Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.
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With the release of Spirit Untamed, it would be perfectly appropriate to synergize this entry with the predecessor who started it all...
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| We`re running away from the eagle behind us :) |
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| This was my best Untamed- pose :) I must behave when my owner is around :) |
When
DreamWorks first started out, they were the youngest studio in
Hollywood. Yet when they started out in the animation field, they really
started out as a quite distinctive studio that wanted to take some risks in
the animation world. Whether these risks truly broke the mold, is up to you to decide. But at least they manage to be distinctive of
their own. Their first entry was the CGI comedy Antz. An
sophisticated and non-PC comedy which was made with an adult
audience in mind. Which at least managed to be something of it`s own. 
Their next feature was The Prince of Egypt. An hand drawn, epic retelling of the story of Moses. While Prince
did feel like a Disney production, in terms of it`s grandure and songs,
at least it was trying to be a serious and grave retelling of a grave subject
matter. And to it`s credit, it diluted many of
the archetypical elements of an traditional animated feature (animal
sidekicks and a traditonal villain). Even though Prince still
felt like a compromise, for not throwing all of the mandatory elements
out. And for compromising the story of Moses with an abrupt ending. Yet
regardless of it, at least both Antz and Prince were a part of DreamWorks`experimentation and deserves genuine credit for taking those risks. Spirit`s Innovations & Reputation
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| Don`t get used to lying there all the time :) It does things to ya :) |
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| Of course we`re on the middle of the picture when we`re on fire :) |
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| Yes, even a horse can have a angry face :) |
While Spirit may not be unflawed, in my eyes, it has various perks to make it worth to notice. Since Spirit was
in fact released in a time where CGI animation were taking over, none
of the hand drawn features of DreamWorks rocked the Box Office after The Prince of Egypt. So Spirit was essentially one of them. But speaking of hand drawn, Spirit
was still an amalgam of hand drawn and CGI elements. To a point where it
became a norm to call hand drawn features tradigital
(most likely a term invented by Jeffrey Katzenberg at the time). But it
was deliberately chosen to be hand drawn to give it a personal feeling,
And yes, coming of the heels of the behemoth that was Shrek, it was unsurprisingly promoted as "from the studio who brought you Shrek". Behind the Scenes Information
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| Even a horse can look determined when he`s playing a hero :) |
Spirit was going to have a November 2001 release, but it was released in May 2002. Just as with Shrek the year prior, Spirit premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The idea of making Spirit came
from the desire to make a movie about horses, as it had never been done
in animation. It was Katzenberg who suggested it. And to capture the American scope. Yet due to the difficulties of even animate a horse, it was a daunting challenge. So they did some design tricks, shifting his eyes a little further forward on the head, so you can see both eyes more readily.
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| I told you that it was going to be a bumpy ride. So you should`ve brought a helmet :) |
Quasimodo) animated Spirit and was a freshman to animating horses. But to make them mute was also for the awkwardness of having them talk. Yet the directors were told by audiences that they forgot that the horses couldn`t speak (even Don Bluth liked that fact). Still John Fusco original script was partly influenced by George Orwell's Animal Farm. Where the horses embodied different cultures and ideas. Apparently it was darker and everyone were initially excited about it. Even the humans weren`t going to talk. And there was shaman-like white buffalo and one very wily coyote. To embody how the West was a real survival world.
Making it in
Cinemascope was a challenge for the creators (and even for the storyboard artists). But it suited the movie well, because of Spirit himself was horizontal. And due to how Spirit is essentially a Western, it makes it distinctive. The creators wanted to give it the feeling of a Western painting coming to life (of those from Frederic Remington and Charles Russell). The team did their research trips to Grand Canyon National Park and Monument Valley. But the directors wanted to have a mythic sense to it, that wasn`t specificially set. And yes, there was a kiger mustang named Spirit in California which the animators took after. The crew thought whinnies and snorts made by human voice actors sounded too phony. So sound designer Tim Chau gathered real horse sounds
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| Yes, I`m trying to scare ya with this look :) |
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| Yes, even a horse can be a Birthday cake :) But don`t tell Peta this :) |
While
some people asked if the story was about a comment of the progress of
America, the creators have denied this. The idea of the train sequence came from a story from the Old
West where a locomotive was pulled by horses (and was the favorite of
the audiences). The fire sequence was the first sequence that was completed. But regarding Spirit`s arc, the creators decided that he
wouldn`t forget his home after staying with Little Creek. So they were
afraid it was going to be a cliche if he stayed. The crew didn`t thought at the moral of the story until they had finished the film (which was about not forgetting who you are).
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| Yes, this was for Spirit of American Ensemble :) |
The production time of Spirit took almost five years. The opening scene of Spirit was made into a teaser trailer, which songwriter Bryan Adams narrated (which the directors used nine months to do). A big influence on the story was Jack London`s The Call of the Wild and even Dances With Wolves. John McClane (Die Hard) was the inspiration for Spirit. And yes, since horses are a demographic for girls, the marketing team were urged to focus on that demographic. Spirit opened in fourth place behind Star Wars: Episode II:Attack of the Clones and Spider-Man. But Katzenberg deliberately aimed for those dates to compete. .
