Spirit Untamed movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Spirit Untamed: The Movie

This animated adventure is currently playing in select theaters. No streaming date or location has been announced yet, but I’m sure it’ll end up on Netflix at some point because Netflix has the exclusive 50+ series based on the original movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 28 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Dreamworks released Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron back in 2002. This film is less a sequel to that movie and more of a spinoff of the Netflix series. In fact, it’s the first theatrically released animated film to be based on a Netflix series. While the original movie utilized old-school animation, this one uses modern CGI; however, keep watching during the final credits for that hand-drawn look.

The story is directed by Elaine Bogan and Ennio Torresan and is about Lucky Prescott, whose life is changed forever when she moves from her home in the city to a small frontier town and befriends a wild mustang named Spirit.

THINGS I LIKED:

Isabela Merced voices the protagonist, Lucky Prescott. I thought Isabela was totally adorable in Dora And The Lost City Of Gold (4K UHD)
I adore Jake Gyllenhaal and will pretty much watch anything he’s in because I think he’s such an incredibly talented actor. He even sings a little bit in the film. Believe it or not, this is his first animated film ever! It’s also his first PG-rated film.
It’s also the first animated film for Academy Award winner Julianne Moore, and the perennial villain Walton Goggins.
Other voice talents include the beautiful Eiza Gonzalez, McKenna Grace, Marsai Martin, and Andre Braugher.
The image of the little boy, Snips Stone, riding that donkey was hilarious. He’s voiced by Lucian Perez.
Have you ever ridden a horse bareback? Not that comfortable!
The animation and story are sugary sweet and simple.
Some lovely songs in Spanish are sung at the beginning and end of the movie by Amie Doherty. I especially loved the inspiring lyrics “You have everything you need to be fearless” in the song Be Fearless, Fortuna!
There’s actually a guy in the cast who does the vocals for the horses! His name is Gary A. Hecker.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Very predictable
There isn’t much character development or plot.
Ironically, the movie doesn’t have quite the spirit as the original Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron movie, but it is still cute.
I would have loved to see more of the little boy. Super cute.
Lucky Prescott suddenly starts doing Ninja moves with no explanation as to how she could have possibly learned them.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

No profanity, unless you count “Heck Mountain”
I love that there’s a math formula in the story that shows kids how valuable word problems actually are!
Young girls, especially, will enjoy it. What young girl doesn’t love horses? This movie would be perfect for an 8-year-old girl’s slumber party. I begged my dad for a horse when I was about 12 years old. I quickly changed my mind when my dad gave me the opportunity to care for a neighbor’s horse for a week while she was out of town. Smart dad.
Some Spanish is spoken without subtitles. You won’t miss anything, really. It’s just to give the movie a Latin flair, as the film takes place in probably Texas or Arizona a hundred years or so ago. The family is named after a city in Arizona: Prescott.

THEMES:

“Be fearless. Be strong. Be brave.” – Milagro Navarro (Eiza Gonzalez)
“Doing what’s best for the family.” – Aunt Cora (Academy Award winner Julianne Moore)
3 C’s for horse care: Calm, Confidence, and Carrots
Girl power
Determination
Friendship
Don’t give up hope

FUNNY LINES:

“I smell rule-breaking!” – Snips Stone (Lucian Perez)
“I guess this is the “Ridge of Regret?” – Lucky Prescott “I regret it already.” – Abigail Stone (Mckenna Grace)
“We should start a band.” – Abigail Stone (Mckenna Grace) “Nope.” – Pru Granger (Marsai Martin)
“Ae we insane?” – Lucky Prescott (Isabela Merced)
“There’s always time for friendship-based crafting.” – Abigail Stone (Mckenna Grace)