The Best Night Ever

Last updated
"The Best Night Ever"
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode
Main Six determined to have the Best Night Ever S1E26.png
Clockwise from the top: Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle.
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 26
Directed by Jayson Thiessen
Written by Amy Keating Rogers
Produced by
  • Sarah Wall
  • Lauren Faust (executive)
  • Chris Bartleman (executive)
  • Blair Peters
  • Kirsten Newlands (executive)
Featured music
  • Songs by Daniel Ingram and William Anderson:
  • "At the Gala" (Ingram)
  • "I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala" (traditional/Anderson)
  • "Pony Pokey" (Ingram/Anderson)
Editing by Rob Renzetti (story)
Original air dateMay 6, 2011 (2011-05-06)
Running time22 minutes
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Party of One"		Next →
"The Return of Harmony"
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (season 1)
List of episodes

"The Best Night Ever" is the first season finale of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic . The episode follows Twilight Sparkle and her friends, who try to enjoy the Grand Galloping Gala separately. Each of them finds their expectations disappointed and inadvertently cause chaos through all their attempts to satisfy their wants. The episode aired on May 6, 2011, and was positively received.

Contents

Plot

The night of the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot has finally arrived. At the Gala, although Spike hopes to enjoy the Gala together, Twilight Sparkle and her friends quickly separate to enjoy it in their own ways, but each of them soon finds their experience fall well short of their expectations. Twilight intends to talk privately with Princess Celestia, however she is repeatedly interrupted by having to welcome other guests to the Gala. Rainbow Dash attempts to impress the Wonderbolts after their performance, however their time is continually taken up by other attendees. Rarity spends time with Celestia's nephew, Prince Blueblood hoping to fall in love with him, only to discover that he is self-absorbed and obnoxious. Applejack opens a stand to sell her family's apple products to the other attendees, but makes minimal sales. Fluttershy ends up scaring away the animals she wishes to see in the castle gardens. Pinkie Pie tries to become the life of the Gala, but learns that the Gala is a different kind of party than what she dreamed it would be.

As events mount, the friends' actions lead to a mass of chaos in the grand ballroom. They regroup with Spike later at a donut shop and express their disappointment with the night's events, but are soon joined by Princess Celestia, who explains that she had invited Twilight and her friends to liven up the normally boring Gala, and is happy with what happened. Everyone agrees the night to be the "best night ever."

Background

"The Best Night Ever" was directed by Jayson Thiessen (supervising) and James Wootton, and written by Amy Keating Rogers. The initial draft of the episode was thirty-nine pages long, six more than a typical My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic script; [2] it included more extensive version of the "Piggy Dance", which was removed and instead appears in season two episode "Baby Cakes". Prince Blueblood, Rarity's selfish love interest, was originally meant to be a duke, but a member of the approval process believed the target demographic would be unfamiliar with the term. [3] "The Best Night Ever" features three songs written by Daniel Ingram: "At the Gala", "I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala" and "Pony Pokey". Several songs were cut due to being too lengthy. [4] "At the Gala", recorded at Bryan Adams's studio in Vancouver, includes a choir of twenty people with each main character singing a solo part. [5] The song is also based on Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods . [6] [7] [8] Through this episode, ponies wear dresses, much of which was designed "almost like" four-legged humans. [9]

Broadcast and reception

The episode aired on May 6, 2011, on The Hub. Sherilyn Connelly of SF Weekly called the it "the best My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season finale ever". She praised the songs, particularly "At the Gala" and "Pony Pokey", finding the former showstopping, and the latter surprisingly deep and "saddest, most poignant song [Pinkie Pie will] ever sing". [10] Screen Rant ranked the episode the fourth-best season finale according to IMDb. [11]

Home media

"The Best Night Ever", along with four other episodes, was released in August 2012 by Shout! Factory as part of the "Royal Pony Wedding" DVD. [12] It is also included in the company's complete season one collection and Madman Entertainment's season one boxset. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> Animated television series

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is an animated children's television series based on Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise. The series follows a studious pony named Twilight Sparkle, her dragon assistant Spike and her friends, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash (Ball) and Pinkie Pie (Libman). They go on adventures and help others around Equestria, solving problems with their friendships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Return of Harmony</span> 1st and 2nd episodes of the 2nd season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