Spirit`s Story & Political Correct Depictions
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| I`m glad they captured my proud look in a jacket :) I was afraid of looking too stuffed :) |
In fact, Spirit is a fairly simple story about our titular horse`s life (who`s a
reckless horse equvalent of a superman). To emphasise his supreme skills and his love of freedom. And to show him being captured, finding love and
regaining that freedom. While some people have complained about the
slight story, I`ve been one of those who`ve done the opposite. Since the
story of Spirit is a fairly romantized and poetic story to really
capture the essense of what our titular horse embodies: A free Spirit who represents the essence of the American West.  |
| I`m glad I could distract you from the man on the moon behind ya :) It will creep ya out :) |
Of course it`s a politically correct story, as some people have complained about it. But it`s certainly evidenced by
the portrayal of the Whites and Native Americans. And sure, since Spirit features Native Americans, it was in danger to create some racial scrutiny. But fortunately it didn`t, as the Natives was just a part of a subplot to Spirit`s bigger story. Spirit`s Trademarks, Narrator & Music
In fact, all of the innovations in Spirit works (in my opinion): That the animals never utter a single word of dialogue work. All of these elements made Spirit hard to sell, since the pantomime aspect made Spirit less
marketable for an mainstream audience. Yet some reviewers claimed that the story would`ve worked better without the mandatory elements, like the narration and songs (ironically
enough). Even Mark Damon`s mandatory narration worked, as it never felt intrusive (in my opinion). Yet the crew wanted to have the narration to a bare minimum, for obvious reasons. After four years of searching, Damon was chosen for his genuine enthusiasm for life that comes through melodically in his voice. And for his vitality and youthful quality to his voice. And for having a musical quality (while Robert Redford and even Tom Hanks were considered for the parts). Damon met the real-life model for Spirit in the horse flesh.  |
| The booklet above is my hat. Sort of :) |
What reviewers have mostly complained about, have been Bryan Adams` songs. Following the mold Disney set for Tarzan and DreamWorks for their own The Road to El Dorado where the musical narrator was singing the tracks, Spirit was a part of the new trend (in fact, it`s remarkable that DreamWorks made two movies
that followed that trend in a row. And only one theatrical who was a musical).
While there is a corporate decision behind it, there was no doubt that
it was a trend. Yet the songs were shunned by critics and panned for the
trend. It was Jeffrey who suggested Bryan. Who recorded over the summer and in early October 2001. And due to how Bryan is a rock`n`roller, he could live out his attitude in Spirit. At the Cannes premiere, the whole feature presented live to music. Adams was on stage with a six-piece band that includes (composer) Hans Zimmer. The love ballad with Sarah McLachlan, Don't Let Go, was cut from the film. Because they could never make it work (Bryan wrote lyrics to five times). Bryan`s favourite song happened to be another deleted song, Brothers Under the Sun. All were included on the soundtrack (Bryan joked that "if they ever mount a Broadway version of Spirit, I
already have more material than they'd need")  |
| Forget that we could be enemies in the future. Just like Tod and Copper from The Fox and The Hound. |
Bryan described the process "like writing a love song without being able to use the word love." And while he was considered to be the narrator for the film, it didn`t work. And yes, Garth Brooks was originally supposed to write the songs, but the deal fell through. As well as Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon were approached for the music. And yeah, in my Native Norway the songs were sung by Vegard Ylvisåker of Ylvis (who made What Does The Fox Say). The score for Spirit was made by Hans Zimmer, who also co-wrote the songs. For animation he`s of course forever known for The Lion King. But also helmed the score for DreamWorks` two previous animated features, The Prince of Egypt and The Road to El Dorado. Zimmer says that Spirit was one of his most enjoyable experiences. Spirit`s Animalistic Cast, Cuteness & Villain
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| Yes, milk on your muzzle will be a new trend from now on :) |
In fact, to examinate all of DreamWorks` hand drawn features, Spirit happened to be the only who starred an animal. Which made it distinctive. Yet Spirit
happens to be the cutest one, relying very much on cutesy-wootsy
devices (how Spirit got his tongue stuck in the ice was a crowdpleaser). Not that it`s a bad thing, since I usually like that kind of cuteness. Some people have complained about the lack of appeal to a more adult audience. And while it`s easy to see why, it`s not as Spirit is too juvenile, either. In fact, it would be easy to compare Spirit to the likes of Disney features starring animals. Like Bambi and The Lion King. For being partly a coming of age story with an animal (but the paralells to Bambi is more overt and obvious, as some reviewers have pointed out).  |
| I can stand on two legs, just like my human rider :) |
But as for more comparsions to it`s DreamWorks` counterparts, most of them
featured a bromance between two different male leads. But Spirit
was a bromance between a human and an animal. Since Spirit`s relationship
to the Lakota Little Creek was the main focus of the story (in fact, just as most of them,
it`s even more crucial than the mandatory romance between Spirit and
Rain. Who was accurately modeled by a real paint horse. And DreamWorks received an Award for her being a part of The American Paint Horse Association. The first animated horse to receive so). And frankly, the bromance is the heart of the movie, as it works.  |
| Even a horse and a man can have a "mano/mano" stare :) |
As for the rest of the cast, Spirit have a sparse cast of characters. But as for the villain, he`s not
a fully developed villain. But he still works fine enough. In what was the true
DreamWorks mold at the time, the villain doesn`t gets defeated in the end. But
acknowledges that Spirit and Little Creek (sharing their similar trait of
being prisoners) earns their freedom at the end. And the creators deliberately didn`t wanted to create an all evil villain.Franchise
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| We`re the replacement of the reindeers :) |
Regardless of how Spirit never
became a huge success, one must assume that DreamWorks wouldn`t dare to
give it more attention. However, it`s still remarkable how Spirit has
become a new franchise. Which is certainly a first among the hand drawn
entries of DreamWorks (well, at least if you don`t count the
direct-to-video feature Joseph King of Dreams. Which was somewhat labeled as a "sequel" to The Prince of Egypt). And it`s even more astonishing that it was revided several years after it`s predecessor. Of course since we`re living in the era of when hand drawn animation has been reduced to a bare minimum, these spinoff properties have been steeped in CGI. 
