Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (also known as Spirit) is a 2002 American animated Western film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. The film is directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook (in their feature directional debuts) from a screenplay by John Fusco based on an idea by Jeffrey Katzenberg, who produced it with Mireille Soria.[4]
The film follows Spirit, a Kiger mustang stallion (voiced by Matt Damon through inner dialogue), who is captured during the American Indian Wars by the United States Cavalry; he is freed by a Native American man named Little Creek who attempts to lead him back into the Lakota village. In contrast to the way animals are portrayed in an anthropomorphic style in other animated features, Spirit and his fellow horses communicate with each other through non-linguistic sounds and body language like real horses.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was released in theaters on May 24, 2002, and earned $122 million on an $80 million budget. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Spirited Away.[5][6] The film also launched a media franchise using computer animation, with a Netflix spin-off television series Spirit Riding Free premiering on May 5, 2017, followed by a spin-off of the original film, titled Spirit Untamed, released on June 4, 2021.
Plot[]
In the 19th-century American West, a bald eagle flies over the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon to the forest. There, a Kiger mustang colt, Spirit, is born to a herd of wild horses. Spirit grows into a stallion and assumes the leadership of the herd. One night, upon following a strange light near his herd, Spirit finds horses kept in chains and their wranglers sleeping around a campfire. They awake and, seeing him as a magnificent specimen, seize him and take him away, to a US cavalry fort.
In captivity, Spirit encounters "The Colonel", who orders the mustang to be tamed; however, Spirit defies all attempts to tame him. To weaken Spirit, the Colonel has him tied to a post for three days without food or water. Meanwhile, a Lakota Native American named Little Creek is also brought into the fort and held captive. Spirit is weak enough that the Colonel sits on his back, boasting that any wild horse can eventually be tamed. Spirit gets a second wind and dumps him. Humiliated, the Colonel attempts to shoot him before Little Creek who frees himself from his bonds with a knife, and saves Spirit from being shot as they make their escape from the fort. They meet up with Little Creek's mare, Rain, and other natives, who promptly capture Spirit for themselves.
After returning to the Lakota village, Little Creek attempts to tame Spirit with kindness, but Spirit is reluctant. Little Creek ties Spirit and Rain together, hoping she can discipline him. Spirit falls in love with Rain in the process. Suddenly, the Colonel and his men attack the village. During the battle, the Colonel attempts to shoot Little Creek, but Spirit tackles the Colonel and his horse, deflecting the shot. Rain is instead shot and thrown into a river. Spirit runs after Rain but they both plummet over a waterfall. Spirit rescues Rain and stays by her side until the cavalry recaptures him. Little Creek then tends to Rain and vows to free Spirit.
Spirit is forced to work on the transcontinental railroad, pulling a steam locomotive. Sensing that the track will infringe on his homeland, Spirit breaks free from the sledge and breaks the chains of other horses. They escape, and the locomotive falls off its wooden sledge and slams into another locomotive, causing an explosion that sets the forest ablaze. Spirit is trapped when the chain around his neck snags on a fallen tree. Little Creek intervenes, and together they jump safely into a river.
The next morning, the Colonel and his cavalry find Spirit and Little Creek and a chase ensues through the Grand Canyon, where they are trapped on one side of a gorge. Taking a risk, Spirit makes a leap of faith across the gorge. Spirit's bold move amazes the Colonel; after stopping one of the privates from attacking, he humbly accepts defeat and leaves them be. Little Creek returns to the Lakota village with Spirit and finds Rain nursed back to health. Little Creek names the stallion the "Spirit Who Could Not Be Broken". Spirit and Rain are then set loose by Little Creek, bidding them farewell. They depart to Spirit's homeland, where they eventually reunite with his herd.
The bald eagle from the start (and seen at various points throughout the story) reappears and soars into the horse-shaped clouds.
Cast[]
- Matt Damon as Spirit, a Kiger mustang horse
- James Cromwell as The Colonel, leader of a cavalry of soldiers. He is based on the real-life George Armstrong Custer.
- Daniel Studi as Little Creek, a Lakota Native American that Spirit befriends.
