8 years later and the animation on this video is still insane. Seriously, so organic and flowing. The speed feels real. And the sound design, wow! Please tell me you're still animating!
Actually she wouldn't be able to fly with her original wings... It's physically unnatural and illogical. Those wings have the correct size for a horse (or pony) to fly.
That was fuckin' awesome. Most other stuff I've come across is just about Rainbow screwing up and crashing, honestly glad to finally see some glorious aerial action. And the wings were pretty awesome, too. Big wings are cool.
I've watched this video so many times and if I had to use ONLY ONE WORD to describe this... it's BADASS. I love how... _real_ it feels. The emotions are so human, the way her eyes focus and refocus sometimes, the way when she flaps her wings for the first time, you can see her steady herself on the ground. It's so incredibly well made and thought out, and I can't help but absolutely adore this.
Me too! I love those wings! I think they look pretty badass, and the way they move in the wind is amazing. Also the sound effects and voice in this are awesome! Hopefully if I watch this enough times I'll have a dream later that I can fly like that.
They are 2 evolutions to the flight of a bird 1st is if a bird lives in open spaces its wingspan in wider and its tail-feather is shorter. 2nd bird that evolve in canopies or forest tend to have shorter wingspan and longer tail-feather for maneuverability.
While they were very large, as the description stated, it allows a lot more expression. If they were smaller, they would have been harder to notice and the feel of the push from each flap provides the viewer with a more immersive experience. I think it was awesome, but I also love abstract works. :D
I feel like if whoever animated this worked with Argodaemon, they could really make some unfathomable works of art. The animation could be smoother in certain parts, but I'm not complaining. It's a well done, great video.
That was freakin incredible! The animation was very fluid with a strong sense of realism to it. (not taking into account the ungodly high G's that RD had to be pulling in some of the maneuvers... but that would be canon for RD) Overall, the level of detail was outstanding. The only thing I felt off about while watching was her wings. They looked too big in my opinion, but even then, they were done fantastically. Little details, such as the strain during the high speed turns, and the contrails... 10/10 for all of this!
Woah!! Okay, not only was the animation great, and the voice actress outstanding, this really FELT like I was flying right alongside her! That's something not a lot of animators do well. Flying isn't weightlessness, it's riding currents and being able to generate lift. It's like they say in Toy Story, falling with style. There's a weight to it, and I think you captured that beautifully. Some of the animation did seem to clip frames a bit, but I chalk that up to the SFM engine more than your animating ability. I don't think it was designed for high levels of detail.
I both love and hate the wings. They seem abnormal because of what we are used to but they are a much more realistic size for carrying the weight and size of a horse. Not a fan of the under wings coloring. If anything it should be on top and bottom as feathers aren't generally different colors on each side. I'm glad I put my headphones on for once as you did a great job with the sounds. My only issue would be the bird that practically explodes from our face. I assume its coming from behind and we would have heard something before it got to the back of the head. Lastly is there is quite a lot of animation jitters. The eyes twitching about and sometimes awkward steps. A little more motion tweening (don't know how that works in SFM) should have made it more smooth. Over all great animation and will be recommending to friends :P
This has honestly blown me away. Her tail whipping around in the wind from her traveling, her head, just like a fighter pilot doing maneuvers, the g-forces pushing around. Her eyes constantly moving. All this is far more realistic than most people would realize. I've watched it at least four or five times, I've gotten my kids to watch it. This is beyond epic. In fact, there are no words. Keep doing this. I can see you were straining the abilities of SFM, but DAMN!!! It was awesome!
What the frick happened to this channel and animator!?!? His/her work is amazing! Wherever you are, you need to persure this unless you have other things going on in ur life I totally respect that, but serious! It's incredible, I remember this video ever since it came out and I'm glad I came back to look at it!!
That was soooooooooooo amazing! Soooooo beautiful! You did a good work to animation, sounds, effects and cam move! It's just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I'm in love! That was my dream to fly like you did and this video made me the sentiment to feel in the air!
