Spirit - Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

69% of critics liked it
(126 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(56,498 ratings)

Screenwriter John Fusco returns to the Western themes of his previous films Young Guns and Thunderheart with this animated children's adventure from Dreamworks. Matt Damon supplies the voice of Spirit, a wild Mustang stallion living free in the Old West of the late 19th century, where he's captured… More Screenwriter John Fusco returns to the Western themes of his previous films Young Guns and Thunderheart with this animated children's adventure from Dreamworks. Matt Damon supplies the voice of Spirit, a wild Mustang stallion living free in the Old West of the late 19th century, where he's captured by human horse traders and sold to a cavalry regiment at a frontier outpost. There, a cruel colonel (voice of James Cromwell) nearly succeeds in breaking the willful horse, but not quite. Spirit escapes in the company of another captive, Little Creek (voice of Daniel Studi), a Native American youth that tries to possess the magnificent animal by more humane means, but Spirit refuses to bend to human will even when he makes the acquaintance of Little Creek's beautiful and fiercely loyal mare, Rain. After he saves Little Creek's life in an Army raid, Spirit believes that the gravely injured Rain has perished after a tumble over a waterfall. Despondent, the horse is captured again by humans, enslaved this time for work in a pack team on the transcontinental railroad. Undaunted by the tragedies that befall him, Spirit manages to escape for a reunion with Little Creek, Rain, and his long-lost brethren. Featuring songs by rock singer Bryan Adams, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron departs from other examples of its genre in that the horse protagonists do not speak or sing; only Spirit's voice is heard as voice-over narration. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 22 min.
Directed By: Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook
Written By: John Fusco
Genres: Drama, Animation, Kids & Family

In Theaters: May 24, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Nov 19, 2002
Studio: DreamWorks SKG

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy, Variety
There's nothing thrilling or new about the work here, but accomplished it is.
Michael Booth, Denver Post
Spirit is smarter than your average cartoon because it doesn't try to joke around with a host of annoying talking animals.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An exciting and exquisitely rendered film in which the horse goes through as many adventures and perils as Indiana Jones on a good day.
Loren King, Chicago Tribune
A welcome family film that extols noble values and offers first-class animation.
Susan Stark, Detroit News
As animation increasingly emphasizes the computer and the cool, this is a film that takes a stand in favor of tradition and warmth.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
The movie's big action scenes ... make you forget you're even watching animation.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Many kids will like this mustang tale.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
This is an original, enjoyable and sweet movie that will please adults and kids alike...
Todd Gilchrist, IGN Movies
Spirit: Stallion Of the Cimmaron, which and is technically Dreamworks' first animated film since the monster CGI hit Shrek, as a hand-drawn film has quite a bit to live up to, but succeeds admirably at finding the heart that is often missing from technica
, Empire Magazine
Gorgeous and plenty exciting, but overcooked with corny narration and an endless barrage of Bryan Adams songs telling us how to feel at every moment.
Derek Adams, Time Out
There's not much of a story, the whole thing's a bit superficial, and there's little to laugh at, but it's still a refreshing change from the norm.
Michael Dequina, Film Threat
There are genuine moments of beauty in Spirit -- visually and emotionally speaking -- but ultimately they aren't worth the price of suffering through the extraneous material that too often sullies the picture.
Todd Gilchrist, FilmStew.com
A welcome, entertaining, and fun ride.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...[a] genuinely thrilling movie that's appropriate for all ages.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
It dares to do things a bit differently, and it does them generally quite well.
Harry Guerin, RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
A worthy, if dull addition to the studio's animated works.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
Sappy and manipulative; it's further weighed down by an overloaded, over-politically-correct script.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
...A bland but pleasing animated horse story...
David Poland, Hot Button
I really wish I liked Spirit better.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The film meant well in its horse tale about freedom, but wasn't able to reach the heart because it was too overbearing.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Directors C

[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] I loved this movie when I first saw it and It would be great too see a sequel. It has some of the best, most well crafted animation techniques i've evr seen in an animated film. Its heartwarming and in… More
[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] I loved this movie when I first saw it and It would be great too see a sequel. It has some of the best, most well crafted animation techniques i've evr seen in an animated film. Its heartwarming and in it's dark moments it might even make you cry.
Matt G

It was okay. Not amazing, had me bored a ton. Story is good though. Grade: C-
Dead A

This was nice.
Coxxie M

this movie is lame. (fun trivia) the first time i ever peed in a cup inside the theatre was during this movie. i dont know why i was afraid to miss a couple minutes, it sucked
Leigh R

Brilliant... loved every moment of it.
danny d

pretty decent story
Dillon L

A bit predictable, and doesn't offer the same quality that Disney offered during the 1990's, but 'Stallion' will please some.
Dannielle A

Music by Bryan Adams is incredible.
Juan C

a good story leads to good animation leads to a horse with a story of courage, heart, humor and nonstop fun. B
Naughtia N

This animated movie was great. It had great scenery, great music, great characters and a great morale. This movie isn't like all the other animated movies, for example the animals in this movie don't speak, only the humans speak. This makes it special in its own way.
Deb S

It is the tale of Spirit, a stallion who is captured by the US Soldiers and taken to a fort nearby. Spirit demonstrates quite a bit of spirit and independent thinking the entire time he's captive, to the dismay of the colonel in charge. So the colonel attempts to do to the horse… More
It is the tale of Spirit, a stallion who is captured by the US Soldiers and taken to a fort nearby. Spirit demonstrates quite a bit of spirit and independent thinking the entire time he's captive, to the dismay of the colonel in charge. So the colonel attempts to do to the horse what the military does to every single man that joins its ranks: he tries to break him. During this period, a Native American named Little Creek is brought to the fort and tied up as well and the two becomes friends and manages to escape together. Matt Damon narrates the film, from the perspective of Spirit the Stallion. The soundtrack (which happens to be beautiful) is entirely performed by Bryan Adams and it also serves to express the horses' feelings and thoughts.
Yinalí R

Classic.
Sylvester K

Stunning visual, yet the story is racially adjusted. A film that hides more subliminal messages than it seems. Checked my watch for at least 5 times, kinda boring and predictable.
Dimitris S

A morality tale of the "spirit" of a horse in between Indians and cavalry and of its mighty will and determination of the...whatever object it is. Credibility zero in a family-values forced cartoon: thumbs down!
Kevin L

This has got to be one of the most underated animated movies ever. The animation in this movie is absoutely stunning. This is the story of Spirit the mustang horse. He makes friends with a young Indian named Little Creek. Later he falls for a beautiful horse named Rain.Only to get… More
This has got to be one of the most underated animated movies ever. The animation in this movie is absoutely stunning. This is the story of Spirit the mustang horse. He makes friends with a young Indian named Little Creek. Later he falls for a beautiful horse named Rain.Only to get captured by man and run free with the wild. One of the most interesting things about this film is that the animals dont talk. Thier actions do the talking for them. I dont think I have ever seen an animation movie do that before and this film clearly stands out from the rest.
Janice :

I don't like horses, but I like Spirit.
Richard F

Probably my favorite animated movie.