A Brony Tale (2014)

A Brony Tale (originally titled Brony) is a 2014 Canadian-American documentary film directed by Brent Hodge. The film explores the brony phenomenon, the adult fan base of the children's animated show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic that arose shortly after its premiere in 2010. The film is structured around the journey of Ashleigh Ball, one of the principal voice actresses for the show, including her initial reactions to learning of this older fanbase, and her travel as a Guest of Honor to one of the first fan conventions BronyCon held in New York City in 2012. Hodge, a close friend of and previous collaborator with Ball, was curious as she was as to this phenomenon and opted to film her travel and appearance at the convention for the documentary.

Hodge's film gained interest of film producer and publisher Morgan Spurlock who helped to promote wider distribution of the documentary. Initially slated to be shown for Vancouver-area film festivals, the film was highlighted at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, and received critical praise. The film received a wider theater release starting in July 2014, and is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, Digital Download and On Demand. The film's Blu-ray was sold for the first time at the 2014 New York Comic Con.

The film also screened in 290 theaters across Mexico in late 2014.

Synopsis

Ashleigh Ball, one of the lead voice actresses in Hasbro's My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, begins to notice that she is receiving fan mail for her work on the show, but is perplexed over the fact that most of it is coming from teenagers and adults. These fans, who call themselves "bronies" and are mostly male, take the show's themes and messages of personal responsibility and friendship to heart. Ball accepts an invitation to attend the Winter 2012 BronyCon, a then-semiannual fan convention held in New York City, as a guest of honor and takes the opportunity to meet the fans.

Acteurs