Las Pegasus Unicon - Hey Ocean!'s Eleven

(?) · Post by **ixnay** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:47 am

Ponygoons crew update: rode the monorail down to the strip after the dealers room closed up and ended up eating at Gordon Ramsay's burger restaurant (burGR, get it?) in planet hollywood (i was surprised they still have those!) for dinner. It was expensive and slow but the food was amazing we had a great waiter that got every cartoon reference we threw at him.

We came back, saw that there was boring talking instead of awkward dancing going on it the dance room and came back up to our room.

So far so good!

Wizard · Post by **Wizard** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:37 am

Yeah, they were yakking for a long time while something was being set up. The Creber family performed afterwards, though, which was a fun set.

Mr. Big · Post by **Mr. Big** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:28 am

It's interesting that Rarity was originally going to have Applejack's role in "Spike at Your Service", being rewritten because the unicorn came off as a jerk. I wonder if that's why Dave Polsky had the story credit. I'm guessing that it was Merriwether who wrote the original Rarity outline, but McCarthy had Polsky rewrite the premise with Applejack instead.

I think this illustrates that Merriwether has the habit of writing "rough" stories, where the tone is more mean-spirited compared to other writers' episodes. So mean-spirited, that they actually have to go through the trouble of rewriting her stories.

Ashenai · Post by **Ashenai** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 6:25 am

Mr. Big wrote:It's interesting that Rarity was originally going to have Applejack's role in "Spike at Your Service", being rewritten because the unicorn came off as a jerk.

I think that was a good call. The fact that Spike has a crush on Rarity (ssh don't tell anyone,) and that she's aware of it, would have made it feel a little bit too much like she was taking advantage of his feelings.

EquestriaGuy · Post by **EquestriaGuy** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 8:28 am

Nissl wrote:McCarthy also said they want to stay far away from full serialization, but she likes the idea of having multiple character arcs going. Maybe some of the characters will have loosely connected episodes - some slice-of-life that result in a moderate overall change for the season.

I found it funny that McCarthy does not like real horses and Rogers has ridden one exactly once. Not sure if they were joking, but funny either way.

Edit: by the way, for people who were there, did they confirm that Morrow is back on the show? It seems like she is, but we now know Rogers went back on the show roughly a year ago (probably when they started S4) when Care Bears ended while Morrow did not, at least according to her Midwestria interview.

I tweeted Morrow a few weeks ago and she said she wasn't currently writing for pony. She also gave the impression at the panel that she was working on something else but can't say what that is due to NDA.

Grue · Post by **Grue** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 8:58 am

EquestriaGuy wrote: I tweeted Morrow a few weeks ago and she said she wasn't currently writing for pony. She also gave the impression at the panel that she was working on something else but can't say what that is due to NDA.

Must be Equestria Girls then

Thistledown · Post by **Thistledown** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:07 am

There was a question for the writer's panel, re: continuity and the IDW comic. I've seen the answer interpreted as everything from "we work with IDW to maintain continuity" to "we don't expect to maintain continuity," so-- What did they actually say? I treat the comic as its own animal, so either would be fine from my perspective, but it would be interesting to know if they planned to keep the two in agreement.

NostalgiaSchmaltz · Post by **NostalgiaSchmaltz** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:09 am

Mr. Big wrote:I think this illustrates that Merriwether has the habit of writing "rough" stories, where the tone is more mean-spirited compared to other writers' episodes.

I took notice of this back during S2, where all four of her episodes revolved around characters being jerks to other characters. It's kinda logical to give her those episodes, seeing as her past writing credit includes things like Angry Beavers, Camp Lazlo, and Spongebob; all featuring "characters being jerks to each other" quite heavily.

Thistledown wrote:There was a question for the writer's panel, re: continuity and the IDW comic. I've seen the answer interpreted as everything from "we work with IDW to maintain continuity" to "we don't expect to maintain continuity," so-- What did they actually say? I treat the comic as its own animal, so either would be fine from my perspective, but it would be interesting to know if they planned to keep the two in agreement.

