Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron

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. Screenwriter John Fusco returns to the Western themes of his previous films Young Guns and Thunderheartwith this animated children's adventure from Dreamworks. 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. 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. Despondent, the horse is captured again by humans, enslaved this time for work in a pack team on the transcontinental railroad. 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. There, a cruel colonel (voice of James Cromwell) nearly succeeds in breaking the willful horse, but not quite. Undaunted by the tragedies that befall him, Spirit manages to escape for a reunion with Little Creek, Rain, and his long-lost brethren.

Rated G but there is some rough treatment of horses shown, so nix the sensitive preschoolers. The stirring mix of 2-D and 3-D animation is absolutely stunning and aptly fueled by composer Hans Zimmer's synthesized score. --Doug Thomas The film earns one demerit for '80s rocker Bryan Adams's abundant songs--a different singer could have brought more to the film. Despite a heavy dose of political correctness and realism (the animals don't talk; we only hear Spirit's internal monologue, voiced by Matt Damon), directors Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook give their hero many only-in-a-movie moments, including an action sequence rivaling any of Rambo's escapes. Cavalry fort, Native American settlements, and a railroad camp. The titular stallion runs free in the Cimarron (New Mexico) wilderness until a series of men try to master the proud horse, leading to adventures through a U.S. Horse lovers young and old will celebrate this utterly enjoyable and marvelous-looking animated film.