Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans Of My Little Pony

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I am not a brony.  Even if Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans Of My Little Pony doesn’t quite reach its goal, the documentary inspires me to consider how I got here.  Despite volumes of books written on a show I don’t particularly like, any consequences have been spared since my interest remains completely hidden.  Bronies depicts less fortunate souls as director Laurent Malaquais attempts to show that the My Little Pony fandom isn’t so weird after all, but he can’t congeal his footage into a compelling story.  Malaquais splits time between specific bronies’ lives from around the world and interviews with various cast members, although neither angle ends up being explored deeply enough.  That My Little Pony has helped these specific people cannot be denied, but one wonders if every celebrity appears more for their careers than the fans.  Making matters worse are a few animated shorts (starring John de Lancie) which try explaining bronies with a Gilbert and Sullivan-esque tune, but only end up stereotypically dividing them into non-existent groups.  However, Malaquais does at least capture the fandom’s spirit, which shines through for large stretches and makes Bronies an overall enjoyable experience.  Focusing on those fans who are unaccepted by their community is wise, but Malaquais doesn’t demonstrate why this show inspires such devotion.  No time is spent on any character besides Twilight (because of Tara Strong), while the writing and episode strength doesn’t match other top shows of its era.  Every interview subject still seems like an outsider who looks and acts very strange, while they’re not entirely humanized or made to seem remotely normal.  Not that anyone should, but the distinct question of “why?” hangs over Bronies without ever being answered.  At least it hints that My Little Pony’s positive outlook came as a respite after 2008’s economic recession, which similarly parallels the Beatles and Shirley Temple in history.  And the love felt and good times had by every convention-goer are definitely infectious.  Pacing and editing problems still dominate however, while having to meet celebrity demands doesn’t help either.  Malaquais makes some progress on a vexing conundrum for outsiders though, even if Bronies almost certainly won’t recruit any new fans.

The opening minutes are a prime example of why.  Multiple bronies gaze into the camera and discuss their recent interest like a drug.  They look exactly like you’d expect, and don’t offer much justification outside of My Little Pony being “great”.  Then comes an animation segment that features John de Lancie’s pony OC Rex Harrison-ing his way through a “song” which theoretically explains facets of the brony phenomenon.  This involves dissing My Little Pony’s first three generations and needlessly clarifying “brony”’s portmanteau origin.  Not sure who thought having de Lancie sing when he can’t and grouping such “normal” people into stereotypes was a good idea.  Plus, this few minutes of animation probably doubled Bronies’ budget when it should have just been cut.

Thankfully Malaquais concentrates on regular bronies soon afterward, but to varying degrees of success.  Alex Tibcken is a pilot from North Carolina who somehow drives a Mercedes.  Pony decals on it led to windows being smashed and him getting threatened at gunpoint, but he mercifully survived without incident.  Despite being some 900 miles away from BronyCon, Alex will drive that far so he can meet some people who aren’t complete dicks.

Lyle Gilpatrick seems like a rather nerdy loner teen who is nevertheless extremely smart and thoughtful (and will probably someday be a sniper).  His parents are both unsure about My Little Pony, but Lyle’s mom becomes more accepting and willing to help him attend BronyCon.  Mr. Gilpatrick is described by both as “conservative” and hating the idea of this show.  After being “roped” into coming along (his words), his attitude doesn’t improve despite talking to another dad (who appears rather helpful) and John de Lancie.  No one mentions however that de Lancie is a father himself whose son is gay.  He knows exactly what Mr. Gilpatrick is going through but never says so.  Whether such an admission was cut or not, this exclusion cannot be forgiven.

Moderately more adjusted is Yoav Landau, who lives in Israel and does techno remixes as The Living Tombstone.  He became a virtual YouTube celebrity thanks to ponies, but has never met another brony around Tel Aviv.  Yoav journeys to BronyCon Jersey and plays his tunes, but otherwise doesn’t have an interesting story.  Confusingly, he is constantly subtitled despite speaking fluent English.  Sure, his accent results in some questionable words, but there mostly isn’t a problem.  Doing so because he comes from another country only seems insulting.