I'm not a huge fan of flying scenes in SFM but I appreciate the amount of detail and thought you put into the animation and particles. I also replayed the scene at 2:00 quite a few times because of it's amazingness. p:
that was amazing! this makes the other videos in the top 10 pony videos of the month cringe worthy compered to this! I really loved the the more fastpased facial expression and the camera movement! This is my favorite sfm video ever!
Certainly rainbow dash has experience with the real aerodynamics rules. But by the way.... That was amazinig, this huge wings was kind of weird but movie is still awesome.
Finally got to watching this! Honestly, the age does show itself somewhat in this animation, HOWEVER, the sheer intensity when RD starts flying is still very, VERY impressive. Loving the movement fluidity, the dynamic camera angles and the sound work here especally. And also, the old SFM animation quirks, like the visible world border, the light flickers, etc. - it all now adds even a little bit of nostalgic charm to the whole thing. Really brings back the vibe of those years in full swing to me ❤
Being an RC pilot myself plus knowing lots about aerodynamics I was like: What was that 50G turns or what. Nice audio, legit wing size and well animated movement. Plus the wingtip vortices and the negative G Loops where nice too.
AWESOME. i'm really, really impressed by how well the flight worked out, you can really feel the g forces on the loops, and the contrasting weightlessness in the stall. you sir did a much better job than a lot of full length, full budget proper Hollywood movies...
This is extremely well put together. The animation, action, music, sound effects, camera angles, pacing, and a few surprises for the viewer. This is genius work. Also, 'dose wings. Awesome.
Goddamn, this is smooth! Loved every last second of this video. The wing size was a bit off-putting, but I didn't mind it one bit. The video moved much like a parkour/bmx/skateboard montage, and I think that's a perfect way to depict how RD must experience flight in the way she does; flashy, yet stylish. Love it!
WOW...I'm absolutely blown away by this. The amount of effort you put into this video is so easily seen through those quick, fluid motions. The way the SFX match so perfectly with the motions. And those wings, my god those wings are BEAUTIFUL. The amount of expression portrayed JUST through those wings just...it's honestly just amazing. And the little things, the vapor trails coming from the tips of her wings as she performs those high g turns is something so many would miss. You have some serious talent, and I can't get enough of this video. Absolutely outstanding job!
Fantastic work. The audio was top notch and had the desired effects, the expressions through out were great and felt naturual, and the camera scenes had great placement. Your work paid off, and I hope whatever your next project is has less computer failures.
This needs a sequel. Envelope II: Pony Express or something. Maybe Twilight and Flutters can get in on the action. Then have Derpy come flying in sideways outta nowhere and almost knocks into one of 'em. Then they do a formation and their color trails form your avatar logo.
Holy shit. Thanks Gaben to give us Source Filmmaker, so we can feed our brains with such animations. I salute you and your skillz, most honorable SFMer.
Mind. Blown. The wings are hilariously large, but hell, you made them work pretty well all things considered. THIS! This is how Rainbow Dash flies, end of story. I don't think I've ever seen anyone else capture her very essence like you have here. I'm loving about every second of it! Needs more of this! There are several little glitches and technical issues here and there, but SFM sometimes has its limitations and other issues, so I get that. Also, good selection of music!
This took a lot of work I bet . It was a great job. Very realistic take on how the ponies would fly in real life, including a realistic wing size, and hooves.
This is pretty awesome; I found it very enjoyable to watch ^_^ My only critique is that the wings are just too big to be taken seriously. They could have been about two thirds their size and been pushing it, but would have looked better in my opinion. I realize that you were going for realistic proportions for creating lift, but it just looks ridiculous on a horse at that size. The show has stated that pegasi require the natural magic in their wings to get off the ground. Going purely off of physics and realism, her intense and excited head flail at 4:13 would have sent her careening out of control as well. Regardless, you started making this a year and a half ago (long before the season 4 finale), so I wouldn't worry too much about it. It was a fun trip and I had a blast watching it; I dig the speed of the action and the hefty amount of personality that you infused in her and her stunts. Well done ^_^
Damn, this animation is so cool, so was the back ground music. I seriously love this animation it's so uplifting and inspiring. Man, I really think I should listen to that BGM the next time I exercise.
