The Netflix original movieMy Little Pony: A New Generationis set at a time when Equestria has lost its magic and Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi are no longer friends, until an Earth Pony named Sunny (voiced byVanessa Hudgens) decides to find a way to bring them together again. When a Unicorn named Izzy (voiced byKimiko Glenn) shows up, and the two join up with Pegasi sisters Pipp (voiced bySofia Carson) and Zipp (voiced byLiza Koshy) and the always responsible Hitch (voiced byJames Marsden), they take a journey that teaches them their own unique gifts are the very thing that will save the day and reunite the ponies with their magic.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Carson talked about having been a fan of My Little Pony since childhood, why being a part of the film was such an easy yes, how she most identifies with the story, what she loves about her character Princess Pipp Petals, and getting to record the song “Glowin’ Up.” She also talked about the movie Purple Hearts, which she’s an executive producer on, and why it’s been such a rewarding experience.
Collider: Thank you for talking to me about this. I loved this movie. I loveMy Little Pony. I had all of the toys as a kid and I’m so thrilled that they’re still around because it makes me feel like I made good toy choices. When did you become familiar with them? Did you just always have them around?
SOFIA CARSON: Always. I think it’s just one of those things. It’s such an iconic part of everyone’s childhood. I always remember knowing aboutMy Little Ponyand having a My Little Pony, and me and my sister just brushing their hair. I remember that so vividly. And of course, I knew their theme song.
When the opportunity to be a part of this came your way, what was your reaction? Was it just, “Oh, my God, sign me up”?
CARSON: Yes. It was such an easy yes. It’s such a beautiful and magical world, and something that so many people have loved for so many years. The cast is just incredible, with actors that I’ve admired my whole life, and then other female actresses who are just amazing. It’s so cool that all of our heroines, all of our Pony heroes are females. It’s really amazing. It’s been such a pleasure and such an honor to be a part of this.
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When you read this script, how easy was it to imagine what the world would look like and how did actually getting to see it in the finished film compare to what you thought it would be?
CARSON: I think the world was so much bigger and so much more magical than what we imagined, and that’s so beautiful. That’s the power of animation and the power ofMy Little Pony. The way the animation works, you only get to see the pieces that you’re in, so it was really special to watch the movie as a fan and see so many things that I hadn’t actually seen. It’s just such a beautiful world with so many important messages.
This really is such a cute and sweet story. Is the script that you first read essentially the final film, or did it change and evolve along the way?
CARSON: It was very close. Animation takes years and years to develop, so this had been the process for a long time, before we even, as a cast, joined on. But I was pretty impressed that the final script was very true to the original script. There are certain things that are improvised in the moment and certain things that maybe I said that weren’t in the script that made it to the movie, but all in all, it was pretty close to the original.
A lot of actors talk about not being able to watch their own performances. Are you someone who normally doesn’t like watching yourself, and does it make it any easier when it’s an animated project and it’s just your voice bringing the character to life?
CARSON: It definitely makes it easier when it’s an animated project, for sure. I think a lot of actors, myself included, are our own worst critics, which can be a really beautiful thing because it pushes you to try to work harder and to challenge yourself more and to push yourself beyond your limits, but it can also be an Achilles heel. I think that’s why it makes it harder to see yourself on camera. It’s making that conscious decision in your brain to separate yourself from the character that you’re playing. What I’m seeing on camera isn’t Sofia, but it’s whatever character I’m stepping into. As you, it’s a hard thing to do.
This story is less based in a fantasy world and really feels like it’s in a current world that’s very much identifiable to kids today. What did you find yourself most identifying with, when it comes to this story?
CARSON: So many things. To me, the most powerful and most important and crucial message ofMy Little Ponyis like you said, despite this taking place in the magical world of Equestria, the heart of the story is so real and so important and so timely. It’s the story of the power of the greatest magic in the world, which is the power of love, the power of inclusivity, and the power of unity. In a world that has been torn apart by hatred and division, these ponies, who are these kids, who in the eyes of the world, are these tiny voices, but they can change the great, big world by making that fearless choice of choosing love despite the forces of the world trying to keep them apart. That’s exactly what’s happening in our world today. Our young generation is the generation that’s leading the way to a path of love.
