Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Movie Review
"Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"
Review by Eric D. Snider
Grade: B+
Rating: G
Released: Friday, May 24, 2002
Directed by:
Cast:
"Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" is as simple and innocent a movie as you can imagine. It's hard to believe it was made in the 21st century, without a trace of irony or self-awareness. This is a movie you can trust.
It is the story of a wild horse whom various people try to tame but who ultimately can live only as a free spirit. It is a cartoon, but the animals do not talk (though we do hear the thoughts of one of them, provided in narration by Matt Damon); neither is there rampant goofiness or improbability. Except for the horses' unnaturally expressive faces, nearly everything that occurs in the film could have been done with live actors and real animals.
So it's sort of surprising, then, that it comes off as richly entertaining as it does, and that it holds the interest of the children it's aimed at. (Due to some scary moments, it may be too intense for very young children.) There are occasional bursts of humor, and more than a few thoroughly exciting action sequences. There are also lessons of love and loyalty, taught simply enough that anyone can understand them: If someone saves your life, you need to save theirs, too.
The horse, who has no name until the end of the film, leads his herd in what eventually would be called the Old West, but which now is mostly unsettled, pre-Civil War territory. He is first captured by a group of American soldiers, and later is befriended by an Indian lad (voice of Daniel Studi). For a good deal of the time, he sets domesticated horses free as much as he can, like an equestrian Harriet Tubman. Then there is danger and peril and romance, and it all turns out OK in the end.
This is a gorgeous-looking film, created in Cinemascope widescreen -- unusual for an animated film, as it means having to draw about 40 percent more than for a normal-sized film. The panoramic landscapes are beautiful, the animation is fluid. I could look at this movie all day.
Bryan Adams provides way too many songs on the soundtrack, usually paralleling the action. When the soldiers have captured Spirit and are trying to ride him, there's a song called "Get off My Back." One Bryan Adams song in a movie is probably enough; this one has seven.
It is not a classic. The story is blessedly simple, and that may also be what keeps it from taking up permanent residence in our memories. But on a single viewing, it gallops and soars and delights.
Grade: B+
Rated G, , but with some sequences that may be too scary toddlers
Copyright © Eric D. Snider.
This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, nor reproduced in any other way, without written consent from Eric D. Snider.
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August 10, 2008 at 4:42 pm
When I came into the theater to see Spirit I expected a longer movie or more but interesting characters. But still I didn't get what I asked. It was a total rip-off of Black Beauty. First of all, the animals don't talk or sing, but they're doing human stuff and have an annoying narrator in both movies. If you're going to make a movie where animals don't talk, why do you need a narrator for their voice? What difference does it make to change the actor to a narrator? If Spirit is so addicted to freedom, then why did he stayed his wild butt and mind his buisiness? The animation was great, but the plot was dumber than the horses themselves.I can't believe a horse has the knowledge to set tame horses free, he can't even set himself free when he's tied up. It looks like a 6 year old directed the movie. It doesn't even look like it's a true story. If you want to make it like it's a true story, then the animals can't be doing or having emotions like humans. This movie is not for teens or adults, but some of the scenes might be inappropiate for children under 7: like humans torturing the poor old horses, buffalo and cougars trying to kill the mustangs, cowboys fighting over the innocent Indians for land, etc. This is definitely not a G rated movie. It should be rated PG for mild peril, horses doing human stuff, thematic elements, violence and torture. It's not all that bad, but it's not that good either. What I'm saying is that good hand-drawn animation and pop-century songs doesn't always make the plot any better. Ther's a lot of wrongs in this movie: one evening it's foggy and snowing and the next day guess what? It's a warm fresh spring day. A couple of days after Spirit's mane got cut off, his hair grows back. There is no such thing as animals save other animals from danger. How can humans or animals survive a 50 some foot plunge from a cliff to a river or waterfall? When Spirit overworked at a railroad camp, he passes out (no wonder he's dead tired), wakes up again, strong enough to free the other horses, and he can run as fast as lightning to beat the falling train and inferno behind him then gets tired again,after that big leap from two separate canyons, Spirit could have had a broken bone, but he didn't break a thing, Spirit stood alone, tied up on a post, for three blazing hot days without food or water he gets weak, but regains his strength to beat up the Colonel, a horse gets shot the next day she's healthy and refreshed. Have people out there in Hollywood lost their minds?!? I dont' think Rain has any thing to do with the movie ( except keep Spirit distracted for 10 minutes). And Bryan Adams's songs keep coming on every other 5 minutes and can get stuck in your head when you don't want them to. And why is Spirit dying to go home? He should'nt miss his family and friends that bad. Animals barely have feelings for Pete's sake! He deserved to go out into the unknown, or his home, family, friends, and freedom, would disappear forever. That's all I have to say about Spirt: Stallion of the Cim-moron. HA, HAA, HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!