User Reviews

Right off the bat, I'll let you know that I am NOT a brony. I don't think there's anything wrong with a man watching "My Little Pony." I've seen one episode of "Friendship Is Magic" and the old 80's series. I get the nostalgia. I'm fine with people following it.

This documentary, however, was created with the intention of explaining bronies to non-bronies like myself, as though to somehow acquit the fandom of the negative image it has been saddled with, fairly or unfairly. This film utterly fails to meet that objective.

One would think, in order to show that bronies are just normal people like you and I, that normal people would be put front and center in this documentary. They are not. The filmmakers seemingly selected some of the most extreme bronies they could find. Basically every person focused on in this documentary is a walking, living, breathing personification of every negative brony stereotype. Without meaning to be cruel or unkind to those who featured in the movie, effeminate, basement-dwelling, autistic, pasty-skinned, doughy manchildren is all this reviewer could see.

And that's a shame, because in the group shots at Bronycon there did appear to be some relatively normal-looking people in the crowd. Perhaps in the five minutes wherein the documentary glossed over the military brony luncheon they could've actually found someone to shatter the stereotype, but even in that brief moment, they highlighted the most effete members of the group. For heavens' sake, Tara Strong was standing right there with her boobs practically hanging out and not one eye was on her chest.

If the hope was to bring bronies into the norm, perhaps the documentary shouldn't have focused on such outcasts. You have the pilot guy, who spends his days getting his life threatened because he unwisely paints a target on himself by putting pony art on his car. You have the kid who we all gave wedgies to in high school who took his PARENTS to bronycon (oh, the humiliation) and whose father, throughout the movie, looks one step away from sending the kid off to military school for de- programming. You have the agoraphobic, socially-crippled Asperger's guy from England, who, let's just face it, is a blazingly hot mess. You've got people who insist on being called by their internet screen names in real life. The list goes on, and none of them appear to be anything other than social outcasts and maladjusted losers. This is NOT how you show how normal you are.

As a non-brony, I approached this documentary hoping it would do something to dispel the overwhelmingly negative stereotype that follows the Brony sub-culture around. I hoped to gain some understanding of it. I watched it along with my wife, who had never even heard of bronies prior to viewing it, and not only did it not represent the fandom well, but it actually caused my wife to think poorly of it.

If you're a brony, you probably won't see anything wrong with the film. But be aware, if you recommend it to a non-brony as a way to make your fandom look better, you will be shooting yourself in the hoof, because this will only hurt their opinion. Vote me down if you wish. I have no hate for MLP:FIM fandom, and I think it's great you have your hobbies, but this is the way it looks to people outside the bronyhood.

Wow. Just wow. This documentary is created with the intent of showing off the good side of the brony fandom. The way it tries to do so is by gathering bronies all around the world and telling their various sides of the story.

However what they do is tell only the good sides of the bronies (it depends on whether you view the attributes of the fandom mentioned in the film are good) and in doing so boosting their egos but at the same time worsens their own image to non bronies. How? Basically they tell us stuff about how watching this show is daring because they're not the target demographic and they believe this show is the best ever and get this, believe all the previous incarnations are worse than this generation. And once just once cloppers are mentioned and the moment they are mentioned they immediately go onto some thing else.

This movie is just something special, it strokes the fandom's ego but at the same time degrades the brony fan base image. Now THAT is Oscar worthy

So, I watched it, the whole thing, and let me say it was really bad. I have nothing but respect for John de Lancie, Lauren Faust and Tara Strong but this did just not work out. There was not one good part of this. Keep in mind I will probably spoiler some stuff about the documentary (But I'm pretty sure you all know how this is going to go) so if you really don't want to know about that stuff: Watch it (Or don't, it might be better that way) then come back and read. Also I'm going to be doing a lot of comparisons between this and Indie Game: The Movie, just because they were both documentaries about a niche culture that were overfunded on kickstarter, so if you haven't seen Indie Game: The Movie (Watch it, it's very good) you may not get some of the references.

Anyway, the main point of why this documentary is so bad is its subject matter. It's trying to justify something that shouldn't have to be justified in the first place, it's people watching a show with the target demographic being little girls, but it's also written so that parents can watch the show too and not feel left out by asinine humour. Unfortunately, a lot of "bronies" seem to think that watching a show out of the target demo is risqué, edgy, and pushing barriers. You don't see me acting like a special snowflake for watching Girls or Adventure Time or Gravity Falls, I'm not the target demo for any of those shows. This stuff doesn't need an hour and a half to explain, nor does it need $300 000 to do it. They didn't even touch the terrible parts of the "fandom", all they did was pat bronies on the back and ignore anything bad that ever happened.

