It starts with a simple melody. A few piano notes, a bit of orchestral swelling, and suddenly, you’re swept into the frantic, colorful preparation for the Festival of Friendship. If you’ve spent any time in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom, you know that My Little Pony The Movie We Got This Together isn't just an opening number. It’s a mission statement.
Honestly? It’s kind of a miracle the song works as well as it does. Most opening tracks in animated features are either "I Want" songs or clunky world-building tools that dump exposition on your head like a bucket of ice water. But this one? It manages to introduce six distinct personalities, a high-stakes event, and the central theme of the entire 2017 film in under four minutes. It’s catchy. It’s fast. It’s remarkably complex from a music theory standpoint.
Let’s be real for a second.
Twilight Sparkle is stressed. Like, "organizing the clouds and checking the gravity" stressed. When the song kicks off, we see her spiraling over the technicalities of the festival. This is classic Twilight. But the brilliance of the track lies in how the rest of the Mane Six—Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy—pull her back to reality. They aren't just singing backup; they are providing the emotional structural support that Twilight lacks in her moments of neuroticism.
The Daniel Ingram Magic Behind the Music
You can't talk about this song without mentioning Daniel Ingram. The guy is basically the Alan Menken of the brony world. For the 2017 theatrical debut, Ingram didn't just stick to the usual TV-quality MIDI samples. He went big. We’re talking about an 80-piece orchestra recorded at Ocean Way Studios. You can hear the difference in the strings. The richness of the brass section isn't something you can fake with a synthesizer.
The composition of My Little Pony The Movie We Got This Together follows a classic Broadway structure. It uses a "patter" style for Twilight’s anxious verses, which speeds up the tempo and makes the listener feel her frantic energy. Then, it opens up into a sweeping, melodic chorus that feels like a warm hug. It’s a "safety net" in musical form.
📖 Related: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
Many fans don't realize that the song actually underwent several iterations. In the early stages of production, the pacing was different. The animators had to sync the chaotic visual gags—like Pinkie Pie’s streamers or Rarity’s fashion emergencies—with the rhythmic hits of the percussion. If the timing is off by even two frames, the "togetherness" of the song falls apart. It’s a technical nightmare that looks effortless on screen.
Why the Message of "Together" Hits Differently Now
There’s a specific lyric that always sticks out: "It's not the science of a starship / Or some engineering feat." It's a bit of a meta-joke, honestly. It acknowledges that while the world might look for complex solutions to big problems, the answer in Equestria—and arguably in our world—is usually just showing up for your people.
We see this play out throughout the movie. The song sets up a promise. Twilight believes that as long as they have each other, nothing can go wrong. But the irony? The rest of the movie is about that bond being tested, broken, and eventually repaired. My Little Pony The Movie We Got This Together represents the "peak" before the fall. It’s the idealized version of friendship that the Storm King eventually shatters.
Think about the cameos. If you pause the song at just the right moments, you see Derpy Hooves, DJ Pon-3, and Lyra Heartstrings. It’s a love letter to the fans who stuck with the show for seven seasons before the movie even hit theaters. It’s about community.
Breaking Down the Character Moments
Every pony gets their "beat" in this song, and it’s a masterclass in character economy.
👉 See also: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
Applejack’s contribution is grounded. She brings the food, the literal sustenance. Rarity brings the aesthetic beauty, proving that "style" isn't just vanity—it's a form of care. Rainbow Dash provides the spectacle. Fluttershy brings the harmony (literally, she’s leading the bird choir). And Pinkie? Pinkie is the chaos element that keeps the energy high.
- Twilight Sparkle: The Architect. She’s worried about the "how."
- The Others: The Soul. They’re worried about the "who."
The vocal performances are surprisingly nuanced. Tara Strong (Twilight) nails that shaky, high-strung vibrato. Meanwhile, Ashleigh Ball pulls double duty as the raspy Rainbow Dash and the soulful Applejack. You’d think hearing the same voice actor talk to themselves would be jarring, but the mixing is so clean you totally forget.
The Technical Leap from TV to Film
If you compare My Little Pony The Movie We Got This Together to something from Season 1, like "Winter Wrap Up," the evolution is staggering. The movie used Toon Boom Harmony instead of the standard Flash (Adobe Animate) used in the series. This allowed for much more fluid "squash and stretch" animation.
When the ponies are dancing through Canterlot, the lighting is dynamic. There are shadows that move with the music. There’s a depth of field that makes the city feel like a real, three-dimensional place rather than a flat backdrop. This song was the world's introduction to the "new look" of Equestria, and it had to land perfectly to justify the ticket price.
Interestingly, the song serves as a foreshadowing tool. The lyrics mention that "friendship is a power that is greater than the sky." Later in the film, when they are literally falling from the sky or sailing on airships, that line takes on a literal meaning. It’s smart songwriting. It’s not just fluff.
✨ Don't miss: Greatest Rock and Roll Singers of All Time: Why the Legends Still Own the Mic
Common Misconceptions About the Track
Some critics at the time dismissed the song as "just another princess song." They missed the point.
Most princess songs are solitary. They are about one girl singing to a forest or a balcony about what she wants. This is a collective song. It’s about the group dynamic. In the context of 2017 cinema, where everything was becoming increasingly gritty and "dark," having a bright, unabashedly sincere song about cooperation was actually kind of radical.
Also, a lot of people think the "Mane Six" are the only ones singing. If you listen closely to the bridge, there’s a massive layer of backing vocals from the citizens of Canterlot. It’s a "wall of sound" technique that builds into the final crescendo. It’s designed to make you feel overwhelmed by positivity.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re going back to watch the film or just listening to the soundtrack on Spotify, keep an ear out for these details to truly appreciate the craftsmanship:
- Listen for the leitmotifs. You can hear snippets of the original TV show theme song woven into the orchestral arrangement. It’s subtle, but it’s there to anchor your nostalgia.
- Watch the background ponies. The animation team hid dozens of references to past episodes in the crowd shots during this song. It’s a scavenger hunt for long-time viewers.
- Focus on the transitions. Notice how the song moves from the tight, enclosed space of the castle to the wide-open balconies of the city. The music expands as the visual space expands.
- Analyze the lyrics vs. the plot. Pay attention to Twilight's lines about "everything being perfect." It sets up her entire character arc regarding her fear of failure and her eventually losing faith in her friends later in the second act.
The legacy of My Little Pony The Movie We Got This Together persists because it captures a feeling of pure, unadulterated hope. It’s a reminder that even when the "Storm King" of your own life shows up, you probably have a group of weird, mismatched friends ready to help you bake a cake, decorate a plaza, or save a kingdom. It’s not just a song for kids. It’s a blueprint for how to handle a bad day.
Next time you're feeling overwhelmed, put this track on. It’s hard to stay stressed when a pink pony is singing about streamers and a blue one is clearing the clouds. It’s a four-minute masterclass in musical storytelling that still holds up nearly a decade later.
To get the most out of the experience, try listening to the "Instrumental" version of the track. Without the vocals, you can truly hear the complexity of the orchestral layering and the sheer number of instruments involved in creating that signature "Equestrian" sound. It's a testament to the fact that "kids' music" doesn't have to be simple—it can be as grand and sophisticated as any Broadway showstopper.