My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Holidays Unwrapped

2019 animated television special

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Holidays UnwrappedTitle cardGenre Fantasy Comedy Magical girl Written byAnna ChristopherDirected by Ishi Rudell Katrina Hadley Starring Rebecca Shoichet Tara Strong Ashleigh Ball Andrea Libman Tabitha St. Germain ComposersMatthew SorensenWilliam Kevin AndersonCountries of origin United States Canada Original languageEnglishProductionExecutive producers Stephen Davis Meghan McCarthy Kirsten Newlands Sarah Wall Producers Angela Belyea Katherine Crownover EditorNick ConfaloneRunning time44 minutesProduction companies DHX Media Allspark Animation Original releaseNetworkDiscovery FamilyReleaseNovember 2, 2019 (2019-11-02) My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Holidays Unwrapped is a 2019 animated holiday television special within Hasbro's My Little Pony: Equestria Girls franchise, itself a spin-off of the 2010 relaunch of the My Little Pony toy line. The special was directed by Ishi Rudell and Katrina Hadley, written by Anna Christopher, and produced by DHX Media Vancouver for Allspark Animation in the United States. Unlike the previous four one-hour specials, Holidays Unwrapped is a compilation of six seven-minute shorts instead of a single hour-long story, although story editor Nick Confalone had pitched a singular narrative exploring Sunset Shimmer's backstory. Premiered on Discovery Family (a joint venture between Discovery, Inc. and Hasbro) on November 2, 2019, it is the fifth and final one-hour Equestria Girls special, following 2018's Forgotten Friendship and Rollercoaster of Friendship, and 2019's Spring Breakdown and Sunset's Backstage Pass. It is also the last piece of Equestria Girls content produced by DHX Media.

[edit] Blizzard or Bust[edit] At Twilight Sparkle's house, the seven friends wake up after spending the previous night studying for a school test. Despite their all-night study session, they are sleep-deprived and under-prepared for their test. After seeing light snowfall outside, Rainbow Dash comes up with the idea of making a fake snow day to get Principal Celestia to cancel school. In the montage that follows, the girls set up a fake snow day display outside Canterlot High School. Pinkie Pie makes a snowman out of potatoes; Sunset Shimmer paints a large portrait of the school courtyard covered in snow; Fluttershy directs her animal friends to make snow from ice blocks delivered by Applejack, which Twilight then spreads across the courtyard; and Rarity spends the whole time knitting a scarf for Pinkie's potato snowman. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna see the result of the girls' work outside Celestia's office window. Before Celestia cancels school for the day, however, Cranky Doodle sees through the ruse, and the girls are caught and punished with detention after their test. It is revealed that Rainbow Dash's snow day project was actually a way to prepare her and her friends for their test on water vapor.

Saving Pinkie's Pie[edit] At Pinkie Pie's house, Pinkie is baking a soufflé for Rarity. She explains to Sunset Shimmer that she bakes a soufflé for Rarity every year, but it always deflates before she can deliver it. This year, Pinkie plans out the perfect route to deliver the soufflé to Rarity's house within seven minutes, but she and Sunset discover a huge snowball fight taking place in the front yard. Sunset and Pinkie attempt to break through the war-like battlefield, even trying to call a ceasefire, but the two sides refuse to stop hurling snowballs. After briefly incapacitating Applejack, Sunset recruits Flash Sentry's help in getting Pinkie across the yard, but Flash is quickly taken out. Sunset eventually sacrifices herself so that Pinkie can make it the rest of the way, but seven minutes pass, and Pinkie fears she will once again fail to deliver her soufflé in time. Just then, Rarity unexpectedly appears, and Pinkie quickly gives her the soufflé before it deflates. Rarity finds the soufflé absolutely delicious, and Pinkie is happy that she has finally succeeded in delivering her gift. When Rainbow Dash pops out of a snowman and tries to hit Pinkie and Rarity with snowballs, Rarity shields them with her magical geode powers.

