My Little Pony: The Movie Christian Movie Review (2017)

Guidance: Talk Together

This colorful fantasy adventure leans heavily on friendship, courage, and perseverance, but it also includes magical conflict, threatening villains, and a worldview that treats relational harmony as a saving power. For many Christian families, the main questions are less about harsh content and more about how the film frames hope, power, and rescue.

Why This Guidance Level

This film stays within the bounds of a mainstream family fantasy, with little concern around sex or language, but it does feature repeated magical peril, intimidating villains, and a message structure that places extraordinary hope in the power of friendship itself. That makes it a good fit for thoughtful conversation, especially for children who absorb spiritual ideas through fantasy stories.

Faith & Worldview Perspective

The film celebrates loyalty, sacrificial friendship, courage, and refusing despair. Those are meaningful virtues that Christians can affirm. At the same time, the story treats magic and friendship as the central means of rescue in a fully enchanted world, which can blur the difference between created goods and ultimate hope. Christian families may want to talk about how friendship is a gift from God, but salvation and lasting hope come through Jesus Christ, not through inner harmony or relational power alone.

Truths Reflected

• Friends should help one another and act with courage when others are in danger.
• Hope and perseverance matter when fear and darkness seem overwhelming.

Tensions to Discuss

• The film presents a magical worldview where rescue flows through friendship power rather than pointing beyond creation to God; a Christian parent may want to discuss why ultimate hope rests in Christ.
• Moral strength is tied closely to self-belief and group unity, which can overshadow the biblical need for truth, repentance, and dependence on God.

Content & Discernment Markers

Occult & Spiritual Content

• Magic is woven into the whole story world, with supernatural powers, enchanted abilities, and a quest shaped by fantasy forces rather than anything resembling biblical spirituality. The concern here is not horror-level occult material, but a steady magical framework that younger viewers may absorb uncritically. Parents may want to discuss the difference between fantasy magic in stories and the real hope Christians have in Jesus Christ.

Sexuality & Relationships

• Sexual content does not stand out here. Relationships are framed around friendship, teamwork, and loyalty rather than romance or sensuality.

Identity Themes

• The story emphasizes believing in yourself, trusting your friends, and discovering strength through community. That can encourage courage, but it may also nudge children toward a self-and-group-centered source of hope. Parents may want to discuss how identity is deepest and safest when received from God, not built only on feelings or social belonging.

Violence & Intensity

• The film includes repeated fantasy danger involving a dark invading force, magical attacks, chase scenes, capture, and threats against the ponies’ home. The action is stylized for children, but the villains and moments of enslavement or domination can feel intense for sensitive viewers.
• Several scenes are built around fear, pursuit, and the possibility that beloved characters could lose their freedom or fail in their mission. The tension is still family-animation level, yet younger children may need reassurance afterward.

Language & Humour

• Language concerns appear light. Parents are more likely to notice occasional sharp banter, exasperated remarks, or mild put-downs than outright profanity.

Other Content Notes

• The strongest takeaway is the film’s repeated claim that friendship itself carries near-saving power. That can be emotionally appealing, but Christian families may want to talk about why even the best friendships cannot replace grace, forgiveness, and hope in Christ.

Notable Moments

• Home under threat: The central conflict begins when a dark force threatens the ponies’ home, setting up the film’s repeated scenes of fear, urgency, and rescue.
• Friendship as power: The story repeatedly frames friendship not just as a virtue but as the key force that can overcome darkness and restore what has been lost.

Discussion Prompts

• Friendship and ultimate hope: Why do you think the story treats friendship as so powerful? Can friendship help us without becoming the thing we trust most?
  • Biblical guidance: Scripture honors faithful friendship, but our deepest rescue and hope come from Jesus Christ, not from human relationships alone.
  • Scripture: John 15:13, Psalm 62:5-8, Acts 4:12
• Courage in fear: What made the characters keep going when they were afraid? What does real courage look like for a Christian?
  • Biblical guidance: Biblical courage is not just believing in yourself; it is trusting God and doing what is right even when you feel weak.
  • Scripture: Joshua 1:9, Psalm 56:3-4, 2 Timothy 1:7
• Teamwork and serving others: How did the characters help one another? When is teamwork good, and what should guide a group besides just sticking together?
  • Biblical guidance: Serving others reflects God’s design, but unity should be shaped by truth, humility, and love.
  • Scripture: Philippians 2:3-4, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, Ephesians 4:15-16
• Fantasy magic and Christian discernment: What kinds of magic or supernatural power did you notice in the movie? How is that different from prayer and God’s real power?
  • Biblical guidance: Fantasy stories often imagine magical worlds, but Christians look to the Lord rather than mystical power, spells, or created forces for help and hope.
  • Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Isaiah 8:19, Ephesians 6:10-18