Dreamworks studio’s animation arm has been a hit and miss production company. While Shrek was a box office smash, The Road to El Dorado has been considered a box office and critical disappointment. The film was said to be derivative of other animation films that came before it. Now they give animation another chance with the horse tale Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron starring Matt Damon and James Cromwell.
Matt Damon himself is not new to animated films. He has already starred in another, the 2000 box office disaster Titan A.E. Now he is starring in yet another big budget animated film. Is Spirit a better film than Titan A.E.? The answer is yes. Is it worthy in the face of Disney’s animated films? Read below to find out if it’s a well-made and fun animated film.
When I first heard about this film being in the early stages of production at Dreamworks, I recall an interview with producer Jeffrey Katzenberg in which he stated that while Shrek was a great challenge to get the animation right, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was ten times more difficult a film to animate. The reason he said this is that the general population has great love for horses and their nature and mannerisms. He went on to talk about how the way in which horses move is so graceful that getting the animation for Spirit, the main character, just right was an immensely difficult task that the animators would have to work long hours to perfect. Well, judging by the final product, I would say that the animators did their jobs quite well.
The animation is colorful, vibrant, and altogether very well done. The scenes of a group of stallions running together are absolutely astonishing. The film also just so happens to have an interesting story behind the great animation. Spirit tells the tale of a wild stallion journeying throughout the American Southwest. When he comes upon humans for the first time Spirit attempts not to be broken. He also befriends a Lakota Indian named Little Creek and finds love with a mare named Rain. These are just some of the stallion’s adventures while he makes his way through the journey of life, a stallion’s life. The story is a very nice change of pace from other films of this ilk. It’s beauty and compassion for the story and the fusion of drama and comedy make this a film that appeals to both children and adults.
The voice acting by Matt Damon as Spirit is occasionally drab but he’s effective overall. Worth noting is the fact that he narrates the film and doesn’t actually talk out loud. Finally an animated animal film devoid of talking animals! Also voice acting for the film are James Cromwell as the colonel who tries to break Spirit, and Daniel Studi as the voice of Little Creek. They also perform with emotion though Studi gets stuck with the occasional corny line or two.
Overall, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a rather enjoyable animated tale that could easily find a wider audience than just kids like its cousin Shrek.
Rating: 85
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