DVD REVIEW: My Little Pony - Adventures of The Cutie Mark Crusaders

[JessHorsley]

What Does Your Cutie Mark Tell About You? Find On This New DVD...

My 5 year old daughter started watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic about two years ago, at the tender age of three. As I said in my past MLP review (HERE), there must be something wrong with me - both then and now - because I actually enjoy MLP. Call me a "Bronie" if you must, but it's true - I love the series that seems to always shine a light on the positive while conquering the the negative; all while throwing in some cleverly written dialogue and pop culture references. Of course, it helps when there is such a wide variety of characters that it's impossible NOT to find at least one you'll like and enjoy seeing on-screen. The sporty Rainbow Dash, the eloquent Rarity, the animal-loving Fluttershy, the cowboy-ish Applejack, the party planning Pinkie Pie and the star of them all, the magical Twilight Sparkle. Of course, the supporting cast of ponies continues to grow with a wide variety of characters, each with their own unique styles, flavors and abilities. And what makes each pony, unicorn, pegasus or alicorn unique? Those cutie marks! Those small brand-like symbols on their hind ends that identify - for all the world to see - what each pony's style, power and abilities are and how they might put them to use.

Available now on DVD, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - The Adventures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders follows the fun and fabulous lives of three of Equestria's favorite young ponies - Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. The misadventures of these three delivers plenty of good times for both children and MLP-loving adults alike. Five individual episodes - The Cutie Mark Chronicles, The Cutie Pox, Flight to the Finish, Pinkie Pride, and Twilight Time - are included here, each focusing on how the special abilities of the various ponies - and their unique cutie marks - makes a difference in the land of Equestria. You see, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom don't yet have their cutie marks and, in each of these episodes, we watch as our trio of heroes struggle with what it'll mean to not only have their cutie marks, but also have their identity as a member of Equestrian society.

As odd as it might sound, there's a lot to be learned and actually understood about how children today identify themselves and their peers in these episodes. My 5-year old identifies herself not just by where she lives, where she goes to preschool, where she goes to church, and what she wears; she also identifies herself by - most importantly - what she does, what she says, what she believes in and what she stands up for -- and these are lessons that, maybe surprisingly, find their way into the episodes on this DVD.

Many fan's favorite episode here will be "The Cutie Mark Chronicles;" it highlights how the main six ponies from the MLP: Friendship is Magic series received their cutie marks. It's essentially an origins story, of sorts, and it's exciting to see how each of the main ponies changed once they received their cutie marks (and thus, identities). The other episodes provide some enjoyable fun as well; "The Cutie Pox" featuring Zecora (the zebra) trying to help the Cutie Mark Crusaders find their cutie marks and "Pinkie's Pride" focusing not on the Crusaders but on (my personal favorite pony) Pinkie Pie, who is forced to consider her role when another talented party planning pony shows up (voiced by none other than "Weird Al" Yankovic).

Overall, this collection of five episodes provides a good variety of stories which not only entertain, but engage children (and adults), helping ask questions about personal identity, purpose, abilities and one's role in a group. While these are bigger and broader questions than most parents will ever want to ask their children, watching MLP together and simply discussing the importance of personal identity and how everyone has a special ability and purpose might be made easier for some when approached from the perspective of a brightly colored pony from the magical world of Equestria.

Available now wherever fine home video is sold, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - The Adventures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders includes five episode of the fan-favorite series, a number of bonus features (including a Sing-Along!) and more!

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