![First Flight [SFM]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LP3g52_p0KM/mqdefault.jpg)
![First Flight [SFM]](/img/tr.png)
![The Cursed 6 [ANTHRO MLP] [SFM]](/img/n.gif)
8 years later and the animation on this video is still insane. Seriously, so organic and flowing. The speed feels real. And the sound design, wow! Please tell me you're still animating!
Her wings popped out and almost jumped outta my chair
Same
I want a Dashie Collectible with a full wingspan like this!
haha! you can put as many "no flying", signs as you want but if you think for a moment that it would stop Dash, man you need a serious reality check.
One of the best SFMs I've seen for a long time now... :3
This is so impressive! In sound, animation, and rendering effects.
2:03
amazing
That was amazing
brilliant audio
Epic :D
""EPIC YEAH XD" XD
sunset shimmer Hi Sunset! Loved that vocal solo at the end of the flick. Need more songs from ya! XD
Nice Animation!
And great job on the voice Zanna! You really sound just like RD! :-D
The wings just killed it for me...
This video is really amazing. I was wondering why Zanna was recording grunting sounds the other day.
Ethan Richards
eh, if I can suspend my belief with flying ponies I can suspend my belief with giant wings.
The correct phrase is "suspend your disbelief".
All the famous awesome animators should know that this guy is now in their league... er... has been for a little while now actually.
Holy. Shit. HOW MANY YEARS has this been out and I'm just now seeing it at 3 AM.. on a Monday.
Well, that just blew me away. Beyond amazing! I loved the stylistic choice with the wings. You have a good eye. ^^
Pawsome
Subcribe to the rainbowdash pic Sry your name is hard
Omfg! It's Argodaemon! Ahhhhh! Fangirl scream!
+Argodaemon hello
OMG THAT WAS SOO AWESOME
How to Train Your Dragon: Rainbow Dash Edition
Is she Rainbowless
@@Night_from_GT_asia_2 Well, yes, but actually no.
How to Train a Rainbow.
@@Glorymoon97 I was thinking the same lol
I just remember that I was 8 years old and I loved watching this
I love Dashie but when she flared her wings out my first thought was "Damn Dash your wings are WAAAAY too long for your body"
DUDE. SAME.😦😦
You read my mind.
Their actually the right size she needs to really fly.
same
Actually she wouldn't be able to fly with her original wings... It's physically unnatural and illogical. Those wings have the correct size for a horse (or pony) to fly.
That was fuckin' awesome.
Most other stuff I've come across is just about Rainbow screwing up and crashing, honestly glad to finally see some glorious aerial action.
And the wings were pretty awesome, too. Big wings are cool.
The audio in this really makes it.
I've watched this video so many times and if I had to use ONLY ONE WORD to describe this... it's BADASS.
I love how... _real_ it feels. The emotions are so human, the way her eyes focus and refocus sometimes, the way when she flaps her wings for the first time, you can see her steady herself on the ground. It's so incredibly well made and thought out, and I can't help but absolutely adore this.
I for one welcome our new, oversize,-rainbow winged overlord! Those wings were actually pretty awesome. XD
Me too! I love those wings! I think they look pretty badass, and the way they move in the wind is amazing. Also the sound effects and voice in this are awesome!
Hopefully if I watch this enough times I'll have a dream later that I can fly like that.
OMG DUDE THAT WAS THE MOST EPIC MLP VID I'VE EVER SEEN!(another reason why RD is best pony :D)
hayden
those wings were honestly laughably gigantic, but I love, love, love everything else about this! well done!