"The Return of Harmony" is the collective name for the first and second episodes of the second season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, as well as the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth episodes of the series overall. Both episodes were directed by Jayson Thiessen and written by M.A. Larson. Part one of the episode aired in the United States on September 17, 2011 on the Hub, while part two aired the following week, on September 24. The first received a Nielsen household rating of 0.2, and was viewed by over 339,000 viewers, making it the highest-rated episode ever broadcast by the Hub at that point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Canterlot Wedding</span> My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episodes

"A Canterlot Wedding" is the title of the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth episodes of the second season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The fifty-first and fifty-second episodes overall, they were directed by James Wootton and written by Meghan McCarthy. "A Canterlot Wedding" premiered as an hour-long event on The Hub on April 21, 2012. In these episodes, Twilight Sparkle learns her brother, Shining Armor, will be marrying Princess Cadance. The news excites Twilight, but she becomes concerned about the marriage when she notices Cadance is not behaving like the friendly, caring individual she remembers her to be.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crystal Empire</span> 1st and 2nd episodes of the 3rd season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

"The Crystal Empire" is the collective name for the first and second episodes of the third season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the fifty-third and fifty-fourth episodes of the series overall. Both parts of the episode were first broadcast on The Hub on November 10, 2012. It was written by Meghan McCarthy, and directed by series director James Wootton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magical Mystery Cure</span> 13th episode of the 3rd season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

"Magical Mystery Cure" is the thirteenth and final episode of the third season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and the sixty-fifth episode of the series overall. Directed by James Wootton, it was written by M.A. Larson.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on The Hub in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 1 of the series premiered on October 10, 2010 on The Hub, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on May 6, 2011.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on The Hub, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 2 of the series premiered on September 17, 2011 and concluded on April 21, 2012.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on The Hub in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 3 of the series premiered on November 10, 2012 on The Hub, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on February 16, 2013.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on the Discovery Family channel in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 5 of the series premiered on April 4, 2015 on Discovery Family, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on November 28.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinkie Pride</span> 12th episode of the 4th season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

"Pinkie Pride" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and the seventy-seventh episode of the series overall. It was directed by Jayson Thiessen, co-directed by Jim Miller, and its screenplay was written by Amy Keating Rogers from a story by Thiessen. It was produced by Sarah Wall and Devon Cody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twilight's Kingdom</span> 2014 television episode

"Twilight's Kingdom" is the collective name for the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth episodes of the fourth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, as well as the ninetieth and ninety-first episodes of the series overall. The two-part season finale deals with a new threat named Lord Tirek, who wants to rule Equestria by absorbing all magic, as well as Twilight Sparkle trying to learn what she should do with her new role as a princess. "Twilight's Kingdom" was directed by Jayson Thiessen, co-directed by Jim Miller, produced by Sarah Wall and Devon Cody, and written by Meghan McCarthy. It premiered on the Hub Network on May 10, 2014, with both parts airing back-to-back.

<i>My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Legend of Everfree</i> 2016 animated film

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Legend of Everfree, known simply as Legend of Everfree, is a 2016 animated musical fantasy film which is a part of Hasbro's My Little Pony: Equestria Girls toy line and media franchise, itself a spin-off of the 2010 relaunch of the main My Little Pony franchise. The film was animated using Adobe Flash, written by Kristine Songco and Joanna Lewis, and directed by Ishi Rudell, and was produced by DHX Media's 2D animation studio in Vancouver, Canada for Hasbro Studios in the United States as a sequel to 2015's Friendship Games film. Prior to its release in the United States on Netflix on October 1, 2016, the film was first broadcast on Discovery Kids in Latin America on September 24, 2016. The film was released on home media in the United States and Canada on November 1, 2016 by Shout! Factory. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the animation, voice acting, and music, but criticized its script, plot, and excessive use of too many plotlines all at once.

"The Cutie Re-Mark" is the collective name for the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth episodes of the fifth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the one hundred and sixteenth and one hundred and seventeenth episodes of the series overall. Written by Josh Haber and directed by Denny Lu, the two episodes center around Starlight Glimmer, who tries to take revenge from the Mane 6 by going back in time and preventing them from ever meeting each other. Released on November 28, 2015, the plot of the episode received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>My Little Pony: Pony Life</i> Children’s animated television series

My Little Pony: Pony Life is an animated children's television series that aired on Discovery Family from 7 November 2020 to 22 May 2021. It is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise. The series, acting as a successor, spin-off and reboot to 2010's My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and the fourth animated series based on the franchise overall, was produced by Entertainment One, in collaboration with Boulder Media.

