ANI-MOVIES, *Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimmaron

Former Disney animators Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook went on to be an active part of the Dreamworks crew in what was one of the few movies they created that wasn't fully CGI. Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimmaron is an original story by Young Guns writer John Fusco also set in the ol' west all told from the point of view by a horse that eventually gets named Spirit by his human counterparts. Being released at the turn of the millennium didn't help a film that combines traditional animation with CGI, especially in the played-out genre of a western. Despite being a box office dud, it gained a fresh audience years later on cable and streamed TV, including a legacy sequel and a children's TV series.

Sometime in the American west after the Civil War, Spirit is born into being the leader of a wild herd who grows up to discover humans for the first time in the form in the United States Calvary. They capture the horse and try to break him in, much to the chagrin of the troop's Colonel who is met with nothing but defiant behavior. A captured Lakota teen named Little Creek helps free Spirit and welcomes him into the company of his tribe, including his sweet mare Rain. The paint horse wins over the Kiger mustang who comes to realize that not all humans are cruel, even though Spirit still won't let any of the Lakota tribe ride him either. The Colonel and the calvary return to push the Lakota off their land to make way for a new railroad. Spirit and Little Creek halt the army's progress leading into a daring chase in the Grand Canyon the rebellious horse finally lets himself be ridden on as they escape the Colonel. Little Creek frees Rain as she and Spirit rejoin his old herd after finding them out in the lone prairie.

This film has an excellent blend of both regular and computer animation, much better than other movies of the time like Titan A.E. The major selling point is the interactions the horses have with each other and humans which is largely free of dialogue aside from the occasional recollection by Spirit himself voiced by Matt Damon. A double-edged sword of this production is the soundtrack featuring music by the unparalleled Hans Zimmer along with 80s-themed songs by pop artist Bryan Adams which causes a major divide throughout the film trying to figure out what mood the scene was setting. Spirit is a memorable production that is inviting to young viewers and demonstrates how corrupt the idea of westward expansion really was.