- Chopper Bernet as Sgt. Adams, a cavalry sergeant under the Colonel
- Jeff LeBeau as Murphy, a soldier under the Colonel bent on taming Spirit into joining the cavalry
- Jeff LeBeau also voices a Railroad Foreman
- Richard McGonagle as Bill, a wrangler
- Matt Levin as Joe, one of the wranglers
- Robert Cait as Jake, one of the wranglers
- Charles Napier as Roy, one of the wranglers
- Zahn McClarnon as Little Creek's Friend
- Michael Horse as Little Creek's Friend
- Donald Fullilove as Train Pull Foreman
Production[]
Development[]
Writer John Fusco, best known for his work in the Western and Native American genres (such as the films Young Guns and Young Guns II), was hired by DreamWorks Animation to create an original screenplay based on an idea by Jeffrey Katzenberg.[7] Fusco began by writing and submitting a novel to the studio and then adapted his own work into screenplay format. He remained on the project as the main writer over the course of four years, working closely with Katzenberg, the directors, and artists.[8]
Animation and design[]
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was made over the course of four years using a conscious blend of traditional hand-drawn animation and computer animation.[8] James Baxter said that the animation was the most difficult piece of production he worked on for a movie: "I literally spent the first few weeks with my door shut, telling everyone, 'Go away; I've got to concentrate.' It was quite daunting because when I first started to draw horses, I suddenly realized how little I knew." The team at DreamWorks, under his guidance, used a horse named "Donner" as the model for Spirit and brought the horse to the animation studio in Glendale, California for the animators to study.[8] Sound designer Tim Chau was dispatched to stables outside Los Angeles to record the sounds of real horses; the final product features real hoof beats and horse vocals that were used to express their vocalizations in the film.[9] None of the animal characters in the film speak English beyond occasional reflective narration from the protagonist mustang, voiced by Matt Damon in the film.[10] Many of the animators who worked on Spirit would later work on Shrek 2, as their influence can be seen for the character Donkey.[11] The production team, consisting of Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook, Mireille Soria, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathy Altieri, Luc Desmarchelier, Ron Lukas, and story supervisor Ronnie del Carmen took a trip to the western United States to view scenic places they could use as inspiration for locations in the film. The homeland of the mustangs and Lakotas is based on Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and the Teton mountain range; the cavalry outpost was also based on Monument Valley. Template:Cquote Additional animation and fine line services were provided by Anvil Studios, Bardel Entertainment and Stardust Pictures.
Music[]
The instrumental score was composed by Hans Zimmer with songs by Bryan Adams in both the English and French versions of the album. The opening theme song for the film, "Here I Am" was written by Bryan Adams, Gretchen Peters, and Hans Zimmer. It was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Another song, not included in the film itself (although it can be heard in the ending credits), is "Don't Let Go", which is sung by Bryan Adams with Sarah McLachlan on harmonies and piano. It was written by Bryan Adams, Gavin Greenaway, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and Gretchen Peters. Many of the songs and arrangements were set in the American West, with themes based on love, landscapes, brotherhood, struggles, and journeys. Garth Brooks was originally supposed to write and record songs for the film but the deal fell through. The Italian versions of the songs were sung by Zucchero. The Spanish versions of the tracks on the album were sung by Erik Rubín (Hispanic America) and Raúl (Spain). The Brazilian version of the movie soundtrack was sung in Portuguese by Paulo Ricardo. The Norwegian versions of the songs were sung by Vegard Ylvisåker of the Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis.
Release[]
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was released in theaters on May 24, 2002.
Home media[]
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was released on VHS and DVD on November 19, 2002.[12] It was re-released on DVD on May 18, 2010.[13] The film was released on Blu-ray by Paramount Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on May 13, 2014.[14]
Reception[]
Critical response[]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron holds an overall approval rating of 69% based on 127 reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A visually stunning film that may be too predictable and politically correct for adults, but should serve children well."[15] Review aggregator Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[17]
Critic Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four and said in his review, "Uncluttered by comic supporting characters and cute sidekicks, Spirit is more pure and direct than most of the stories we see in animation – a fable I suspect younger viewers will strongly identify with."[18] Leonard Maltin of Hot Ticket called it "one of the most beautiful and exciting animated features ever made". Clay Smith of Access Hollywood considered the film "An Instant Classic".[19] Jason Solomons described the film as "a crudely drawn DreamWorks animation about a horse that saves the West by bucking a US Army General".[20] USA Today's Claudia Puig gave it 3 stars out of 4, writing that the filmmakers' "most significant achievement is fashioning a movie that will touch the hearts of both children and adults, as well as bring audiences to the edge of their seats."[21] Dave Kehr of the New York Times criticized the way in which the film portrayed Spirit and Little Creek as "pure cliches" and suggested that the film could have benefited from a comic relief character.[22] The film was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.[23] Rain was the first animated horse to receive an honorary registration certificate from the American Paint Horse Association (APHA).[24]
Box office[]
When the film opened on Memorial Day Weekend 2002, the film earned $17,770,036 on the Friday-Sunday period, and $23,213,736 through the four-day weekend for a $6,998 average from 3,317 theaters. The film overall opened in fourth place behind Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Spider-Man, and Insomnia. In its second weekend, the film retreated 36% to $11,303,814 for a $3,362 average from expanding to 3,362 theaters and finishing in fifth place for the weekend. In its third weekend, the film decreased 18% to $9,303,808 for a $2,767 average from 3,362 theaters. The film closed on September 12, 2002, after earning $73,280,117 in the United States and Canada with an additional $49,283,422 overseas for a worldwide total of $122,563,539, against an $80 million budget.
