A Canterlot Wedding
Twilight Sparkle suspects her brother's bride is not who she seems.
"A Canterlot Wedding" is the two-part second-season finale of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, directed by James Wootton and written by Meghan McCarthy. It premiered as an hour-long event on The Hub on April 21, 2012, and was series developer Lauren Faust's final involvement with the show. The episodes directly reference the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
Quick Facts
- Series
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Writer
- Meghan McCarthy
- Director
- James Wootton
- Editor
- Mark Kuehnel; Rob Renzetti (story)
- Air date
- 21 April 2012
- Length
- 44 minutes (combined)
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Twilight Sparkle gets a shock when she finds out that her older brother, Shining Armor, who leads the Royal Guard, is engaged to Princess Cadance. Her mentor, Princess Celestia, requests that Twilight and her Ponyville friends assist with the wedding arrangements. Twilight feels upset because she only heard about the marriage at the last moment, and through a letter rather than a personal visit. Once in Canterlot, she notices extra security measures; Shining Armor has put up a magical shield around the whole city to guard against some unknown danger. Twilight confronts her brother angrily, but he apologizes and asks her to be his "best mare," which makes her happy. He then tells her that Cadance used to be her foalsitter, which cheers her up even more. However, when Twilight meets Cadance, she seems cold and distant, and does not remember a special rhyme they once shared. During the wedding preparations, Twilight grows more suspicious as Cadance criticizes everything her friends plan. Under mounting pressure, Twilight's friends dismiss her worries, saying Cadance is just stressed. Twilight brings her concerns to Shining Armor, but Cadance pulls him aside and casts what looks like an evil spell on him. At the wedding rehearsal, Twilight publicly accuses Cadance of being evil, and Cadance runs off crying. An angry Shining Armor explains that Cadance's rudeness comes from wedding stress, and the spell was meant to ease his migraines from maintaining the shield. He removes Twilight as his best mare and tells her not to come to the wedding, then leaves with Celestia and Twilight's friends, who also refuse to believe her. When Twilight tries to apologize, Cadance teleports her under Canterlot. There, in the old crystal caves, images of Cadance mock her, saying the wedding will go on without her interference. Twilight breaks a crystal wall and finds a disheveled Cadance, whom she attacks in fury. This Cadance proves she is the real one by reciting their childhood rhyme, and explains that an impostor kidnapped her and plans to marry Shining Armor. While the fake Cadance schemes above, Twilight and the real Cadance struggle to escape and stop the wedding.
Production and promotion
Lauren Faust, the show's creator, worked on this as her last project for the series, having been executive producer for season one and a consulting producer for season two. Rebecca Dart of DHX Media designed Queen Chrysalis, imagining her as damp, hunched, weak, and rotten, like something that had crawled out from under a log. Hasbro thought this version wasn't scary enough, so Dart made her stand upright to look more commanding. The character has many holes to seem insect-like, and her decay is meant to contrast with the energy of Princess Celestia and Cadance. Shining Armor and Cadance are meant to show strength, honor, and fearlessness. A formal wedding announcement for them ran in The New York Times wedding section on April 13, 2012.
Themes
The episodes have been subject to feminist analysis. Kevin Fletcher said the episodes both exemplify and resist "princess culture", and suggested they undermine the typical fairy-tale wedding by focusing on Twilight and her friends rather than the royal couple. He stated that Chrysalis's "disordered female behaviour", perceived to be similar to that of evil Disney queens, lends itself to retrogressive interpretations. Fletcher asserted that the function of the episodes as retrogressive is enhanced by these components. He believed creators were aware of the post-feminist concept of "having it all", with the reprise of "This Day Aria" showcasing this awareness. A study by Christian Valiente and Xeno Rasmusson found the episodes challenge gender stereotypes; females drive the action and dialogue while males are either incompetent or under female control, and females are in positions of authority and in primary and active roles.
Broadcast and reception
The two-part episode "A Canterlot Wedding" aired on The Hub in the United States on April 21, 2012, with some commentators noting its release fell near the first anniversary of the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Hasbro reported strong ratings for both installments. The first part drew 483,000 viewers, a jump of more than 300% compared to the same period the previous year, while the second part was seen by 475,000 people, representing a 157% increase. Critical reception was positive. Emily St. James awarded the double episode an "A−," calling it a key reason she considered Friendship Is Magic one of the best children's shows. The New York Daily News and Entertainment Weekly praised the episodes as "charming and surprisingly complex" and "ambitious, absorbing, and thoroughly entertaining." Reviewers highlighted the serious, complex, and mature themes for a children's series. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media described the episodes as illustrating life lessons valuable for kids of all ages. Shaun Scotellaro, founder of fan site Equestria Daily, noted that Princess Cadance initially faced criticism from fans for being a "pretty pink alicorn princess," the opposite of what they wanted, but ultimately viewers enjoyed the episode, which Scotellaro called "perfect." The music received particular acclaim. St. James called it "one of the best things about this show," and Sherilyn Connelly of SF Weekly described it as "just breathtaking." The song "This Day Aria" was frequently singled out. Connelly likened it to "La Resistance" from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and "Walk Through the Fire" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Comic Book Resources' Rae Grimes compared it to Disney villain songs, stating it "easily takes the cake as the best song in the entire series" and is on another level compared to the rest of the show's music.
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