amiranda-39274
This has to be one of the earliest movies i saw in a movie theater as a kid, and probably why i remember it so well is because of my dads accident. He was doing construction work in the backyard when he landed hard on a nail, he rushed into the house, took off his shoe, and a river of blood started happening, probably the first time i ever saw blood, anyways my mom was able to get the nail out, and we took my dad to the clinic that very day to get a shot, he was in pain for the rest of the day, but he saw how much my sisters and i wanted to see this movie, so he actually still went to the movie theater with us, after seeing this movie, he said it was worth the pain and discomfort! This movie is great in so many ways, its animated beautifully, just the opening alone is something to be in awe about, the film gives great angles that just make the movie so much larger, it will instantly grab you as soon as you start watching it! The music by Hans zimmer can only be described as mesmerizing, as for Bryan Adams songs, it feels as if the songs are telling the story, also each song is extremely nostalgic to me, and every time a song plays it makes the scene twice as emotional. This movie is very mature, because there's no talking animals, but the humor is good, also this taught me a lot about native American culture and the spiritualism involved. In fact the relationship between little creek and spirit has got to be one of the best animal friendships Ive seen, when little creek finally rides spirit it is if they are one. This movie is seen through the point of view of the horse, and that make the relationships very interesting, the horse and his villain have a silly but intriguing rivalry, the native American and the horse grow into being best friends in a very mature way, as they constantly save each others lives, and spirit and his love interest, Rain, have a very sweet romance, that is done very realistically.Despite no talking, the expressions of the horse are very clear, barely any movies tell their story using just facial expressions and body language, now usually people having to guess a characters thoughts can be a little frustrating and sometimes boring, but not in this movie, you actually want to know what hes thinking and you feel more involved. however i would be lying if i didn't cringe once in a while at how human like the horses expressions are. But let me just say by the last 20 minutes of the movie its an emotional roller coaster; starting with a intense action sequence, followed by a breathtaking jump over a canyon ( done very realistically i might add), followed by a very tearful goodby that leaves my entire family a emotional mess; little creek lets Rain leave with Spirit, almost exactly as a father would let his daughter leave, and then the heart wrenching goodby hug between little creek and spirit, with mesmerizing guitar music and a awesome 180 degree angle shot ( dream works did this perfectly), that scene gives me manly tears every time, not even other sad animal movies, like old yeller, warhorse, or even how to train a dragon make me that emotional. This is still one of the few movies that leaves me with a wow face after watching it. Its a mystery why this movie is so underrated and hardly talked about by anyone.
i will admit this movie might not be as accessible to kids as other cartoon films, because of its maturity. but let me tell you the action scenes are intense, every background is gorgeous, and the story is beautifully told, even to people who might not like animals too much, (like myself) will love it. This movie has a spirit that cannot be broken and will live forever in my top 10 favorite cartoon movies. the degree angles shots of the camera revolving around the character is amazing to watch, dreamworks is really good
Matt Greene
Spirit is a nobly mature kid's film that shoots for uplift over crassness, & earns its bleeding heart. Its bravery in not letting the horses talk is admirable, & the animation stands out during a time when traditional & computer-animation awkwardly comingled (Titan AE, Treasure Planet). Even when it could become self-righteous, the anti-colonialism message is so strong you buy in.
javi-y-se-acabo
I don't understand the bad critics you can read in this page, I respect them but I don't understand it. They criticize the movie for being bad propaganda. Well maybe it is (I don't think so) but for me it was one of the finest animations movies I have seen. I remember watching it when I was young and a few months ago I rediscover this magnificent movie and I loved it again. It tells the story of a young horse who is captured and taken away from his homeland to a military fort where he meets a Indian called Little Creek, who will help him to get away from the cavalry and the military forces. The story is not very complicated but is very beautiful. You can give a heart to an animated character without it needing to talk (horses usually don't talk neither they sing). The animation is very well done with a mix of 2D and 3D animations that recreate some of the most beautiful landscapes of the West, but also some of the darkest ones.In the voice roles we had Matt Damon as a narrator for the story, Daniel Studi as Little Creek and James Cromwell as The Colonel. Well, there isn't much dialogue but the small phrases they had were very well dubbed. Their voices helped the animation to give each character true emotions.And the other great thing is the soundtrack. Bryan Adams here sings several songs which have a background message about our home, to discover who we are and about freedom. And also a very special mention to the score crafted by Hans Zimmer in a way that only he's able to do. Giving the images a soul.This movie is one of the best examples of serious animation for more grown people but the little kids will surely enjoy it too a lot. Don't miss this one!