Accolades[]
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards[25] | Top Box Office | Hans Zimmer Bryan Adams |
Won |
| Academy Awards[26] | Best Animated Feature | Jeffrey Katzenberg | Nominated |
| Annie Awards[27] | Animated Theatrical Feature | Nominated | |
| Individual Achievement in Storyboarding | Ronnie Del Carmen | Won | |
| Larry Leker | Nominated | ||
| Simon Wells | Nominated | ||
| Individual Achievement in Production Design | Luc Desmarchelier | Won | |
| Individual Achievement in Character Design | Carlos Grangel | Won | |
| Individual Achievement in Effects Animation | Yancy Landquist | Won | |
| Jamie Lloyd | Nominated | ||
| Critics Choice Awards[28] | Best Animated Feature | Nominated | |
| Genesis Awards[29] | Feature Film' | Won | |
| Golden Globes[30] | Best Original Song – Motion Picture | Hans Zimmer (music) Bryan Adams (lyrics) Gretchen Peters (lyrics) for the song "Here I Am" |
Nominated |
| Kids' Choice Awards[31] | Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie | Matt Damon | Nominated |
| Golden Reel Award[32] | Best Sound Editing in Animated Features | Tim Chau (supervising sound editor) Carmen Baker (supervising sound editor) Jim Brookshire (supervising dialogue editor/supervising adr editor) Nils C. Jensen (sound editor) Albert Gasser (sound editor) David Kern (sound editor) Piero Mura (sound editor) Bruce Tanis (sound editor) |
Nominated |
| Best Sound Editing in Animated Features – Music | Slamm Andrews (music editor/scoring editor) Robb Boyd (music editor) |
Nominated | |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards[33] | Best Animated Feature | Nominated | |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Animated Film | Nominated | |
| Golden Satellite Awards[34] | Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media | Nominated | |
| Visual Effects Society Awards[35] | Best Character Animation in an Animated Motion Picture | James Baxter | Nominated |
| Western Heritage Awards[36] | Theatrical Motion Picture | Mireille Soria (producer) Jeffrey Katzenberg (producer) Kelly Asbury (director) Lorna Cook (director) John Fusco (writer) Matt Damon (principal actor) James Cromwell (principal actor) Daniel Studi (principal actor) |
Won |
| World Soundtrack Awards[37] | Best Original Song Written for a Film | Hans Zimmer Bryan Adams (lyricist/performer) R.J. Lange (lyricist) for the song "This Is Where I Belong" |
Nominated |
| Best Original Song Written for a Film | Hans Zimmer Bryan Adams (lyricist/performer) Gretchen Peters (lyricist) for the song "Here I Am" |
Nominated | |
| Young Artist Awards[38] | Best Family Feature Film – Animation | Won |
Expanded franchise[]
- Main article: Spirit (franchise)
Video games[]
Two video games based on the film were released on October 28, 2002, by THQ: the PC game Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron — Forever Free and the Game Boy Advance game Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron — Search for Homeland.[39]
A third game "Lucky's Big Adventure" was released in 2021 based on the "Untamed" film sequel below.
- Main article: Spirit (franchise)
Book Series
Shortly after the movie, a book series called “Spirit of the West” was released by writer Kathleen Duey; telling the story of Spirit’s family lineage and herd.
Spin-off television series[]
- Main article: Spirit Riding Free
A computer-animated spin-off television series based on the film, titled Spirit Riding Free, premiered on Netflix on May 5, 2017.[40] The series follows all the daring adventures when Spirit, who is the offspring of the original, meets a girl named Lucky whose courage matches his own.[41][42]
Spin-off film[]
- Main article: Spirit Untamed
A computer-animated film, titled Spirit Untamed, was released on June 4, 2021 by Universal Pictures. It is a film adaptation of the spin-off series Spirit Riding Free as well as a spin-off of the original film.[43][44]
See also[]
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- List of animated feature films
- Kiger Mustang, the horse breed of Spirit, the protagonist of the story
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002). AFI Catalog of Feature Films.
- ↑ Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (U). British Board of Film Classification (May 17, 2002).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Box Office. BoxOfficeMojo.
- ↑ Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Turner Classic Movies.
- ↑ The 75th Academy Awards | 2003 (en).
- ↑ Shamsian, Jacob (March 29, 2022). Every animated movie that's won an Oscar (en-US).
- ↑ Green, Susan (January 9, 2002). A Reel Revolution: Vermont's John Fusco Resurrects Ethan Allen on Film. Seven Days. “Fusco fell in love with American paint ponies and began a program to restore original Native American herds. This expertise made him a natural to write the script for Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, a DreamWorks animated film. It's scheduled to open on Memorial Day.”