What do you love about Princess Pipp Petals, aside from just having a fabulous name like that? What did you most enjoy about getting to voice her and to find her voice?
CARSON: I love her confidence. She’s just so beautifully, bravely herself. I also love that she loves music so much. Pipp and I have that in common. I loved her energy and her spirit. Each of the ponies are so uniquely themselves, and that’s so beautiful and such a beautiful thing to celebrate. But Pipp is special. She’s definitely a force.
At what point did you get to see what she would look like, and did seeing her affect how you voiced her, in any way?
CARSON: I saw a drawing of her, when the project was offered to me, and in the most beautiful way, she just jumped off the screen. It was pretty magical to see her animated. Of course, seeing her and how they had envisioned her helped in my performance and the heart that I put into Pipp.
How would you say you’re most like Pipp, and is there a quality of hers that you wish you had?
CARSON: Me and Pipp are both lovers of music, and Pipp is devoted to her Pippsqueaks, which are her fans. I’m also so wholeheartedly devoted and grateful to those that I’m lucky enough to be on this journey with, my fans. I think we’re different in that I really attempt to work hard to live in the present and not to be consumed by our cell phones. Pipp is learning the difficult lesson that a lot of kids these days are learning, which is that it’s so easy to get consumed by the world of social media and to live life through a lens, rather than being present in the moment. Pipp learns that in our film.
I saw the video of you opening and playing with the toy for your character and her whole palace. Even though you’re voicing a pony, do you still feel a sense of ownership of the character? Does she feel like she’s a representation of you?
CARSON: It’s interesting, I guess there’s a piece of ourselves in all of the characters that we play. We leave a little piece of our heart behind, so yeah, absolutely. It’s pretty surreal, when you see the toy. It’s an out-of-body experience. That’s the heart that you bring to the character and that’s your voice. That will never not be surreal, for sure.
How did this voice process work? Did you ever get to work with any of your co-stars, or were you alone the entire time?
CARSON: We were all alone. It was also during COVID, so it was extra alone and extra careful. Even our directors were in different parts of the world. We were all there via Zoom. It was definitely a very different experience. Voice-over tends to be quite different than live-action. But it made it extra special when we watched the finished product because there was so much that you hadn’t seen and voices that you hadn’t heard and songs that you hadn’t heard. It was beautiful to watch it all back, as a fan.
As a performer, how strange is it to work with directors remotely, in that way?
CARSON: It’s something that takes getting used to, but it works, especially for an animated project like this. It’s incredible how we can still make art, in the middle of all of this.
What do you enjoy about the relationship between Pipp and Zipp, and getting to see the dynamic that they share with each other and the dynamic they share with their mother?
CARSON: Pipp and Zipp and the royal family has an incredibly relatable dynamic. Pipp is this force. She’s a pop princess, and she takes her role of princess really seriously and the responsibilities that come with it and the expectations, while Zipp really resents royalty and resents the expectations that come with being a princess. And so, like a lot of sisterhood relationships, in the beginning, there’s friction because Pipp just wants to be loved and accepted by her sister, and her older sister is kind of dismissive of her. But when they embark on this really beautiful journey, their lives change forever and their friendship changes forever, and they become best friends. They see each other. They see their sparkles for who they are, and they accept it and embrace it and it’s so beautiful. My sister is my best friend, and I know that so many girls feel the same way. There’s nothing more special than that relationship.
“Glowin’ Up” is a great song. What was your reaction, the first time you heard the song? What was it like to record that?
CARSON: I just thought it was such a cool song. That was the goal all along. Ron Fair, who’s an icon in the industry and who’s responsible for some of the greatest careers, for instance Christina Aguilera just to name one, called us about a year and a half ago with the idea of writing an amazing pop record for Pipp, to be very closing credits song of the movie. And he wanted to bring on a writer named Jenna Andrews, who’s a force right now in business. She wrote two of the biggest songs of the year, with BTS. It was all during COVID, so he was in Nashville, Jenna was in New York, and I was in L.A., and we worked together. When they sent me “Glowin’ Up,” it was just pretty immediate. I also love that the song is not only a pop record, but it has so much soul to it and R&B, which I really relate to. It’s just beautiful to be able to voice a record that’s about finding your inner glow and letting it shine for the world to see.