First off was Spirit Riding Free series. Released on Netflix in May 2017, the series is set in the small frontier town of Miradero. A girl named Fortuna "Lucky" Prescott, who`s recently relocated from the city, encounters a Spirit Jr., the son of Spirit and Rain. Spirit is caught by wranglers and brought to Miradero to be “broken in”. Lucky bonds with him and frees him from his pen. As for the quality of the series itself, it`s obviously made for a child audience in mind. Yet it still watchable and engaging enough. While the quality of the animation may not be topnotch (no offense to the animators), at least there`s made an effort to look somewhat painterly. Riding Free spawned two short-form, spin-off series: Pony Tales and Riding Academy. And two television specials; Spirit of Christmas and Ride Along Adventure (the latter being an interactive device). All of them being cute and endearing.  |
| Yes, you have something on your chin that I thought was chocolate :) |
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| You`ll get used to the smell of perfume :) |
But for the purpose of this entry, it was synergized with the release of Spirit Untamed. Released in theaters in the Summer of 2021 (when this entry was written), Untamed was essentially a new version of the pilot episode, just told differently. And while some have labeled it as a sequel to the Stallion of the Cimarron, it`s in reality a spinoff feature of the series. Untamed features the voices of Jake Gyllenhaal and Julianne Moore. And yes, it`s also made with a lower budget and by a different animation studio outside of DreamWorks. After having seen the film, I`ll say that it`s pleasant and endearing enough. While it may not be on pair of it`s predecessor, it`s still a nice film. Of course to take consideration to this spinoff, we`ll have to take consideration that it`s not exactly canon to it`s predecessor. But at least it doesn`t mess with continuity as much as the some other properties does. At least it made $17,716,215 Domestically and $42,717,215 Worldwide.
Epilogue
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| At least it`s not Barney and Friends :) |
To truly summarize Spirit,
at least it`s an honorable entry into the animation field. And deserves to be cherished for taking the risk of actually doing something
distinctive with it`s non-speaking animals. And for breaking such a convention, it would be tempting to wonder if such a film would`ve been perceived as great. And regardless of how Spirit didn`t set the Box Office on fire, it`s still admirable that DreamWorks decided to make it a franchise, nonetheless. As for my own personal opinion of Spirit itself
(which I usually tend to wrap up my entries with), I happened to like
it a lot when I saw it theatrically. I remember seeing it theatrically
with a bunch of kids who were obviously inmersed in the movie. And
shouting "oh no" when the Coronel and his soldiers tracks Spirit at the
climax. |
| All of the others in the right shows that the story should`ve been about me :) |
I remember actually buying the soundtrack before seeing the movie. And
being enthralled and mesmerized by the songs and score. Still
personally, I found the movie a little syrupy and sappy at times,
especially at the ending. The dialogue was also somewhat hokey at times. Yet I still have a soft spot Spirit, nonetheless. And happen to like it, despite it`s faults. While it may be a little derivative and have obvious trademarks to aforementioned Bambi, The Lion King and even Tarzan (and not just for the shallow notion of having a rockstar providing the songs), Spirit still works with those trademarks. So Spirit is a success and a worthy entry into DreamWorks` field of
animation. And while it`s success was modest, it`s nice to see that it`s
found it`s audience at the end. |
| At least it`s not the Black Stallion ;) |
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References:
Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron DVD
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit:_Stallion_of_the_Cimarron
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit:_Stallion_of_the_Cimarron
Thank you for this post, I don't know much about this movie so I learned a lot. Up until now, I never realized Spirit was so popular on home video. That explains why it got a sequel then. It also didn't dawn on me that they swapped out the human male protagonist for a female probably to cash in on the magical horse girl trope.
SvarSlett