Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2211 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-11-04
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Animated, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Horse lovers young and old will celebrate Spirit, an utterly enjoyable and marvellous-looking animated film. The titular stallion runs free in the Cimarron (New Mexico) wilderness until a series of men try to master the proud horse, leading to adventures through a US Cavalry fort, Native American settlements, and a railroad camp. Despite a heavy dose of political correctness and realism (the animals don't talk; we only hear Spirit's internal monologue, voiced by Matt Damon), directors Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook give their hero many only-in-a-movie moments, including an action sequence rivalling any of James Bond’s escapes. The stirring mix of 2-D and 3-D animation is absolutely stunning and aptly fuelled by composer Hans Zimmer's synthesised score. The film earns one demerit for 80s rocker Bryan Adams's abundant songs--a different singer could have brought more to the film.--Doug Thomas, Amazon.com

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON is a refreshingly old-fashioned and gentle tale of a mustang stallion struggling to remain free in the old West. The film is a seamless blend of traditional hand-drawn and computer-generated animation. Opening with an impressive bird's eye pan of the Grand Canyon, from the viewpoint of an eagle, SPIRIT captures the unspoiled beauty of the land. The animals in this particular animated film do not talk, and Matt Damon provides effective, sparse narration from the perspective of Spirit, an adventurous young stallion who is captured by the U.S. Army. But Spirit will not let the soldiers saddle and ride him. An authoritarian colonel (voiced by James Cromwell) is determined to break Spirit, at one point starving the horse to weaken him. A Lakota prisoner, Little Creek (voiced by Daniel Studi) is impressed with the horse, and helps him to escape. Little Creek can't break the horse either. But the two learn to respect each other, and Spirit meets Rain, Little Creek's horse, and falls in love. The score was written by Hans Zimmer, and Bryan Adams wrote and performed the sweet, simple songs on the soundtrack. SPIRIT is a great-looking and lovingly crafted children's film.

Customer Reviews

Something for everyone
I actually bought this DVD as a Christmas gift, but I've already watched it twice!

Usually I don't enjoy watching animated movies, but the story of Spirit really had me glued to the screen, I just had to find out what happened at the end.

The animation is so beautiful, the horses seem so life-like, and this makes for a fast-moving visual treat. Couple this with a wonderful music score and songs by Bryan Adams and you have the perfect combination.

I dare anyone not to feel at least a small amount of emotion while watching this film, afterall, it had me sniffling on more than one occasion!

Finally, a pretty good animated film without talking animals
The opening sequence of "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," in which an eagle flies across the grand vistas of the American West until we catch up with the herd of wild mustangs in which the title character lives was used quite effectively as the trailer for this film, in much the same manner as was done with the computer animated film "Dinosaur." The comparison is particularly apt because when I saw "Dinosaur" I was disappointed that all of the characters talked; I thought we would be seeing the equivalent of a prehistoric Disney nature film. In contrast, I was pleasantly surprised that Spirit and the other horses in this animated Dreamworks film did not talk. There is narration on Spirit's behalf by Matt Damon, but the music of Han Zimmer and the songs of Bryan Adams serve as the horse's voice as well.

Overall, I think the filmmakers more than rise to the challenge of telling a story without talking animals. This is not a cute cartoon in the grand Disney tradition and "Spirit" is much the better for it, with the expressiveness of Spirit's face exceeding anything you have seen before. The story is set in the Old West and tells the story of Spirit, a wild mustang stallion who comes into contact with humans: first cowboys, then the U.S. cavalry, and then Indians. Each group thinks they can tame the wild stallion, but they underestimate their opponent (just branding the horse proves to be an insurmountable obstacle). Eventually Spirit learns to distinguish between the heavy handed colonel (voiced by James Cromwell) and the young brave Little Creek (voiced by Daniel Studi).

Yes, Spirit emerges through these adventures as something of a super horse, constantly doing the impossible, but holding animated films to the standard of reality is hardly appropriate. Spirit symbolizes the imperative of freedom and as such ultimately earns the respect of the mere humans in his story. The result is not a great animated film, but certainly a very good one that should appeal to adults as well as children, and since the film only runs 83 minutes long it should not tax either age group that much.

Who would have thought?
Bryan Adams soundtrack... horses... potential "chick flick" storyline... Things were not looking good when my daughter asked for this. But I have to tell you, this is a simply marvellous film!

The animation is beatuiful; truly b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. And the story really draws you in. You feel so much for the main protagonists.

A lot's made of this coming from the same studio as Shrek, and you know even before you watch it, that this is going to be nothing like Shrek... but it's none the worse for that. It's exactly the right approach for this storyline.

They've done it again -- and with Disney's latest efforts being Lilo and Stitch and Treasure Planet, I know which studio's titles I look out for with enthusiasm (I now get the missus to take our daughter to Disney films).