Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 27, 2014

Changing the ponies of My Little Pony into humans for the offshoot My Little Pony: Equestria Girls might seem like a fairly odd conceit, as if My Mother the Car turned out be, well, simply “my mother”. My Little Pony: Equestria Girls was a generally genial if unambitious offering that I termed a “horse out of pasture” comedy. With the concept now more or less firmly developed, My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks sets up a more musically themed offering which may remind some of (depending on their demographic) either Glee or Josie and the Pussycats.

There is horseplay in Rainbow Rocks, courtesy of a battle of the bands between our heroines (who are somewhat distressed to find that playing music makes them into mini-centaurs) and some newcomers who turn out to have some devious motives of their own. As with most My Little Pony entries, Rainbow Rocks champions the themes of teamwork and putting aside differences to work together for the common good. There are some decent if derivative songs thrown into this particular mix which may enchant younger fans especially.

Update: Shout! has announced a replacement program for the defective DVD accompanying this Blu-ray. See our news article here for details.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As with the previous Equestria Girls Blu-ray release, Rainbow Rocks is (appropriately) a riot of color, with an incredibly wide and appealing palette popping courtesy of very vividly saturated hues. Some of the effects here, like a kind of cyclonic rainbow, can look slightly soft at times, but line detail remains sharp and stable. As with the previous release, the huge gamut of color tends to highlight (no pun intended) banding issues, especially in the lightest gradients.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks features a nicely vivid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that benefits from the ubiquitous song score and general musical elements. Sound effects are nicely placed throughout the surround channels, but dialogue is always mixed forward and is easy to hear. Fidelity remains strong and sure throughout the film, and there are no problems of any kind to report.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary


• Prequel Shorts (1080p) contains eight shorts that clock in at around 2:30 each.


• Sing Alongs includes "Better Than Ever" (1080p; 1:37), "Battle" (1080p; 2:52) and "Rainbooms Battle" (1080p; 1:51).

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks isn't going to win an awards for being innovative, but it takes the now well established world of Canterlot High and delivers an appealing enough musical entry in the franchise. The animation style continues to be a real calling card here, and the incredibly vivid design aesthetic will no doubt delight My Little Pony's ardent fan base. For that fan base if for no one else, this release comes Recommended.