Whether it is the best Dreamworks movie is up for debate, but it is a long way from being their worst. Along with The Prince of Egypt, one of the most powerful, evocative and stirring animated films I have seen along with Watership Down, Spirit:Stallion of the Cimarron has to be Dreamworks's most ambitious film to date. It is also visually stunning, and do I think it is underrated? Yes, I do. I am going to do something I have not before in my earlier reviews, I am going to talk about each element of the film and talk about them in sufficient enough detail(or at least I will try to):
ANIMATION: My goodness! The animation in this film is absolutely stunning! No, no, can I change that to gorgeous? I cannot count the amount of times I sat there awed at the audaciousness of the backgrounds, the vibrancy of the colours and the swiftness of the character movements especially on Spirit himself. I know I have raved about how amazing the animation was in Prince of Egypt and Over the Hedge, but seriously the sheer beauty of the animation here makes this for me the most beautiful visually of the Dreamworks movies.
MUSIC: For this movie, I have read reviews not only on IMDb but also from critics that the songs and score here sucked. Can I be obliged to disagree? I admit at 17 I prefer classical music, but the songs from Bryan Adams I thought were lovely. They had nice melodies and meaningful lyrics that do try to convey a message, Here I am was amazing. I also liked the orchestration. Hans Zimmer has done better work, and I admit the sounds used in the orchestration were unusual they were somewhat effective as well.
STORY: When criticising this film, this is the element that gets bashed most. Critics complain that the story is slow, lacklustre and not compelling enough. Okay, it isn't the most fast moving story or one driven by humour and excitement, though there is evidence of both. This film for many reasons is somewhat more mature and ambitious than most of the other Dreamworks films, I think the only other Dreamworks movie that surpasses it in terms of ambition and maturity is (predictably) The Prince of Egypt. The story here is driven by themes of love, courage, following your heart and freedom and they are explored acceptably. Admittedly, it wasn't always as in-depth as it could've been, but some scenes like the scene with the train really did have an impact on me, and the romance between Spirit and Rain was cute. I wanted Spirit to succeed, even when it looked impossible.
SCRIPT: I liked the maturity and heart of the script here. And I also liked the fact it was delivered in the perspective of Spirit, I like films that are told through the perspective of a character from the film, it offers a whole new perspective on things. Spirit isn't the first film to be told in the perspective of a character, Black Beauty and Watership Down are prime examples and the Rankin'/Bass special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer had a snowman telling the story. That said, the script is very reflective and beautifully written.
VOICES: Very little to complain about here. Matt Damon was a nice choice for Spirit/The Narrator. I have also heard complaints that Damon was bland and dragged the movie down, and I also do disagree with that. I have heard much worse voice acting, and as far as I am concerned(not trying to sound opinionated) but Damon did a good job. And I liked the character of Spirit, he was brave, handsome and loving, quite possibly my favourite character. Daniel Studi was appealing as Little Creek, and James Cromwell plays the mean Colonel with crusty demeanour.
In conclusion, this is an underrated film, that deserves more praise. It isn't one hundred percent perfect, but I do think there are worse animated movies out there, that are nowhere near as ambitious, as well animated or as brave as Spirit:Stallion of the Cimarron. It isn't easy taking on ambitious projects, and I applaud ANY film that tries. 9/10 Bethany Cox