The film also seems to just be all over the place, you have upwards of five people you're supposed to be following and it just cuts between them saying things about their adventures. Half the time you have no idea whats going on they take an interview with a person and then cut to the next person who is in another continent yet you still think you're at the convention shown in the previous scene because all these conventions look exactly the same. It's a very scatterbrained experience, Lauren Faust talks about something, cut to a brony talking about something completely different, cut to animation that's all in rhyme, cut to someone speaking German with no subtitles because the name is there and then the name fades out and you get a split second to read what they just said. Half the time I don't know what's going on so I just zone out. With Indie Game: The Movie you get two story lines to follow, the production of Super Meat Boy, and the production of Fez, interspersed with Jonathan Blow talking about game design and such. Every time there's a cut you know who's talking, you know what storyline you're now following, and you know what's going on.

Another thing is that Indie Game: The Movie really made you care for the people involved, you got to know them and you felt their hardships as they happened to them. When Super Meat Boy isn't showing up on the store you feel disappointed and annoyed with Microsoft just like the developers do, when it finally gets put up and the game is a hit you feel happy and you feel the same way the developers do. In the Brony doc you don't really feel anything for the people, there's just this disconnect. It's like when the kid (I forget his name) is all scared about telling his parents you don't really care because there's nothing to be ashamed of, it's just a goddamn television program (Also I didn't like how everyone almost treated telling people that they were a brony like coming out as being gay, they're not even close to being the same thing so shut up about it). There was no emotional weight attached to any of it.

Take away the actual subject matter then you'd think $300 000 could at least make a film that is technically well done, but no, not even close. In the non-animated segments it looked like something local news would do (The animated segments looked like the show so I won't really complain because the animation in the show is brilliant). To make another Indie Game: The Movie comparison, when you look at some of the camera work in that movie it's magnificent, even if you look at the trailer you can see how great the cinematography is, the shots were well placed and they were very unique (Especially the one of the lineup of PAX I still can't get over how great it is). With this it all just looks kinda bland, you've seen every shot in countless other documentaries and so much of the movie is just talking heads staring at the camera saying whatever. But the worst offence comes in the green screen work, it looks very unpolished and in one scene there was actually green outlines around the people talking and it was really distracting.

To sum it up, this movie was really bad, I don't think there was one redeeming quality of it (It wasn't even so bad it was funny). If you really want a documentary about a niche culture just watch Indie Game: The Movie. If you want a documentary to pat you on the back because you're a special little snowflake for watching a show outside of the target demographic, then this is the movie for you. Otherwise, don't waste your time.

Bronies are, inarguably, the most hated fandom of all time. Almost two and half years have passed since the airing of the once ordinary and innocent cartoon that they are so hopelessly obsessed with, having now been transformed into an unavoidable, interminable Internet plague, and over this relatively short period of time, bronies have managed to, through a huge number of ways, establish themselves as the definitive example of what a truly disastrous fandom looks like. And indeed, it is an absolutely disastrous cult following. From the very day they crawled out of their filthy 4chan nest it was inevitable that bronies would become what they have become: a ridiculous, asinine and highly disturbing religious movement and a massive laughing stock that only the ignorant can take seriously.

And so in a pathetic and futile attempt to force people to understand them, bronies decided to create a documentary all about their special little fandom. And in doing so, bronies have only proved, via footage, just how bizarrely arrogant and insultingly immature they are when it comes to explaining themselves. This is a documentary aimed at bronies and bronies only; it's nothing more than a notorious piece of shameless propaganda, a silly celebration of the fandom that they adore so much, intending to make bronies look like prominent world-revolutionising heroes when, in reality, bronies are just a big, dumb, Internet fandom built around a television show aimed at primary school children. Now, I haven't watched this documentary all the way through and I certainly don't plan to, but based upon the documentary trailer and various clips of it that I tortured myself viewing (and not to mention the various other negative reviews that this documentary has earned), I can safely conclude that the whole thing stands as another fantastic example of why the MLP:FIM fandom is the worst to have ever arisen in history.