***** you're probably right, but they just look crazy huge compared to the closed wings.
They are 2 evolutions to the flight of a bird 1st is if a bird lives in open spaces its wingspan in wider and its tail-feather is shorter. 2nd bird that evolve in canopies or forest tend to have shorter wingspan and longer tail-feather for maneuverability.
While they were very large, as the description stated, it allows a lot more expression. If they were smaller, they would have been harder to notice and the feel of the push from each flap provides the viewer with a more immersive experience. I think it was awesome, but I also love abstract works. :D
Argodaemon you're right, it's just the huge wings were largely unexpected.
Pacific Penguin lol "largely"
love the massive momentum - buck it - not even blockbusters get it that right!
This is classic fandom kino and I never tire of coming back to watch it again.
OMG THIS IS LITERALY THE BEST SFM IN THE WORLD !!!! auto sub activated !
4 years and I still come back to this video, it rocks.
I feel like if whoever animated this worked with Argodaemon, they could really make some unfathomable works of art. The animation could be smoother in certain parts, but I'm not complaining. It's a well done, great video.
loved it, her wings reminded me of what her sonic wings would look like. now that is going to be the image I think of for RD's sonic wings, lol
That was freakin incredible! The animation was very fluid with a strong sense of realism to it. (not taking into account the ungodly high G's that RD had to be pulling in some of the maneuvers... but that would be canon for RD)
Overall, the level of detail was outstanding.
The only thing I felt off about while watching was her wings. They looked too big in my opinion, but even then, they were done fantastically. Little details, such as the strain during the high speed turns, and the contrails... 10/10 for all of this!
These is are the Rainbow Dash she have other hooves and wings!
Wow, this is so different from the usual SFM, I really really loved this
I'm in love with the wings
And the Hoove sound
oli man : your flying fireman...... fireman: woooooohooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my flames are boosting me up! fiiiiiire!!!!
Me tooo
This is definitely gonna be one of the top pony videos of September, I'm sure about that.
I love the motion for the wings. It wouldn't look nearly as cool if they were show style. Also, they look more realistic.
Woah great one and great animations! Looks freaking epic!
Turn And Burn! Dashie has the moves!
This should totally go in the Top Ten Pony Videos of September list!
i forgot how awesome this is! needs more views!
Woah!! Okay, not only was the animation great, and the voice actress outstanding, this really FELT like I was flying right alongside her! That's something not a lot of animators do well. Flying isn't weightlessness, it's riding currents and being able to generate lift. It's like they say in Toy Story, falling with style. There's a weight to it, and I think you captured that beautifully. Some of the animation did seem to clip frames a bit, but I chalk that up to the SFM engine more than your animating ability. I don't think it was designed for high levels of detail.
Your a brony ? XD
Okay. That. Was. AWESOME!
And i really gotta hand it to Zanna. I thought sounded exactly like Alisha Ball's Rainbow Dash voice
oh my god the speed it's feel-able. awsome work!!
AWESOME!! DUDE U SHOULD REALLY MAKE MORE VIDS LIKE THIS!! ITS AMAZING
Woah.
I... I felt that. I FELT that!
I fly gliders, and am moving toward an acrobatics permit, but... that's what it feels like.
dash is cool but the wings what the and when she turned I was like god what did I just see
Only the gigachads enjoy this
I still love this so much
I both love and hate the wings. They seem abnormal because of what we are used to but they are a much more realistic size for carrying the weight and size of a horse. Not a fan of the under wings coloring. If anything it should be on top and bottom as feathers aren't generally different colors on each side. I'm glad I put my headphones on for once as you did a great job with the sounds. My only issue would be the bird that practically explodes from our face. I assume its coming from behind and we would have heard something before it got to the back of the head. Lastly is there is quite a lot of animation jitters. The eyes twitching about and sometimes awkward steps. A little more motion tweening (don't know how that works in SFM) should have made it more smooth. Over all great animation and will be recommending to friends :P
This has honestly blown me away. Her tail whipping around in the wind from her traveling, her head, just like a fighter pilot doing maneuvers, the g-forces pushing around. Her eyes constantly moving. All this is far more realistic than most people would realize. I've watched it at least four or five times, I've gotten my kids to watch it. This is beyond epic. In fact, there are no words. Keep doing this. I can see you were straining the abilities of SFM, but DAMN!!! It was awesome!