IIRC, they said that they check the comic only to make sure that it doesn't conflict with or contradict anything in the show.

Headless Horse · Post by **Headless Horse** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:13 am

Yeah, it's been a vague consensus amongst this crowd. I wonder if McCarthy feels the same way we do and gave her a stern reprimand.

(?) · Post by **Big Boss** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:19 am

I'm still really mad about the wall that's separating the two sets of dealer's tables. I do not thing putting up more signs will fix the problem, as people will continue to just walk through the door to cut through to a panel room or continue to ignure us entirely.

Lorce · Post by **Lorce** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:29 am

Mr. Big wrote:It's interesting that Rarity was originally going to have Applejack's role in "Spike at Your Service", being rewritten because the unicorn came off as a jerk. I wonder if that's why Dave Polsky had the story credit. I'm guessing that it was Merriwether who wrote the original Rarity outline, but McCarthy had Polsky rewrite the premise with Applejack instead.

Wouldn't it be another way around? I just always assumed story credit is given for the original story outline (or well, the first draft to come from the outline after the story meeting) and writing credit would be given to the writer finalizing the script.

Thistledown · Post by **Thistledown** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:30 am

NostalgiaSchmaltz wrote:
IIRC, they said that they check the comic only to make sure that it doesn't conflict with or contradict anything in the show.

Sounds like the answer was in line with what Katie Cook has said about the comic in the past. Thanks!

EquestriaGuy · Post by **EquestriaGuy** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:23 am

To everyone trashing Merriweather: Polsky wrote the early drafts. Merriweather is the one that turned it into an AJ episode.

Kamek · Post by **Kamek** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:17 pm

Lorce wrote:From what i understood it sounded more that they're planning to have a more overarching plot throughout s4. Guess not exactly serial, but still more connected episodes.

Wasn't that supposed to be the case in S3, though? Which consisted of all of two episodes?

Swift · Post by **Swift** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:40 pm

Ashenai wrote: I think that was a good call. The fact that Spike has a crush on Rarity (ssh don't tell anyone,) and that she's aware of it, would have made it feel a little bit too much like she was taking advantage of his feelings.

On the other hand, it would have solved the issue of why Spike would suddenly be so darn invested in this Dragon Code thing of his, since his feelings for Rarity would be what's driving him. But yeah, I can see why they would have decided against that. Rarity does, of course, outright say she would totally take advantage of Spike if she and Applejack reversed roles, in the final episode.

Still, I could see it being a good lesson for her after realizing she's taken it too far and having to make amends, making for a stronger moral than we got with AJ (which was... I dunno, talk things out before they get out of hand?), who would never even consider taking advantage of Spike. And the outcome would have a greater emotional impact on Spike. I'd like to have seen if they could make it work without Rarity coming off as too irredeemably jerk-ish, because it sounds like a stronger story concept than what we got, in terms of impact and character growth.

Wayoshi wrote:Meghan confirms storyboarding (Jayson probably) took care of Peewee in JFS

Ha, I knew it!

Good on the storyboarders.

Weird how the writing staff apparently never considered Peewee a real character, but took all the other pets seriously. What was the deal with introducing him then? Did the team collaboratively decide to give Spike a pet (like I assume they did for Gummi, Tank, etc.), or was it just something Williams came up with that everyone else forgot?

And... Discord opening up more story possibilities rather than closing them, you say? :excellent:

Of course Sombra = Sauron, just listen too the BGM during the Crystal Pony enslavement scene that sounds straight out of LotR (not to mention the imagery itself evoking both Isengard, or any of the dark towers really, and the Mirror-of-Galadriel vision of hobbits being enslaved). Also his gaining an ethereal form after being defeated and losing his physical body in the distant past... which he can only fully regain by reclaiming one particular magical item that he obsesses over.

Though with him being unicorn who tampered in black magic and chose the path of darkness, rather than being a demigod of pure evil, you could argue there's some Saruman in there as well.