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Peszko, J. Paul (May 23, 2002). Spirit: A Longshot Or A Sure Bet?. Animation World Network.
- ↑ Breznican, Anthony (May 24, 2002). 'SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON': A fresh perspective: An animated animal that doesn't speak. Kitsap Sun.
- ↑ Laura Clifford. Spirit review. Reelingreviews.com.
- ↑ Majendie, Paul (May 17, 2002). From Shrek to the horse's.... News24.
- ↑ Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.
- ↑ Amazon.com: Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron: Spirit-Stallion of the Cimarron: Movies & TV.
- ↑ Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Blu-ray. Blu-ray.com.
- ↑ Spirit – Stallion of the Cimarron. Rotten Tomatoes.
- ↑ Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Reviews. Metacritic.
- ↑ Find CinemaScore (Type "Spirit" in the search box). CinemaScore.
- ↑ Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. RogerEbert.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. DreamWorks Home Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 9780525467403.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Solomons, Jason (July 7, 2002). "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron". The Observer. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Puig, Claudia (May 24, 2002). "In 'Spirit,' a mustang sallies forth". USA Today. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kehr, Dave (May 24, 2002). "An Old-Fashioned Cartoon of the West". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ↑ Festival de Cannes: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. festival-cannes.com.
- ↑ DreamWorks' "Rain" becomes official American Paint Horse.
- ↑ ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards – Top Box Office. ASCAP (April 30, 2003).
- ↑ THE 75TH ACADEMY AWARDS 2003. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Martin, Denise (January 5, 2003). "'Lilo' leads Annie noms with 10". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lowe, R. Kinsey (December 18, 2002). "Critics' Choice nominees are ..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lyman, Rick (December 20, 2002). "'Chicago' and 'The Hours' Lead Golden Globes Race". The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Martin, Denise (February 7, 2003). "'Gangs,' 'Perdition' top Golden Reel nods". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ↑ 2002 Awards (6th Annual). Online Film Critics Society.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Berkshire, Geoff (December 17, 2002). "'Towers' stands tall in Satellites". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ↑ 1st Annual VES Awards. Visual Effects Society.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Winners announced for Western Heritage Awards". NewsOK. February 7, 2003. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Boehm, Erich (August 23, 2002). "Flanders unveils soundtrack noms". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ↑ Twenty-Fourth Annual Young Artist Awards. Young Artist Awards (March 29, 2003).
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Steinberg, Brian (June 16, 2016). "Netflix Readies Animated 'Spy Kids,' 'Llama Llama' Series (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (June 16, 2016). Netflix Slates 5 Original Kids Toons Plus Nick Kroll Series.
- ↑ Netflix, DreamWorks bring the girl power in Spirit Riding Free.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Milligan, Mercedes (October 7, 2019). "DreamWorks, Universal Slate 'Spirit Riding Free' & 'Bad Guys' for 2021". Animation Magazine. Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 10, 2020). "Jennifer Lopez Romantic Comedy 'Marry Me' Heads To Summer". Deadline. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
External links[]
Template:Wikiquote
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- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron at IMDb
- Template:AFI film
- Template:Rotten Tomatoes
- Template:Mojo title
- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron at The Big Cartoon DataBase
Template:Spirit (franchise) Template:Kelly Asbury
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| Feature films | Theatrical | Antz (1998) PDI • The Prince of Egypt (1998) • The Road to El Dorado (2000) • Chicken Run (2000) AA • Shrek (2001) PDI • Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) • Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) • Shrek 2 (2004) PDI • Shark Tale (2004) • Madagascar (2005) PDI • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) AA • Over the Hedge (2006) • Flushed Away (2006) AA • Shrek the Third (2007) PDI • Bee Movie (2007) C81P • Kung Fu Panda (2008) • Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) PDI • Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) • How to Train Your Dragon (2010) • Shrek Forever After (2010) • Megamind (2010) PDI • Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) • Puss in Boots (2011) • Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) PDI • Rise of the Guardians (2012) • The Croods (2013) • Turbo (2013) • Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) PDI BS • How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) • Penguins of Madagascar (2014) PDI • Home (2015) • Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) PS • Trolls (2016) • The Boss Baby (2017) • Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) • Abominable (2019) PS • Trolls World Tour (2020) • The Croods: A New Age (2020) • Spirit Untamed (2021) • The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) • The Bad Guys (2022) • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) • Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) • Trolls Band Together (2023) • Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) • The Wild Robot (2024) |
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| Franchises | Shrek • Spirit • Madagascar • Kung Fu Panda • Monsters vs. Aliens • How to Train Your Dragon • Megamind • The Croods • Trolls • Tales of Arcadia • The Boss Baby • The Bad Guys | |
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