5 years old?..
Still majestic
That’s my girl yeehaw my beautiful Pegasus ever
What the frick happened to this channel and animator!?!? His/her work is amazing! Wherever you are, you need to persure this unless you have other things going on in ur life I totally respect that, but serious! It's incredible, I remember this video ever since it came out and I'm glad I came back to look at it!!
That was soooooooooooo amazing! Soooooo beautiful! You did a good work to animation, sounds, effects and cam move! It's just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I'm in love! That was my dream to fly like you did and this video made me the sentiment to feel in the air!
4:07 rainbow dash sucessfully compleed a stuntman: Ignition
You mean, she's actually flying instead of just magically hovering as her tiny wings go up and down?
LOVE IT!!
Hoooolyyyy fuuuuuuuuck~~~
Just what I needed to kick start my morning. :D
Awesome Video loved it!
music was a great match
I'm not a huge fan of flying scenes in SFM but I appreciate the amount of detail and thought you put into the animation and particles. I also replayed the scene at 2:00 quite a few times because of it's amazingness. p:
that was amazing! this makes the other videos in the top 10 pony videos of the month cringe worthy compered to this! I really loved the the more fastpased facial expression and the camera movement! This is my favorite sfm video ever!
So...awesome.
Apart from the quality hard work done on the wings, I particularly enjoy the flight sound effects. She looks like she's having a blast.
Certainly rainbow dash has experience with the real aerodynamics rules. But by the way.... That was amazinig, this huge wings was kind of weird but movie is still awesome.
well, i just want to say... shut up and take my money
that is show me to say to Rainbow Dash
that is just so me to Rainbow Dash
Finally got to watching this!
Honestly, the age does show itself somewhat in this animation, HOWEVER, the sheer intensity when RD starts flying is still very, VERY impressive. Loving the movement fluidity, the dynamic camera angles and the sound work here especally.
And also, the old SFM animation quirks, like the visible world border, the light flickers, etc. - it all now adds even a little bit of nostalgic charm to the whole thing. Really brings back the vibe of those years in full swing to me ❤
this was very impressive, very few flying sfms ive seen that feel and look natural, even the little grunts she gives
That was one of the most epic sfm animations I have ever seen!
It’s insane how this is 9 years old now. Still remains to be one of my favorite MLP fan animations though.
Being an RC pilot myself plus knowing lots about aerodynamics I was like: What was that 50G turns or what. Nice audio, legit wing size and well animated movement. Plus the wingtip vortices and the negative G Loops where nice too.
Nice job on the POV shots...
I watched this once seven years ago and it's just recently been on my mind, I just had to watch this masterpiece again.
Idk why but I feel like I'm flying XD
they should really add the design of the wings into the actual show
Let's wait until she becomes an alicorn or some sort of a high or royal position idk, or overpowered chances huer
man this is really good the sounds a little sharp on the head phones but other than the yea man its really good
I think her wing looks amazing, and the size is perfect since it's more realistic, these ponies would need that big of a wing to fly on Earth.
AWESOME.
i'm really, really impressed by how well the flight worked out, you can really feel the g forces on the loops, and the contrasting weightlessness in the stall.
you sir did a much better job than a lot of full length, full budget proper Hollywood movies...
This is extremely well put together. The animation, action, music, sound effects, camera angles, pacing, and a few surprises for the viewer. This is genius work. Also, 'dose wings. Awesome.
