Wow. It's been years since I posted in a forum like this one. And over a decade since I made a post with that particular title.
But, it seems that reports of a mass extinction have been greatly exaggerated.
So as I'm sure that precisely one person here knows what that title is referring to, allow me to reintroduce myself.
I go by many names on this wonderful world wide web of ours, but around here I prefer my real name, Joseph. It's mainly out of nostalgia, I suppose, but this really was the first internet community I ever joined.
And I mean that literally, the first internet forum I ever posted on was the predecessor to this very forum that was hosted on Network54 (it just occured to me there may be folks here who aren't even old enough to know what Network 54 is). Back then we didn't have fancy things like embeds, or avatars, or even animated emoticons. Just a box to input the text you wanted to post, which I did on almost an hourly basis for years and years (please don't go try looking up those old posts, they are insanely cringeworthy, practically illegible, and will melt your eyeballs out of your skull).
Since that time my outlook on life has evolved, as has my outlook on animated entertainment. I'm sorry to say that while my enthusiasm for LBT has not totally vanished (as evidenced by the giant Littlefoot plush I have on my bedrest), it has waned or at the very least transferred to other animated shows (namely My Little Pony).
Consequently I now hold opinions about the series, the films, the characters, etc. that my 10 year old self or even my 14 year old self would've found blasphemous. For example, when I was a youngster I thought that the original movie was great, but the sequels were God's greatest gift to mankind. Nowadays though I look at the original as an animated classic, and the sequels as being considerably subpar and incredibly silly (but ultimately harmless films).
As the years have gone by and I heard virtually nothing about new LBT content, I figured that the journey had finally come to an end. I was a bit saddened by it, as this was my childhood, but I took comfort in the knowledge that it had a great run.
And now I'm hearing that the 14th movie may, in fact, be on its way.
I was surprised at that.
And I was surprised, pleasantly so, to see this community still up and running, let alone a few familiar faces.
And so now here I am. I cannot promise a ton of activity here as life is getting in the way moreso than it did when I was a child, and sadly I don't really feel the same love for LBT as I did when I was a youngster. It used to be an undying passion, but now it's more like a fond respect.
But hey, if Universal seems to think that they can rekindle the spark, even if just for one more moment, then maybe I can as well.
So this was just a summary of where I came from, and where I've been all these years.
I don't know how long I'll be here, but I am here now.
Let's go.