Nevertheless, I totally approve of his concept, and would like to have see him come off as more threatening. Interesting that McCarthy wasn't totally happy with it.

I guess that confirms they really did manage to literally explode a villain, who was actually another pony and not some monster, permanently, on a TV-Y show?

Though I fully expect him to return in the comic at some point if not the show, with the way things have been going so far in that series.

Nissl wrote:McCarthy indicating that S4 will move in an "ambitious, epic" direction that's a bit different from previous seasons is very interesting.

Nissl wrote:It would seem to follow from where we wound up at the end of S3, and from what I perceive to be McCarthy's natural inclinations as a storyteller. I also felt that in S3 the story episodes were often the stronger ones. I wonder if the show's budget has expanded at all.

I have to say, as far as animated comedies go it's pretty unusual the way the show tinkers with its formula every season.

One of the things I enjoyed about S3 was that, even though there wasn't much of an arc besides hints at Twilight studying/improving, there were enough episodes that felt significant, like they were moving things forward for the characters, particularly Sleepless and Wonderbolts Academy (even if I didn't love the latter), and I'd argue Magic Duel. Then we have Keep Calm, as well. These episodes all felt important, whereas a lot middle-of-S2, while many are great one-offs, felt less significant in the grand scheme of things to me.

I'm not getting my hopes up for full serialization or anything, but that's neat to hear. With the Just for Sidekicks/Games Ponies Play connection, they're clearly willing to experiment with inter-episode continuity, so I look forward to whatever they have planned.

Did anyone ask about whether the finale was written under the assumption it could be their last episode? Curious about that.

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:55 pm

Swift wrote: Ha, I knew it! Good on the storyboarders.

Weird how the writing staff apparently never considered Peewee a real character, but took all the other pets seriously. What was the deal with introducing him then? Did the team collaboratively decide to give Spike a pet (like I assume they did for Gummi, Tank, etc.), or was it just something Williams came up with that everyone else forgot?

I'd really have to imagine the story was written, and everything was ready to be animated and someone caught it, but it was too late to change the story.

Swift · Post by **Swift** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:11 pm

The Doctor wrote:
I'd really have to imagine the story was written, and everything was ready to be animated and someone caught it, but it was too late to change the story.

I'm sure, yeah, but unlike the other pets we've never seen Peewee in any other episodes either, and then they forget him for the episode that stars all the pets. So it feels like the writing team just wasn't really conscious of him at all.

Killing Vector · Post by **Killing Vector** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:18 pm

Question: "Would you do any singing as Discord if they asked you to?"
de Lancie: "... Just remember that you asked that question."

Edit: probably not a surprise given the above, but he indicated that he recently recorded an episode.

EquestriaGuy · Post by **EquestriaGuy** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:45 pm

Discord confirmed for returning

Grue · Post by **Grue** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:59 pm

Well, it would be weird if he didn't return after what happened in Keep Calm.

(?) · Post by **Perrydotto** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:07 pm

If his singing is the way it was in the Bronies documentary, I am SO game.

stuff · Post by **stuff** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:10 pm

Yeah, I think all of us would have been disappointed and confused if Discord actually didn't return.

Equilux · Post by **Equilux** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:29 pm

Grue wrote:Well, it would be weird if he didn't return after what happened in Keep Calm.

Nah. There'd be an episode with Luna applying her experiences from Luna Eclipsed to counsel all the other reformed antagonists on how to contribute to Equestrian society. It'd start with a series of photographs showing Discord doing some silly things, like conjuring a mustache on Celestia, turning her cake into hay and being turned into a statue again.

SlateSlabrock · Post by **SlateSlabrock** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:48 pm

Meanwhile, from the Daniel Ingram panel next door, Twilight's sad pop song was originally a longer song about how she appreciated each of her friends while looking at that picture over the mantel. There was also going to be a very long Twilight song after she got her wings, singing about flying, to the theme song tune. Ingram described it as "a lock" initially.