The Cider Louse Fools[edit] Twilight Sparkle has been invited to attend the Apple family's annual holiday harvest and cider-making party at their house. Applejack mentions to Twilight that Flim and Flam swindle her and her family at the party every year. The Apples intend to out-swindle the Flim Flam brothers this year by setting traps for them, and Twilight offers to help. Through Twilight's instruction, the Apple family sets up for their cider-making party and plans to sell Flim and Flam a jug of salt-and-pepper water instead of their signature apple cider. As the party gets underway, Flim and Flam arrive and, promising to have no tricks up their sleeves this year, offer to trade some of the Apple family's cider with a fake diamond. Once the trade is fulfilled, Flim and Flam drive off, and Twilight and her friends believe they have successfully swindled the brothers. However, Flim and Flam, having seen through their deception, reappear and make off with the cider that Twilight and her friends had hidden away. Applejack and her family believe Flim and Flam have swindled them yet again, but Twilight reveals she predicted that the brothers would see through their deception. She set up cardboard standees of party guests and made Flim and Flam believe the party started earlier than usual, causing them to make off with salt-and-pepper water as originally planned. With their deception successful, Twilight and the Apples celebrate over cider.

[edit] Main article: List of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls animations § Characters Rebecca Shoichet as Sunset Shimmer Tara Strong as Twilight Sparkle Ashleigh Ball as Rainbow Dash and Applejack Andrea Libman as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy Tabitha St. Germain as Rarity, Granny Smith, Photo Finish, and Vice Principal Luna Nicole Oliver as Principal Celestia Michelle Creber as Apple Bloom Sam Vincent as Flim Scott McNeil as Flam Kathleen Barr as Trixie Lulamoon Ryan Beil as Zephyr Breeze Vincent Tong as Flash Sentry Richard Newman as Mr. Cranky Doodle Lee Tockar as Snips Richard Ian Cox as Snails Michael Dobson as Bulk Biceps

[edit] Holidays Unwrapped aired on November 2, 2019 on Discovery Family (a joint venture between Discovery, Inc. and Hasbro). On YouTube, My Little Pony's official channel has uploaded the special in six parts. Its first episode was uploaded on November 16, 2019 and its last episode on December 20.

At 44 minutes split into six bite‑size episodes, Holidays Unwrapped fits perfectly into the chaotic Christmas timetable. Parents can cue a single seven‑minute segment while the kids finish cookies, then switch to another when the kettle boils. The modular structure also means you can watch the whole special in one sitting or spread it across the evening, keeping the festive buzz alive without demanding a full hour’s attention. For families who prefer quick, repeatable laughs, the short‑form approach feels less like a commitment and more like a series of instant‑gratification treats, which is exactly the kind of low‑stress entertainment that works best during the holiday rush.

If you already own a My Little Pony: Equestria Girls DVD set, the 2019 holiday special is a natural add‑on, especially since it introduces new songs and seasonal costumes that haven’t appeared elsewhere. Look for the Blu‑ray version if you want the crisp colour that makes the glittery outfits pop – the special’s bright palette really shines on high‑definition screens. For collectors, the limited‑edition holiday DVD often comes with a free pony‑themed ornament, a nice extra for the tree. If you’re buying for a child who’s new to the franchise, consider the bundled playset that includes the main characters’ holiday outfits; it turns a passive viewing experience into an interactive play session.

Many fans assume Holidays Unwrapped continues the serious backstory of Sunset Shimmer introduced in earlier specials, but the writers deliberately kept the narrative light‑hearted and anthology‑style. The focus is on festive mishaps rather than deep character development, which is why the proposed singular storyline was shelved. Likewise, the special isn’t a standalone; it references ongoing themes from the main series, such as friendship and the magic of giving, but it doesn’t require prior knowledge to enjoy. This makes it an ideal entry point for newcomers who might otherwise feel intimidated by the extensive My Little Pony canon.