But why exactly is the documentary so bad? Mainly because this documentary is a biased joke that has brought the fandom to an even lower level than it was already at before. Not only does it joyously skip over all of hundreds of bad aspects to the brony fandom (namely the immense amount of diabolical adult content that the fandom gratuitously puts into the fandom experience every single day), but it also (in one of the various clips that I sat through) deliberately bashes the original My Little Pony toys and television shows, and in doing so, bashes franchise creator Bonnie Zacherle. I mean, you couldn't make this up. The documentary literally bashes the very person who brought this now ruined children's franchise into fruition in the first place. The song doesn't explicitly say anything against Zacherle, but by harshly criticising the roots of their stupid little horsey cartoon, bronies have confirmed true the notion that they're a big bunch of egotistical, uncaring hyper-nerds who believe that only their opinion is valid.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. On top of all the laughable arrogance, the documentary features plenty of sexism, sob-stories and selfishness to make the experience like watching something you would see on TLC. It tries to justify the hypocrisy of bronies treating a cartoon as a way of life, and fails miserably because it's just too obnoxiously immature to accept. There is really no point in watching such a stupid, creepy film, especially since it's about a fandom that has become so despised throughout the world, as it can only increase such an intense hatred for them. None of the various parts of this film I viewed inspired me; they only infuriated me. It's a documentary created simply to boost the colossal brony ego whilst alienating everyone else in the process, and in no way welcomes the attention of anybody who isn't mentally dependant on multi-coloured ponies to progress through life. Its very existence is evidence that the fandom is so desperate for outside attention and so endlessly hungry for praise and acceptance that it will inexorably march onward to its doom.

The Brony Documentary was well worth my purchase. As a 26 year old brony myself, I enjoyed seeing interviews from Tara Strong and John De-Lancie, as well as the convention coverage. The video is 90 minutes but seemed to go by faster than I wanted.

It has some good song choices included, especially in the closing credits.

Although I enjoyed it very much, it is not without its flaws. For starters, some of the people interviewed were probably not the best. The documentary put to much emphasis, on being an outcast, and didn't really focus on the fact that most bronies are just normal people.

Being a brony doesn't make you an outcast, or hated by you're community. Well, obviously that is the case for some. But for many, it's about just getting together and having a good time.

The Political/social aspect that was included really was uneasy to watch. John De-Lancie and others have always tried to justify guys liking MLP by making some sort of political, or social statement about the country... That just isn't really the case. It's just a good show with amazing fans who do amazing things.

I wish the documentary would have focused on the "everyman." more so than they did. Though, I could see how that would have come across as boring to a viewer.

Another issue I had, is that it should have spent way more time talking about the creative side of the fandom. The music, art, and everything in between is the best I've ever seen out of any fandom. But it was only lightly touched on in the film.

If you are a brony, then I would highly recommend this. It is a good film, however, if you are not a brony, then I doubt this film will change your opinion much.. You know what might though.. Watch the show.. Sit down alone.. Spend 9 hours total on 1 or 2 weeks, and watch the entire first season from start to finish.

There are more memes than I can count from that season alone. Surf youtube and google for image macros, music videos, and animation parodies...

Like I said, I'm 26. I first watched the show after learning about it through thatguywiththeglasses and Death Battle.

I rolled my eyes and said to myself I can't believe I'm watching this... And you know what. After the embarrassment went away, all that was left was the amazing feeling of seeing an incredible show.

Check out this film.. It probably won't change your opinion if you are not a brony, but at least it does confirm one internet saying...

"Haters gonna hate, Bronies gonna party"

tl;dr: Watch this movie if you are a loved one or friend of a brony, or are just curious about bronies in general and want to understand the draw. You will "get it" by the time you finish this documentary.

This film is also worth watching if you are a brony and want to know what open-minded outsiders and show creators think of bronies, or are looking for a medium through which you can show someone else what it's all about.

If you're looking for a film to confirm your preconceived notions about bronies, or are looking for yet another media source through which you can take part in making fun of "freaks," then don't bother: You won't like this film.

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Full disclosure: I am a brony, and I feel the handling of the subject matter in this film is as true-to-life as anything I've ever seen. I don't usually write reviews, but I am now in light of the fact that at the time of this writing, the film enjoys pretty good ratings on IMDb, yet almost all of the other reviews of the film are pretty negative.

Let me correct a few misconceptions about this film: It isn't meant to try to convert you into being a brony. It's also not really even trying to defend bronies, or paint them in an overly positive light. The film seeks to help the viewer answer questions like "Who are the bronies?" and "Why would grown men like My Little Pony so much?" I believe this film accomplishes those goals very well.