Also from outside the United States is Daniel Richards, who lives in central England and will travel north to Manchester for a convention there.  Daniel has Asperger’s, an autism spectrum disorder that manifests itself in different ways.  For him, this produces some amount of OCD, impaired social interaction, and a slightly odd way of talking, although he always sounds very intelligent.  Richards’ main drama upon arriving in Manchester is getting lost and eventually asking a local for directions, but he does enjoy himself quite a bit while there.  Such awkward behavior around others should be expected, and this is clearly better than the none he would have had without ponies.

The final storyline moves to Germany, where current couple Benjamin Meyer and Nadine Neumann reside.  They met at a brony meetup and were almost instantly taken with each other.  Later, we will discover they are engaged.  While showing ponies are capable of bringing together two people who otherwise never would have met, their relationship is too short-lived for any meaningful commentary.  Filming after the second season isn’t enough time to determine My Little Pony’s lasting effects, and we likewise can’t predict if they’ll breakup after a few months, divorce once the show ends and they have nothing else in common, or remain married for a long time.  No perspective is possible yet, which highlights an unfortunate failing of Bronies.  Without knowing if ponies are a pog-like fad or Star Wars phenomenon, how important any of this is remains uncertain.

Interspersed among these stories are various celebrities and other figures associated with the series.  Most notable are John de Lancie and Tara Strong of course, who also served as executive producers.  Unfortunately, Hollywood’s machinations become apparent in retrospect, since both have scenes included which only seemingly bolster their image.  de Lancie is treated as a virtual god whose mere presence both brightens anyone’s day and legitimizes the My Little Pony phenomenon.  While amiable as always, Strong visits a fan with cancer whose story is otherwise unrelated.  Obviously this person wouldn’t swoon over Joe Schmo, but in context the scene only shows Strong’s alleged compassion rather than contributing anything to the premise or existing storylines.  While well meaning, these demonstrate why criticism of Bronies “fawning over its” celebrity talent exists and are therefore almost indefensible.

Series creator Lauren Faust fares marginally better, although her sections aren’t without problems either.  She gives good (if short) background material on My Little Pony’s creation, and certainly acts less agenda-driven than her more famous costars.  But everything becomes more awkward later when she describes having to leave the show (a decision she doesn’t regret) without explaining why or delving into details.  Not that she should, but this was information better left out if it wasn’t going to be explored thoroughly.  Faust’s warm reception at BronyCon (with mutual expressions of love) likewise feels “fawning” even as it depicts the convention’s joyful spirit.  Other tangential pony “celebrities”/talking heads also make appearances (Dustykatt, SR Foxley, that psychologist couple), but their community relation is barely elucidated and we don’t learn why they’re important.  While trying to help clarify My Little Pony’s popularity, these sections only add confusion and take away from the main story involving “average” bronies.

This unfortunately means Bronies is never completely satisfying.  Not enough time has passed for the “normal” brony stories to show any ultimate effects, the involved celebrities all have agendas which supersede Malaquais’s premise, and that horrid animation wastes time and money so bronies can be reduced to stereotypes.  While Malaquais tries demonstrating that bronies are no different from regular people, every subject comes off as a weird outcast who only fits the group’s expected sexual deviancy.  He doesn’t have a strong feel for compelling stories, and makes too many mistakes regarding what appears onscreen.  At least Malaquais showed off My Little Pony’s friendly spirit while partially accomplishing some of his goals, but documentary filmmaking often involves what movie ends up getting made rather than what you think it will be.  Clearly Malaquais believed Bronies would come out much differently, which explains the general dissatisfaction amongst viewers.  He wanted to change public opinion toward a subculture which isn’t all that weird when compared to other similar ones, but Bronies will never do that.  Hopefully Malaquais learned much from this film, because he looks overwhelmed by what happened during production (despite a fair amount of previous experience making movies).  Bronies failed its objectives, which is too bad given watching the movie isn’t all that terrible.  Perhaps another director can improve this premise someday, because Bronies will always be more of a first draft than the final word on My Little Pony.