"Games Ponies Play" is the twelfth episode of the third season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the 64th overall. Directed by James Wootton and written by Dave Polsky, "Games Ponies Play" premiered on The Hub on February 9, 2013. Occurring during the events of the previous episode, "Just for Sidekicks", the episode featured Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack trying to convince an inspector to host the Equestria Games at the Crystal Empire.

The three-part series finale of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic consisted of the ninth season's 24th, 25th and 26th episodes as well as the 219th, 220th and 221st overall: the two parts of "The Ending of the End" along with "The Last Problem". Broadcast in prime time on October 12, 2019, on Discovery Family, the finale was 90 minutes long and produced by Allspark Animation. "The Ending of the End" follows Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie—known collectively as the "Mane 6"— and dragon friend Spike defending Equestria from their past enemies who are now united. "The Last Problem" is set years after the events of "The Ending of the End" when one of Twilight's students has a friendship problem. To solve it, Twilight recalls the moments she and the Mane 6 spent together.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle" is the collective name for the first and second episodes of the fourth season of animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the sixty-sixth and sixty-seventh overall. The episodes follow the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle, who travels back to her hometown of Ponyville from Canterlot after Princesses Celestia and Luna disappear, and the Everfree Forest invades Ponyville. As Twilight and her friends try to find the cause of the havoc, they discover the Tree of Harmony, where they give up the Elements of Harmony to save Equestria.

"Keep Calm and Flutter On" is the tenth episode of the third season of animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the sixty-second overall. The episode features Fluttershy attempting to reform Discord while the rest of the Mane 6—Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie—remaining ambivalent on whether he can be good. The episode was highly anticipated and garnered positive reviews from critics, who found it funny and entertaining.

Friendship Is Magic (<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i>) 2010 television episodes

"Friendship Is Magic" is the collective name for the series premiere of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The episodes follow Twilight Sparkle, a studious, antisocial unicorn, who reluctantly travels to the town of Ponyville at the insistence of her mentor, Princess Celestia. There, she meets five ponies—Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie—with whom she becomes close friends. Together, the six defeat Nightmare Moon, a villain who has returned after a thousand years of imprisonment in the moon, with magical artifacts known as the "Elements of Harmony". Many of the creatures that appear in these episodes have designs that convey humor or silliness. Aired in two parts, on October 10 and October 22, 2010, the episodes received positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. ↑ Devall, Trevor [@TrevorDevall] (November 21, 2012). "Ok Bronies, time to clear this up once and for all: Prince Blueblood was played by Vincent Tong, not by me. I KNEW that wasn't my voice..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 6, 2021– via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Rogers, Amy Keating [@KeatingRogers] (August 23, 2012). "#MLP:FiM Tidbit: Scripts are generally 33 pages long. But my first draft of 'The Best Night Ever' was 39 pages! Talk about too many words!" (Tweet). Retrieved November 6, 2021– via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Faust, Lauren (March 31, 2011). "He's the great great great great great great great great great great great (and probably even more greats) nephew on Celestia's and Luna's mother's side, about 52 times removed, roughly speaking. I would have preferred to call him a Duke, but someone in the approval process thought kids wouldn't know what a Duke is. Luna and Celestia have no siblings and no children. Also that's a fan name, he has no official name on the show". DeviantArt. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  4. ↑ Keating Rogers, Amy [@KeatingRogers] (June 19, 2012). "@OsakaJack27 @umandsf @dannyimusic I have versions of all my songs including some that were cut from The Best Night Ever! (too long)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2021– via Twitter.
  5. ↑ Ingram, Daniel (March 23, 2011). "Daniel Ingram Interview has arrived!" (Interview). Interviewed by Sethisto. Equestria Daily. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  6. ↑ Griffiths, Daniel Nye (August 15, 2011). "Colt Success". Wired UK . Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  7. ↑ Weinman, Jaime (September 7, 2011). "Ponies Do Sondheim". Maclean's . Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  8. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (April 20, 2012). "Behind the Music of Pop Culture Smash My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  9. ↑ Begin, Mary Jane (October 13, 2015). My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria. Abrams Books. p. 40. ISBN   978-1-419-71577-8.
  10. ↑ Connelly, Sherilyn (May 9, 2012). "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 1 Finale and Wrap Up". SF Weekly . Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  11. ↑ Olsen, Carly (November 21, 2019). "My Little Pony: Every Season Finale, Ranked According to IMDb". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  12. ↑ "My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding". Shout! Factory. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  13. ↑ "My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season One". Shout! Factory. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  14. ↑ "My Little Pony; Friendship Is Magic Season 1 Boxset". Madman Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.