Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

2002 • 83 minutes
4.8
2.73K reviews
69%
Tomatometer
G
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Spirit, a young mustang (Matt Damon), sets out on across the majestic wilderness to regain his freedom and save his homeland. Along the way, he forms a friendship with a young Lakota brave, outwits a squadron of soldiers, and ultimately, finds love. With original music written and sung by Bryan Adams, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron will touch your heart and bring you to the edge of your seat.
Rating
G

Ratings and reviews

4.8
2.73K reviews
Kyle Vansteelandt
December 23, 2021
"Spirit; Stallion of the Cimarron" is a Dreamworks animated film with a compelling story that is told by two aspects that beef's up the soul of the storytelling: The narration by Matt Damon, and the original soundtrack by Bryan Adams. The stunning animation is hands down, one of the best animation that my eyes have ever seen since "The Lion King;" The anthropomorphic horses are masterfully designed with so much thought and detail, and when it comes to soulful execution; the horses are expressive, but not in an exaggerated wacky way with a strained result, which is absolutely necessary. The backgrounds are based of the national parks in the west of North America, and they have reflected and captured the accuracy of these beautifully sweeping landscapes, and when we see them in an animation format, it's vivid, fresh, and absolutely majestic. Not to mention that the colors can go from beautifully pleasant to somber. Even the screenplay makes the movie extremely entertaining with great timing, high energy, and enthralling imagery that is framed to execute the emotion. Speaking of emotion, for an animated family movie, the movie is affecting, thanks to the facial expressions of the horses, the ingenious screenplay, the moody colors, the snorts and whinnying sounds of the horses, and the music score by Hans Zimmer. Amazingly, the characters themselves are memorable in a rather simple way. Spirit is a courageous wild stallion that is considered to be the patriarch of his herd and eventually become the hero of the wild west who has the power to adapt and fight. Matt Damon's narration is used for Spirit's over-voice to tell the story from the title character's perspective. Matt's narration is fitting for Spirit; he sounds noble and mature for a children's film. Little Creek is a likable teenage Indian that is a friend of Spirit, and he has a strong caring heart with a sense of empathy. The Colonel (James Cromwell) is an impressive villain with an intimidating disposition; a grave and ruthless brute with a soul and heart that is made of stone. The characters are exactly what one could expect in a fable that takes place in the wild west. What I really love about this movie is that it has a unique tone that is well-utilized. The tone is consistent with the seriousness of it's feel with authentic precision, but that does not mean that it's boring for the kids; the tone is vigorous, but it can also settle down for something gentle, sweet, and playful. There is even some funny comedy as well. The story is a sincerely compelling parable that is wonderfully executed; it's easy to follow, it has plot-twists that turn for the unexpected at times, effective emotion, positive messages that are sweetly genuine, and of course: a gratifying ending. This film has positive messages about letting animals live and run free in the wild, and we can't underestimate the unpredictable nature of wildlife and control nature. The full-bodied score by Hans Zimmer is a fantastic fit for where the movie takes place, and it intensifies the storytelling with powerful support. The songs in the soundtrack were written and sung by Bryan Adams, and just like Hans Zimmer's score, Bryan's songs are a great support for the storytelling of the movie with fitting lyrics and high energy that sustains the mood that each element has. In conclusion: "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" is the best animated film from Dreamworks since "Shrek;" It is an emotionally engaging feel-good diversion that contains stunning animation and compelling storytelling. Highly Recommended! suitable for kids ages 7 and up.
38 people found this review helpful
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A Google user
August 28, 2016
The animation in this movie is fantastic– the emotion that the artists were able to convey in the faces of both horse and human characters is simply astounding. Also, having grown up surrounded by horses I can testify that for the most part, the movement and physical reactions that the horses have are absolutely dead on. It also paints the white people as the bad guys for once, and respectfully represents the Lakota people. Spirit acknowledges that what the European-American settlers are doing is wrong, and actually shows an example of this as (SPOILER) the Colonel and his men descend upon Little Creek's village to massacre those there. Another awesome thing about this movie: Little Creek is voiced by Daniel Studi, who is actually Native American! You hardly ever see this in other animated movies , so it's refreshing to watch this fantastic film and know that it isn't just another mediocre and whitewashed cartoon. Lastly, the music in this is OUTSTANDING. Every single song is incredible from the score to the lyrics, and each one makes you want to sing along. I grew up with this movie and it's just gotten better. Five stars!
125 people found this review helpful
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Shuichi Yô-ko ofthe Thieves Minamino
May 11, 2019
Well, first of all, this movie came out in 2002. So to ANYONE saying this movie copies the Spirit: Riding 𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎 tv series on Netflix, PLEASE GET YOUR FACTS CHECKED. That tv series is a continuation of this movie. Anyways, this movie was ALWAYS a beautiful and fantastic one. It’s got a wonderful, heartbreaking, and heartwarming story. Spirit has the tenacity to break through every obstacle no matter the danger. And the fact that he could beat the colonel outright, and yet the man still comes to respect the horse for defeating him at every turn... that’s wonderful storytelling. I would always recommend this movie. It’s just beautiful.
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