Our Rating: 4.00
How’s this for a please-God-no concept: a high-tech animated musical Western about a wild mustang with songs courtesy of Canadian AORtist Bryan Adams. Incredibly, DreamWorks and directors Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook have delivered a consistently lovely Cinemascope adventure that’s equal parts re-purposed John Ford, Disney, and “Soldier Blue.” Even the Adams songs–it grates to admit–are effective. Courting megaplex suicide by animating animals that don’t speak, “Spirit’s” a one-thing-after-the-other affair. Born free, the titular horse is captured by heartless cavalry, who do awful things to break “Spirit’s” spirit, and try worse with a Lakota Indian (Daniel Studi), until both escape. A film-long chase ensues. Easily trumping the Clones next door for sheer visual gosh-wow, Spirit’s action is coherently kinetic, while the half hand-drawn, half CGI landmark vistas attain a magical, Wyeth-esque register. Parents should be prepared to answer hard questions after an Indian-village massacre done in the name of manifest destiny.
This article appears in May 22-28, 2002.