This episode is the first to set up the episode pattern that will be used throughout the series, and also the first for a number of other things. With this episode, I would like to discuss five things. First, I must discuss the classical influences in the show, namely with the chase scene. With two new (admittedly short) songs, this episode is a great chance to discuss the use of musical numbers in cartoons, from the very first. On to actual thematic evaluation, we get a great chance to evaluate the mane six's past and personality through their dreams of the future. Also, we get to see how the creators of the show set up the characters for eventual disappointment, and how the expressing of dreams is always full of foreshadowing. Lastly, we have the obligatory job of evaluating the letter to the princess, and the thematic importance of the lesson learned.
Although the style is uniquely talented, the show draws a lot from classical influences. Namely, the chase scene is done in a style that most of you should be able to recognize from watching cartoons on Saturday morning. From the very early days of movies, back when sound was still a dream, and color even farther away, the silent film industry made easy money by speeding up a scene of characters chasing after each other, and could easily add in the slapstick that was the gold of the industry in those days. With the rise of cartoon animation, back when Mickey Mouse was first on the rise, characters continued to chase each other. With the slapstick comedy of the era having a great influence on everything, it makes since that the chase scenes were always saturated with slapstick.
As the cartoons advanced, the slapstick died down to be largely replaced with more subtle comedy, although some of the jokes were still based on slapstick, and still are today. The chase scene, in contrast, retained the same slapstick style, and was considered the gem of the early days of cartoons. Then one show appeared, an obscure show called Scooby Doo. Scooby Doo ended up becoming so popular, it set the tone for the entire industry for the last 42 years. One of the most important things it solidified was the chase scene, creating a number of important syntaxes necessary elements. One of the most influential was the background music, in which a fast, upbeat song was played to add to the slapstick style of the chase scene. Another influential element that was not included in this scene but was included later in the series was the door scene, in which characters move in and out of doors in an often inexplicable manner.
Musical numbers in cartoons date back to the very first cartoon, named Steamboat Willy. Let me assure you, if you haven't seen it yet, it's not worth seeing. Music in the cartooning industry would have a major part to play for decades, eventually climaxing in the Disney Princess era, when you couldn't be a real villain, hero, or princess without singing at least a few musical numbers.
However, with the advent of computer animation, music became a backstage thing, as cartoons tried to mimic real life. Unfortunately for those of us who enjoy musical numbers, they hardly ever happen in real life, and therefore had to be cut out of the cartoons as well. In addition, another force against the musical number was a movement to make cartoons more accessible to "normal" people above the age of ten, so that these "normal" people would be more likely to take their kids to see the movie in theaters, paying more money. Sadly, the cartoon companies viewed musical numbers as being something that "normal" people don't like.
Luckily, any show with the name "My Little Pony" can't exactly be geared towards "normal" people, giving the creators of the show a lot more leeway in what they do and do not include. Luckily for us, they did decide to go with putting in really awesome musical numbers into the show.
Music within a show has a number of handy uses. The most important one is it allows the creators to deliver far more emotion for a short amount of time. This is why songs often accompany scenes with high emotional value, such as when Pinkie Pie gets really, really excited about the gala. Another important use is to create something for the fans to rock out to.
Onto actual thematic analysis. In this episode, we get a lot of characterization from the dreams of the characters about the gala. On an obvious level, this presents the viewers with hard information about what the characters want from life. However, on a deeper level, we get a lot of valuable information from the appearance of the scene. Whenever a character dreams about the future, unlike flashbacks to the past, they cannot help but infuse them with copious amounts of emotions, in this case desire. For example, when Rarity shows her dream, it is infused with pinks and purples, colors often associated with love and romance.
Starting with the first pony to reveal her dreams, Applejack's dream creates a very interesting portrayal of the character. The money she dreams of making, she dreams of using to replace things around the farm. However, the things she wants to fix don't pertain to her, or pertain to her only because they pertain to the whole family. This shows a devotion to her family, a devotion that comes before her own desires. A symbolic object you may have missed was the chest in which Applejack puts her bits. The design of the chest, up to and including the stacking of the gold coins, is very reminiscent of the treasure chest hunted by so many pirates in the old pirate stories. This has great implications, as one might point out how if the pirate does get his treasure, it's only after great struggle and usually does not leave the character fulfilled, and if the pirate doesn't, he's still not fulfilled.
