My Little Pony A New Generation is coming to Netflix September 24. It is a bright, exciting adventure that features catchy songs, friendship, and that special pony magic. Two of the people responsible for making the film a great watch are Kimiko Glenn and Liza Koshy.
Interview with Kimiko Glenn and Liza Koshy
The latest in the My Little Pony universe introduces audiences to several new ponies. Two of my favorites are Izzy, a charismatic unicorn who spreads joy and light wherever she goes. And Zipp, a pegasus who likes to march to the beat of her own drum. Real life friends, Kimiko Glenn and Liza Koshy lend their voices to these characters and I had the opportunity to ask them about what it was like being best friends in this colorful, fun world.
You both are best friends in real life. What is it like working on this movie together?
Liza: It's been too enjoyable. (Laughs). It's such a dream to work with someone who literally is Izzy. She has this warm, welcoming energy and she lives and learns and leads with love. We've known each other for five or four years now. We got to play roommates on another production we were in and then she literally became my roommate. But I'm really, truly lucky.
Kimiko: It's so lucky. We worked together and then we became friends through that work. These things are sometimes really hard, especially the press and all that stuff. Getting glammed up isn't always so glamorous. And so I think having each other to lean on and being grounding forces…
Liza: A support system, it's nice.
Kimiko: It's also nice to have an excuse to continue to call each other. We're both busy. Sometimes people can drift apart, so it's just nice to be able to constantly be like, Hey, how's it going? So it's lovely.
Did you grow up as My Little Pony fans? What made you want to join this universe?
Liza: I mean, you see my little pony come through in the email inbox it's not a no. (Laughs) They raised me! I wanted to do this for the evergreen messages that we all accidentally learn while watching this beautiful colorful world unfold before us as kids. Also just to be a part of it was such an honor and I'm so lucky.
Kimiko: It's so hard to look at my little pony and say no! When they came to me with it I got to know Izzy a little bit, what she stands for and and who she is. She's just so open and bright and accepting and friendly. What really warms my heart and what's really important to me is knowing that these messages exist and are out there especially for kids and can be learned all through this wonderful, cute little tiny box where you don't realize you're learning big themes. But you're learning that it's important to accept one another and love one another for our differences. And that's so important, especially nowadays. Embracing our uniqueness and our identity.
Zipp and Izzy are so fun to watch on screen. Do you find you relate to them in any way?
Liza: I'm biased and happily so. I love Zipp Storm so much. I was drawn to the character because of the way she was drawn. She's so different from any little pony that I've ever seen in the My Little Pony world before and I'm so happy that this new generation and the creators are really embracing what the world really does look like now. Zipp embodies both masculine and feminine traits, she has this kind of androgynous energy and it's showing everyone that it's okay to embody boyish charm but also girlier traits. It's okay to be an independent little pony or little person. Zipp is quiet, confident, and independent. She strives to be free and lives her truth. I love that she embraces herself wholeheartedly.
Kimiko: Izzy accepts herself wholeheartedly too, I think she knows nothing else. She's just so open, honest, and genuine. And inviting, welcoming, and curious. Those are aspects of her that I want to model my life after. I tend to sign on for characters that I aspire to be in a lot of ways. She just has this spirit about her that I think is so wonderful for kids to see. And I think when you're around someone like that you just gravitate towards them.
My Little Ponies all have cutie marks. If you could design your own, what would it be?
Kimiko: I feel like it would be the sparkle emoji. I have always said as a kid, I felt this sparkle, it's very Izzy of me! (Laughs) I've always felt this sparkle, this innate belief in myself and feeling like I had something to offer, feeling like I was unique and special. I have to hold on to that for dear life and never let it go. And I think as we grow older, it's hard to hold on to that and hold on to your inner child and remember how to be playful and open because the world can be hard. But I think for me, I've spent my entire life protecting that little sparkle that I have always felt inside of me.
Liza: My cutie mark would be a charcuterie board (Laughs) because you get a little taste of everything. You're not going to get bored dabbling in the snack department. I like to give different flavors of who I am as I evolve and give different tastes of what I'm interested in. It all comes back to that sparkle and what really makes me light up inside, honoring that inner child.
My Little Pony A New Generation is coming to Netflix September 24. It is rated PG for some thematic elements and has a runtime of one hour and 30 minutes.
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