Branded toys await Santa; preschoolers only.

Everyone in Ponyville is preparing for Christmas with lots of decorating and celebrating. On Christmas Eve, all the ponies gather to put the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane -- a glowing symbol to help Santa find Ponyville -- on the top of the biggest tree. When the revelers disperse, Minty the (very clumsy) Pony decides it's not quite straight and adjusts it ... until it falls and breaks. She tries to tell the other ponies, but everyone's too busy to listen. So Minty tries to find a way to save Christmas all by herself.

Our three-star rating reflects the movie's appeal to preschoolers -- and the catchy song "That's What I Love About Christmas." That tune starts and ends the DVD, so parents will know when to come and go while they do their Christmas prep. What you'll find in between is a very predictable story with characters that only young kids, especially girls, could love: pastel-colored prancing ponies with silly voices (Rainbow Dash calls everyone "Dahhhling," for instance).

If your requirements for preschool entertainment include an educational component, you won't find it here. Just a few nice messages and one pony with bad judgment -- why would she think she could replace everyone's presents with socks? There's even a song, "Nothing Says Christmas Like a Pair of Socks." Uh ... not quite.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this DVD, first released in 2005 and released for the 2008 holiday season with a free Minty pony figure, is like other entertainment based on the Hasbro toys: meant for the littlest viewers only.

Young My Little Pony fans may find the scene in which Minty is blown around uncontrolled in a hot air balloon and almost falls before she's rescued a little bit scary. Although there's a nice message about caring for friends being more important than Santa's visit at Christmas, that probably won't stop kids from asking Santa for My Little Ponies after seeing this DVD.

Families can talk about why kids wanted to watch this DVD. Is it because of the My Little Pony toys? Would you have liked the story if it didn't feature pony characters? Families can also discuss Minty's decisions. Do you think she should have tried to "fix" the special candy cane when no one else was around? Have you ever broken something that wasn't yours? What did you do about it? Do you think Minty should have gone off by herself to find Santa? How did Santa end up finding the Ponies?

Studio: Paramount Directed By: Victor Dal Chele Cast: Kathleen Barr, Tabitha St. Germain, Janyse Jaud Running Time: 66 minutes Release Date: Holiday 2005 Video/DVD Release Date: 10/21/2008 Genre: Family and Kids MPAA Rating: G

Reviewed by Carrie Wheadon.

See more about "My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas" at Common Sense Media.