My Little Pony Live: The World's Biggest Tea Party (NR, 2008)

The My Little Pony pals are looking for something to do and end up deciding they want to do everything fun at once. The only way to do that is to have a big party -- THE WORLD'S BIGGEST TEA PARTY to be exact. Everyone offers to pitch in to make it a success, and kids in the audience get out their cardboard tea cups and sing "I'm a Little Teapot" together in anticipation. But not everyone is focused on helping with the party. Rarity (voiced by Cathy Weseluck) is too busy having fun at first to remember the streamers, and Pinkie Pie (Janyse Jaud) forgets the most important thing on the menu. Can the audience and a little magic help her find some tea?

The draw for any toddler and preschooler is seeing their favorite toys in giant form, dancing and singing on stage. Which means that kids who love the toys would probably enjoy seeing this live more than watching it on DVD. Without the audience-supplied cardboard tea cups and ladybugs in Bobby socks dancing up and down the aisles with party invitations, viewers are left with very little to get excited about.

Parents will definitely be bored; this isn't an enjoy-together experience. It takes the pastel ponies 18 minutes to introduce themselves (and what names: Tra La La? Sew-and-So?) and get to a song asking what they should do that day. At almost the halfway mark, they decide to have the tea party. And even though said party is in the Crystal Rainbow Castle in Unicornia, it's too late to impress. The only big dramatic development is that Pinkie Pie forgets the tea. Songs are plentiful and rather pointless; the only educational moment is when a song explains how tea comes from China, which is -- wow -- also the name of the tea cup.

Studio: Hasbro
Director: David Stern
Cast: Britt McKillip, Janyse Jaud, Venus Terzo
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 65 minutes
Theatrical release: September 12, 2008
DVD release: September 12, 2008
MPAA Rating: NR