Rainbow Dash's dream is pretty much on par for Rainbow Dash, in which she dreams of joining the Wonder Bolts yet again. This routine is pretty amazing, and I do really want to see a Buccaneer Blaze. Joining the Wonder Bolts is actually a really important part of Rainbow Dash's character, as her fandom is the greatest display of loyalty I have ever scene, which is pretty important on account of how Rainbow Dash's Element of Harmony is Loyalty. However, when she does become a member of the Wonder Bolts in her dream, her tail blaze does not change to match the rest of the team, staying a rainbow. Does this represent how she will almost achieve her dreams, but is inevitably doomed to fail? Does this represent how Rainbow Dash couldn't subjugate her unique personality, even to achieve her lifelong dream? I'll let you decide...but the answer is yes.
Pinkie Pie's dream is a sugar-fueled acid trip, but what else did we really expect to see inside of Pinkie Pie's mind. While her desire to party is admirable (by which I mean awesome), this scene has a number of unrealistic details, even for a Pinkie Pie number. Streamers and confetti fall down and balloons fall up from apparently no source, highlighting how unrealistically excitement-filled this imaginary party. Also, clearly Pinkie Pie has never heard of a Gala, on account of how most Gala's don't have clowns.
Rarity's dream is full of romantic symbols. Besides the copious amounts of pink and purple, one might also note all the flowers, the hair blowing in the wind, the dancing surrounded in a large circle by onlookers, and even the marriage scene. Prince Blueblood (Pony Jesus?) sure seems a likable person in this dream, but unfortunately this is only based off of his handsome looks and stories of Prince Charming, really the only information that Rarity would have on Prince Blueblood. Unfortunately, this whole story sounds like something from the Prince Charming stories, something from the romance novels which a character like Rarity would probably read. It sure would be devastating if this weren't the case.
(Am I laying on the fact that each pony is going to be let down heavy enough yet? More on that latter. Now let's see, where was I? Oh yes...)
Fluttershy's dream is, first of all, extremely adorable. The garden is an actual thing, but that the Flora is all in bloom on the night of the Gala sounds a lot like a rumor. In addition, Fluttershy has clearly never seen a gated garden, on account of how wild and uncontrolled everything seems to be. I don't...actually have much else to say about this one except for HOW CUTE!
Twilight Sparkle's dream is the best of the six. If you don't remember this great scene, then let me just say "HOW COULD YOU?" Actually, though, you're not alone, on account of how her dream is never shown to us, and is actually kept a secret until the night of the Gala, in the season finale. Let's just assume that this is not an accident, and actually has thematic importance. Well, if we were to assume that, we could then extrapolate that this is because Twilight Sparkle cares greatly about her friends, and doesn't therefore feel like she should burden them with her thoughts and dreams. This could then point to a low self-esteem problem, which we might have to discuss again later in the series.
Whenever a character reveals there dreams of the future, they are foreshadowing. If the dream is reasonable, like getting back home and getting back to teaching students about archeology, not to mention getting rid of a certain arc that the character has been trying to get a hold on for archeology, then the character has a pretty good chance of reaching there goals. Whether or not the success of the dream is fulfilling depends on the dream's content, not reasonableness. A dream involving getting a lot of money or fame will have to either change and/or leave the character unfulfilled, on account of how these desires subjugate the human social drives and represent human flaws. In contrast, a dream which goes along with the human social drives, like saving the princess from the horrible beast (although, if this is brought down by (usually implied) sexual desire, it goes in the fame and fortune category), it will often leave the character fulfilled.
However, an unreasonable dream has a very different nature. When a character, for example, wants to be the most famest or richest, or even just wants to sell a massive amount of apple-based snacks or court a Prince Charming, this dream can become a foreshadowing of future disappointment. This is one reason why most villains are doomed to failure. Note that the difference between a reasonable dream and an unreasonable one is often only in the gut, as a dream (such as to be the very best, like no one ever was) may seem reasonable in one story and not in another.
Now, to examine the thematic importance of the letter to the princess. For those of you who don't remember, this was the letter:
Dear Princess Celestia, I have learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing you're blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful. So, though I appreciate the invitation, I will be returning both tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala. If my friends can't all go, I don't want to go either.WOW! That was, to say the least, unexpected. The thematic value of this shows just how much Twilight Sparkle has grown to depend on her friendship with her friends, to the point where them being sad makes her sad as well. This emotional connection is the most important part of friendship, showing great character development already.
[Credits Song]
For you who didn't notice, when Rainbow Dash is talking to Twilight Sparkle from the hole in the sky, they drop a Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail reference.
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