Specifically, the film starts by showing excerpts from interviews of bronies who were just as surprised at becoming fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as the viewer probably is, then shows typical criticism of adult fans of the show as seen on popular media or among "normal" people.

From there we're introduced to several typical bronies of various types in several parts of the world. Throughout the film we watch these people both as they make preparations to attend brony conventions, how things go for them at said conventions, and their reactions afterward. Interspersed with this are excerpts from the show, from independently-created animations and from interviews with show staff, other various bronies, professional psychologists and sociologists, and subject-matter experts. The point of these excerpts is to bring the viewer up to speed on some of the terminology, cultural aspects, inside jokes, and show-related specifics which add color and depth of understanding to the brony fandom.

Part of the reason for telling the story this way, I think, is because the kind of people who identify as bronies and the reasons they do so are extremely varied. But through the narrative and footage you will learn what some of the more common traits, motivations, and values are, and what brings bronies together as a sort of extended family.

I very much sympathized with the people whose stories we follow. I've known people who've faced physical violence because of how they choose to express themselves. I know people with severe problems functioning in social situations. I experienced both the alarm and anxiety, relief and joy as I got to see these people go through their experiences attending conventions. And I couldn't help but smile seeing the parallel between the bronies singing "Smile, smile, smile!" and the characters from the show doing the same.

Overall, I was highly impressed by the film, and feel that it is the most accurate representation of the brony fandom created to date.

To address some things brought up in other reviews:

*The original animation done for this documentary was easily on par with the actual cartoon. It is an example of some of the best fan-made animation the brony community profusely produces. (And indeed, some of the best animation that *any* fandom produces.)

*The film does jump around somewhat from story to story. If you're not paying attention, it could be easy to get confused. However, I found that the overall narrative that's being told is very cohesive.

*The people chosen for their stories in the film actually are pretty typical of the fandom, as are the challenges they face. I don't have anything to back this up, except my experience in the fandom. Though, I do think several university-funded sociological studies have been made of the brony demographic which would back up this claim.

*If you don't think that bronies are challenging social norms by first being willing to admit they sincerely, non-ironically enjoy a television show aimed at little girls, are willing in many cases to express this by wearing clothes depicting characters from the show, and also in many cases even trying to live by the values taught in the show… then all I have to say is you and I must not live on the same planet.

*If you don't think the previous point warrants treatment in a documentary, then please feel free to make your own on whatever subject you wish, and quit wasting my time and the time of people who actually want to learn something about bronies.

*If you think this film portrays bronies in too positive a light, then I would submit that you probably don't know many bronies. For the most part, they're just ordinary people who care sincerely about other ordinary people. And ordinary people tend to be good people. (Or at least, most bronies think so.)

The only actual criticism I have for the film is that at certain points the camera work and audio are a bit wonky, particularly in those scenes in the "Mane Hall" at Bronycon. But I guess that's what sometimes happens when you're filming a live event and don't stage your footage.

I found this documentary to be easily watchable, entertaining and informative. I highly recommend it for anyone curious about bronies and what makes them tick.

I should start by stating categorically I am NOT a Brony. I've never watched the show, never bought the merchandise, never read one of the comics.

I've also never understood Bronies, so when I saw this documentary available on Netflix, I popped it on, hoping to get an insight into these weirdo targets of derision I've heard about.

I was simply blown away. I'm still not a fan, but to me, this documentary isn't about the show OR the fans, its about our ability to accept people who have different views or interests to us. It really made me question my assumptions about Bronies, but also my assumptions about myself and my identity as a liberal, accepting person. Namely how can I stand against racism, against homophobia etc if I still have an irrational dislike of Bronies? In all honesty, it reminded me of being a Trekkie back in the day. Comic Cons may now be a multi billion dollar industry and suddenly everyones calling themselves a "geek", but I remember times when the mere mention of a Sci Fi convention would get you into trouble at work, get you punched in a bar and a guaranteed life without sex.

I spent decades as a Sci Fi outcast waiting for the rest of society to catch up and I see a lot of common touch points in the adversity the Brony community faces today.

Slight spoiler - the effect a Bronycon had on a young man with Aspergers really did move me to tears and the work John De Lancie did helping a father accept his sons Bronyism was just astonishing. I'd give this 8 stars if it had "converted" me. The fact it managed to move me deeply, but still stay objective enough for me to not be converted bumps it up to a 9.