The “My Little Pony” movie is skipping theaters in favor of a streaming debut. The adorable little horsies of Equestria will (Rainbow) dash to Netflix “later this year,” a person with knowledge of the plan told TheWrap.
The movie was originally going to be distributed by Paramount Pictures and had a theatrical release date of Sept. 24, 2021. We do not know yet if that early fall date will remain for Netflix’s launch — we just know “My Little Pony” will bow on the streaming service in ’21.
Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights (excluding China) from Entertainment One (eOne), Hasbro’s entertainment studio, for an all-new, computer-animated feature film based on Hasbro’s popular My Little Pony property, the person said. EOne had previously planned to partner with Paramount for a theatrical release of the film, with the studio collecting a distribution fee.
The animated rom eOne’s animation studio Boulder Media is directed by Rob Cullen and Jose Ucha, with co-director Mark Fattibene. Cecil Kramer and Peter Lewis produced.
The film continues the saga of the pony world of Equestria, introducing a new generation of ponies to a new generation of fans. According to the studio, the film promises “even more humor, heart, and adventure” as “audiences will be swept away to a contemporary and immersive pony universe brought to life like we’ve never seen it before.”
That sounds nice.
2017’s “My Little Pony: The Movie,” which was distributed by Lionsgate, grossed $60 million at the worldwide box office against a $6.5 million budget.
Paramount’s own streaming service Paramount+, which is really just a fancy rebrand and expansion of CBS All Access, is set to launch on March 4, 2021.
Hasbro’s eOne has been busy adapting the toy manufacturer’s top I.P. since being gobbled up in late 2019 for $3.8 billion. The most recent example came just yesterday when broadcast network Fox announced it was developing a TV series based on Hasbro board game Clue.
Variety first reported the news that “My Little Pony” would be skipping theaters for Netflix.
For the record: A previous version of this story’s headline incorrectly suggested that Paramount had a role in shifting the film from a theatrical release to Netflix.