Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is one of those movies that will rip your heart out, stomp on it a little bit, then put it back together with a really cute pink band-aid.
I can't honestly say that I know much about how the west was won, because I actually don't live in the USA, so I didn't learn these things in school. But I think the movie, while amusing and heartwarming in it's animated ways, also portrays a fairly accurate image of what life was like back in the old days.
Melodic music, accompanied by Canadian singer Bryan Adams, opens the movie, and sets the scene for a great soundtrack. Meadows, mountains and rivers are drawn beautifully, and, let's face it, one can only coo at the antics of a new baby horse. Skip forward a few years, and the baby is the king of his pride, so to speak, and takes it upon himself to scare away the invading settlers. Madness ensues, as do a few changes in landscape and location. Brace yourself for a climactic chase and a dance of triumph as the rat-like bad-guy is put in his place. And if the feel-good ending doesn't make you want to cry at least a little bit, then you may be a tad dead inside.
While I believe this film was well done, I can't say it's even remotely close to a 'great' children's film. If the kid loves horses, the kid will probably love the movie, if only because there are pretty ponies in it. But the fact that the entire movie is narrated, and that the horses only whinny, and don't talk, means that the already minute attention span on an average kid will not stand up to the trials of a movie where the animals don't talk. This film is definitely made for the older kids to appreciate. And even then, it's got to be an older kid with a love of horses ... or settlers with muskets ... that will truly be able to enjoy it.
I can't honestly say that I know much about how the west was won, because I actually don't live in the USA, so I didn't learn these things in school. But I think the movie, while amusing and heartwarming in it's animated ways, also portrays a fairly accurate image of what life was like back in the old days.
Melodic music, accompanied by Canadian singer Bryan Adams, opens the movie, and sets the scene for a great soundtrack. Meadows, mountains and rivers are drawn beautifully, and, let's face it, one can only coo at the antics of a new baby horse. Skip forward a few years, and the baby is the king of his pride, so to speak, and takes it upon himself to scare away the invading settlers. Madness ensues, as do a few changes in landscape and location. Brace yourself for a climactic chase and a dance of triumph as the rat-like bad-guy is put in his place. And if the feel-good ending doesn't make you want to cry at least a little bit, then you may be a tad dead inside.
While I believe this film was well done, I can't say it's even remotely close to a 'great' children's film. If the kid loves horses, the kid will probably love the movie, if only because there are pretty ponies in it. But the fact that the entire movie is narrated, and that the horses only whinny, and don't talk, means that the already minute attention span on an average kid will not stand up to the trials of a movie where the animals don't talk. This film is definitely made for the older kids to appreciate. And even then, it's got to be an older kid with a love of horses ... or settlers with muskets ... that will truly be able to enjoy it.