Goddamn, this is smooth! Loved every last second of this video. The wing size was a bit off-putting, but I didn't mind it one bit. The video moved much like a parkour/bmx/skateboard montage, and I think that's a perfect way to depict how RD must experience flight in the way she does; flashy, yet stylish. Love it!
This is amazing! I loved the voice, animation, and flight sequence!
Wow feel good fast is soarin leaf in wind!
I am beyond amazed :OOOO I love the wing style! Everything about this was perfect 👌
1:33 that's some humongous wings
Flawless animation. :D
WOW...I'm absolutely blown away by this. The amount of effort you put into this video is so easily seen through those quick, fluid motions. The way the SFX match so perfectly with the motions. And those wings, my god those wings are BEAUTIFUL. The amount of expression portrayed JUST through those wings just...it's honestly just amazing. And the little things, the vapor trails coming from the tips of her wings as she performs those high g turns is something so many would miss.
You have some serious talent, and I can't get enough of this video. Absolutely outstanding job!
Still a favorite of mine :)
ONE MORE TIME - WITH VR !!!
Rainbow Dash simulator VR FTW!
Reupload it in 60fps
PLEASE
Fantastic work. The audio was top notch and had the desired effects, the expressions through out were great and felt naturual, and the camera scenes had great placement. Your work paid off, and I hope whatever your next project is has less computer failures.
holy cow rds wings on 1:34
thoes wings
This needs a sequel. Envelope II: Pony Express or something. Maybe Twilight and Flutters can get in on the action. Then have Derpy come flying in sideways outta nowhere and almost knocks into one of 'em. Then they do a formation and their color trails form your avatar logo.
Holy shit. Thanks Gaben to give us Source Filmmaker, so we can feed our brains with such animations. I salute you and your skillz, most honorable SFMer.
Man those Wings are awesome
even still now, i am like...THOSE DAMN WINGS when she goes and spreads it out
Holy....
It's been 10 years. Hope your life is going well
Mind. Blown. The wings are hilariously large, but hell, you made them work pretty well all things considered.
THIS! This is how Rainbow Dash flies, end of story. I don't think I've ever seen anyone else capture her very essence like you have here. I'm loving about every second of it! Needs more of this!
There are several little glitches and technical issues here and there, but SFM sometimes has its limitations and other issues, so I get that.
Also, good selection of music!
I ave to admit I'm impressed. Everything involving wings here was astonishing and I love the rainbow feathrs to bits. Buck. Frikken. Yeah
I really love the emphasis you put in on her straining to hold her wings out when recovering from a dive. Made it seem so much more realistic!
This took a lot of work I bet . It was a great job. Very realistic take on how the ponies would fly in real life, including a realistic wing size, and hooves.
i love how you can see her hooves and in reality she would need wings that size to fly! awesome!
Imagine how this would look reanimated today, in HD(or 4K) with cell shading, I’d die happy
the high velocity wind effect in her mane is what i think makes this look sooo fun
This is pretty awesome; I found it very enjoyable to watch ^_^
My only critique is that the wings are just too big to be taken seriously. They could have been about two thirds their size and been pushing it, but would have looked better in my opinion. I realize that you were going for realistic proportions for creating lift, but it just looks ridiculous on a horse at that size.
The show has stated that pegasi require the natural magic in their wings to get off the ground. Going purely off of physics and realism, her intense and excited head flail at 4:13 would have sent her careening out of control as well.
Regardless, you started making this a year and a half ago (long before the season 4 finale), so I wouldn't worry too much about it. It was a fun trip and I had a blast watching it; I dig the speed of the action and the hefty amount of personality that you infused in her and her stunts. Well done ^_^
Damn, this animation is so cool, so was the back ground music. I seriously love this animation it's so uplifting and inspiring. Man, I really think I should listen to that BGM the next time I exercise.
Now with the 60fps new feature, this is the kind of video that might really look more amazing. Seriously.
Well I guess the bigger the wings the bigger the power xD