Ponyella

Image of Ponyella
Author(s): 
Release Date: 
January 17, 2011
Publisher/Imprint: 
Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 
32
Reviewed by: 

What can you say about a retelling of the Cinderella story starring ponies?

All the elements of the original are here: the beautiful one who gets mistreated by the bad ones and is forced to do all the dirty work until one day she is saved by a chance encounter with a Fairy GodCreature who gives her an opportunity to shine, after which she is delivered from a lifetime of suffering by someone else who manages to recognize her beauty under all the muck—oh, and by the daintiness of her foot, uh, hoof as well.

What does this story add to the original Cinderella tale?

Nothing.

Ponyella’s cartoony art is reminiscent of early Disney cell art (not a surprise, since the publisher is an imprint of Disney). The illustrations are thus colorful and somewhat expressive, especially when it comes to the emotions of anger and disgust playing out on the faces of the mean step-mares, but other than that, the images do little to add to the text—they simply reflect the words.

Now here’s where my mother’s very strict training in manners comes into play: If you cannot say something good to add to the conversation (here, about books), then say nothing at all.

In which case, it appears that this review is complete.