It’s hard to know how to handle fame until you’re in the spotlight. What has most surprised you about yourself? Having had the spotlight shone on you for a bit now, have you learned anything about your own strength that you didn’t realize?
CARSON: It is a completely different world, once you enter the world of fame. What I learned about myself is that what fame does and what this world does, is it just heightens everything a bit more, so it makes values and family and having people around you who just truly care about you and you care about them, that much more important. I’m even closer to my family, closer to my sister, and closer to the values and morals I was raised with.
As a performer, how do you find your own inner confidence? Are there friends or family in your life that give you a pep talk when you need it? Do you give yourself a pep talk when you need it?
CARSON: It’s funny because I was having this conversation with my co-star recently, about how, as performers, you have to have a certain level of confidence to be brave enough to be in front of the camera and bare your soul, or to go on stage and sing in front of thousands. But at the same time, performers can be so critical of themselves. We tend to doubt whether we can do things all the time, but it’s only because we want to be better and better and grow. I think that confidence has to come from within. No matter what anyone tells you, if you don’t believe it yourself, nothing anyone says can convince you otherwise. Like anyone else in the world, confidence comes in waves, but you really just have to wholeheartedly believe in yourself because that’s the fire that lights everything that you do.
You’re currently working onPurple Hearts, and it’s so cool that you’re also a co-writer on that, an executive producer, and you’re performing the soundtrack. You’re wearing many hats on that project. How did that happen? What was it about that, that you felt connected enough to, that you wanted to become so involved with it?
CARSON: Thank you so much. I actually just drove in this morning (August 12, 2025). I had two concerts this weekend while filming the movie. We were capturing content for the movie. It’s been the most extraordinary. We’ve been shooting for three weeks and I don’t ever want it to end. I’ve been developing this project with my director, Liz Allen, and with our partners at Alloy and now Netflix, for four years now. I’m just forever grateful to Liz, who believed in me when we were shootingThe Perfectionistsand wanted to bring this to life with me as a producer with her, and for me to have a voice in developing Cassie and the world ofPurple Hearts.
What drew me to the story the most was the message. When I first read the title, I asked Liz ifPurple Heartsmeant it was the blending of a red and a blue heart, and she giggled and she said, “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but that’s exactly what our story is.” We live in a country that’s so incredibly divided right now, red versus blue. This story is about choosing not to see color and choosing love, above all things, and how a red heart and a blue heart can come together and choose love. That can change the world in the most beautiful way. And I came on as a writer, as well, for the music. I was able to write with someone that, I’m not sure if I can say who it is quite yet, but my co-writer on this project is one of the greatest writers of our generation and I’m so grateful to work with him. We really poured our hearts into bringing Cassie’s music to life. It’s just been the most challenging role of my life and the most rewarding one, so far, as well.
That sounds really exciting.
CARSON: Yeah, thank you.
You’ve had a successful acting and singing career, you’re branching out into being a writer and producer, you’re a brand ambassador for Revlon, and you’re a role model for a lot of young people. Can you appreciate the success that you’ve already achieved? Does that directly fuel a drive to push you even further?
CARSON: Just hearing you say everything, I have to pinch myself and take a step back because it doesn’t feel real. Just this weekend, when I was looking out into the crowd and hearing people sing my songs back, or a couple of them were holding My Little Ponies, or a couple of them were dressed as Evie (her character in theDescendantsmovies), or a couple of them were showing me the Revlon lipsticks, it’s unreal. I’m just so lucky because I get to do what I love, every single day. It doesn’t feel like work. I just feel like the luckiest girl in the world. What fuels me the most is those young men and women, and however they identify the fact that they connect to me and I can connect them. That’s the most special thing in the world Every story that I tell, I tell for them. I just long to keep doing it.
It definitely seems like a huge responsibility, but at the same time, a lot of fun.
CARSON: That’s exactly what it is. It is a huge responsibility, but I know that I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My Little Pony: A New Generationis available to stream at Netflix.