True, True Friend wasn't in the script and was added when they needed to reorganize the middle of the episode.

Also, Art of the Dress was the only intentional reference in the finale songs. The similarity to Beauty and the Beast, at least from his perspective, was coincidental.

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:50 pm

That will be the Celestia and Luna episose where we see him defeated the first time and why he appeared to be singing.

The Ghost of Ember · Tue Sep 17, 2019 4:56 pm

The Doctor wrote:That will be the Celestia and Luna episose where we see him defeated the first time and why he appeared to be singing.

That would be badass

Octavia · Post by **Octavia** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:22 pm

Is there a reason Mic the Microphone is up on stage with the rest of the voice actors panel? He hasn't said a single thing and I'm confused as to why he's there at all.

EquestriaGuy · Post by **EquestriaGuy** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:28 pm

Play her off, keyboard cat

Headless Horse · Post by **Headless Horse** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:39 pm

Octavia wrote:Which one of you ended it with "THANKS, MA LARSON"

If this did not actually happen I will be mightily upset.

Also I really want to hear that flying song.

Wylie · Post by **Wylie** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:53 pm

Headless Horse wrote:
If this did not actually happen I will be mightily upset.

Also I really want to hear that flying song.

Larson's panel last night did, in fact, end with him being thanked.

I'm hoping my question about Twilight's 6-star mark gets an answer in this next writer's panel. I'm depending on you, EquestriaGuy!

(?) · Post by **Wayoshi** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:56 pm

SlateSlabrock wrote:Meanwhile, from the Daniel Ingram panel next door, Twilight's sad pop song was originally a longer song about how she appreciated each of her friends while looking at that picture over the mantel. There was also going to be a very long Twilight song after she got her wings, singing about flying, to the theme song tune. Ingram described it as "a lock" initially. True, True Friend wasn't in the script and was added when they needed to reorganize the middle of the episode.

Hmm, just what did this episode originally look like?

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:00 pm

I bet it lacked the big coronation at the end.

Headless Horse · Post by **Headless Horse** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:11 pm

I'll also bet it lacked the apparent continuity errors surrounding True True Friend (i.e. Applejack still making dresses after she's boarded up the shop).

Ransom · Post by **Ransom** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:12 pm

So...the spell by Star Swirl wasn't defined. Just like a math problem or something.

Feel kindof silly for that long post now.

Headless Horse · Post by **Headless Horse** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:15 pm

Wylie wrote:
Larson's panel last night did, in fact, end with him being thanked.

I'm hoping my question about Twilight's 6-star mark gets an answer in this next writer's panel. I'm depending on you, EquestriaGuy!

I do have a question for the writers/McCarthy if anyone's looking for some:

You're probably under a considerable amount of pressure to make this show great and keep it that way. Where does the bulk of that pressure come from? Who are you most trying to impress?

- Hasbro
- The target audience
- Their parents
- Critics
- Bronies
- A picture of Lauren Faust on the wall
- Yourselves

SoundMonkey44 · Post by **SoundMonkey44** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:32 pm

Headless Horse wrote:
I do have a question for the writers/McCarthy if anyone's looking for some:

You're probably under a considerable amount of pressure to make this show great and keep it that way. Where does the bulk of that pressure come from? Who are you most trying to impress?

- Hasbro
- The target audience
- Their parents
- Critics
- Bronies
- A picture of Lauren Faust on the wall
- Yourselves

Probably all of the above to some degree or another I would imagine..

Headless Horse · Post by **Headless Horse** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:38 pm

Yes but that's no kinda answer.

WHO IS ON TOP OF THE TOTEM POLE

(?) · Post by **Dexanth** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:42 pm

That's easy enough :

Target Audience
Everything Else

Timber72 · Post by **Timber72** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:42 pm

They will always say their target audience. Saying anything else will get them in trouble.

edit: Beaten by seconds.

Headless Horse · Post by **Headless Horse** (?) » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:45 pm

Probably true... it's so transparently implausible, though.

They know we know what kind of programming they're up against.