SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON --------------------------------
In the Old American West lived one of the unheralded heroes of freedom and natural resources - a wild mustang, "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron."
Animation guru Jeffrey Katzenberg gives his artists a real challenge - the first feature animation with the notoriously difficult to draw horse as its main character - and they meet it. Production designer Kathy Altieri ("The Prince of Egypt") and a team of animation supervisors have captured the glories of the American West in a film which seamlessly marries traditional cel animation with the computer generated.
In a dazzling opening shot, we get an eagle's eye view of river canyons and fields of grazing bison before being introduced to the Cimarron herd just as Spirit's mother gives birth. The young colt grows up in a sequence reminiscent of Disney's "Bambi," all playful gamboling and humorous youthful lessons learned. Unlike that film, however, none of the animals in "Spirit" talk. Instead Matt Damon ("All the Pretty Horses") narrates the central character's thoughts.
Spirit becomes a stunning stallion and the protector of his herd, but his curiosity becomes his undoing when he sniffs about a human campsite and is captured. The wild horse will not be broken and humiliates the cavalry colonel (James Cromwell, "The Sum of All Fears") who tries. The colonel's other prisoner, Lakota Indian Little Creek (Daniel Studi), bonds with the horse and they make their escape. While Spirit refuses to be ridden by the friendlier 'two-legged,' Little Creek's paint mare Rain guides him toward an acceptance of the Indian way of life, but the evils of technological progress present the two wild spirits with yet another battle.
Making their directorial debut, animation veterans Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook guide all the elements into a fine family entertainment. At under 85 minutes, the film is fast paced without obscuring its points. Screenwriter John Fusco ("Young Guns") has fashioned a rousing story from a horse's point of view that promotes the values of its titular character's name. While the narration is sometimes overly simplistic, the action is full of detail. The film's climax may even be a reference to Werner Herzog's "Fitzcaraldo," a film notorious for causing the deaths of native South American Indians. The narration is fleshed out by the songs of Oscar nominated songwriter Bryan Adams, whose "Get Off of My Back" is likely to be hummed as audiences leave the theater. Music by Hans Zimmer ("Gladiator") fills and flirts with the soundtrack.
Technically, the film offers many visual delights. Water and machinery sequences are often photo-realistic. Spirit and Little Creek's final declaration of freedom is simply breathtaking.
B+
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