pegasi notably have much longer wings, which completely cover their cutie marks when folded and have a more impressive wingspan.

** In previous generations, adult pegasi wings were generally uniform in appearance. Here, the royal family all have noticeably different wing designs.

** On the lighthouse's upper floor, among the papers hanging on the wall, is an illustration of a [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Gossip Stone]].

In 2022, the film will be followed by ''Tell Your Tale'', a 2D animated series for Youtube, on April 7th, ''Make Your Mark'', a 44-minute special for Netflix, on May 26th, and a 23-episode [=CGI=] series for Netflix in the fall.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. After Sunny interrupts the Canterlogic demonstration, Hitch levies this trope at her for not providing any proof the other races are harmless. However, he ignores that her father researched the issue extensively and his findings were dismissed as "brainwashing" rather than historical fact, ''and'' he's quickly revealed to be a hypocrite when Izzy traipses merrily into town and he immediately springs all the town's defenses on her even though she hasn't done anything even remotely threatening.

In 2022, the film will be followed by "Tell Your Tale", a 2D animated series for Youtube, on April 7th, "Make Your Mark", a 44-minute special for Netflix, on May 26th, and a 23-episode [=CGI=] series for Netflix in the fall.

In 2022, the film will be followed by a 44-minute special in the spring, a 23-episode [=CGI=] series in the fall, and a [=2D=] "supporting series" that will stream on Netflix and Youtube.

In February 2021, a computer-animated streaming television series based on the movie was greenlit, as well as a 44-minute special that will take place between the movie and the animated series. These are expected to be released in Fall 2022 and Spring 2022, respectively.

* CastingGag:
** This isn't the first time that Creator/KimikoGlenn [[WesternAnimation/{{Centaurworld}} voiced an equine]]. Both works even premiered within the same year on [[Creator/{{Netflix}} the same platform]].
** This isn't also the first time that Creator/JamesMarsden played [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog a town sheriff reluctantly helping the hero in completing their quest]], though this time it's because he's already friends with the main character, instead of slowly becoming friends.

** Argyle has several artifacts from G4 or at least replicas or illustrations, given that several are known to be destroyed, such as one of Zecora's masks, the Harmony Box from Season 4's MythArc, the Dragon Lord's Bloodstone Sceptre (minus the Bloodstone), the Memory Stone from the ''Equestria Girls'' special "Forgotten Friendship", a portrait of Starswirl the Bearded, and even Grogar's Bewitching Bell.

** During Sprout's song to scare the citizens of Maretime Bay into being paranoid that the pegasi and unicorns are preparing to attack, a set of TV displays is shown broadcasting clips from Generation 1, and from the same song the word "discord" makes a noteworthy appearance, with Gen 4 having had a major supporting character by that name.

** [[spoiler:Sunny's alicorn form has her wings and horn made of HardLight, which is very different from the alicorns of ''Friendship is Magic'' but does recall Sunset Shimmer's [[GoldenSuperMode "Daydream" form]] in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGames''.]]

* CosmicDeadline: When Sunny and friends find the Unicorn crystal, the film seems to recognize it needs that subplot where the main character struggles to defeat their opponent, gets mentored by a wiser character, and slowly gets better until they win the high-stakes competition. But it's the third act and the plot needs to hurry up, so they just have Pipp spout two lines of platitudes right before the final round, and Sunny instantly wipes the floor with the pony who owns the arcade machine.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. After Sunny interrupts the Canterlogic demonstration, Hitch levies this trope at her for not providing any proof the other races are harmless. However, he ignores that her father researched the issue extensively and his findings were dismissed as "brainwashing" rather than historical fact, ''and'' he's immediately revealed to be a hypocrite when Izzy traipses merrily into town and he immediately springs all the town's defenses on her even though she hasn't done anything even remotely threatening.

* UnexplainedAccent: One of the unicorn foals in Bridlewood (the one who says "Ooh! You said a bad word!") has a British accent while none of the other unicorns do.

** A Maretime Bay movie theatre has several parody movie posters. One of them, depicting a giant unicorn attacking a swimming earth pony from underwater, is called ''[[Film/{{Jaws}} Horns]]'', and the other one is called ''[[Franchise/HarryPotter Harry Trotter]]''. Another poster is for ''[[Film/DirtyDancing Dirty Prancing]]''. The headlining film is ''[[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay Judgment Neigh]]''.

** The jewels symbolizing pony unity that Sunny thinks will bring the tribes together again.

* {{Symbolism}}: The film has a RunningGag where every time Sunny opens the door to her house, it knocks the picture of her and her father askew. She always straightens it out, symbolizing her constant struggle to set the story ''straight'' about her father, and show he was ''[[VisualPun on the level]]'' about pony unity. [[spoiler: She doesn't bother fixing it when she returns home dejected about her failure, symbolizing her jaded loss of belief in his ideas. But after the lighthouse is destroyed, the representatives of the three races come together and straighten the shattered pictureframe, finally validating his teachings.]]

* ContrivedCoincidence:
** The letter made by the two earth ponies in all of Maretime Bay to still believe in friendship with the other races manages to be received by [[spoiler:the ''one'' unicorn in Bridlewood to have the same opinions]].