Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (or simply Spirit) is a 2002 American animated Western film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. The film was directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook from a screenplay by John Fusco, based on an idea by Jeffrey Katzenberg, who produced the film alongside Mireille Soria. The film combines traditional animation and computer animation.
Set in the Old West in the late 19th century, the film follows Spirit, a Kiger mustang stallion (voiced by Matt Damon as a narrator), who is captured during the American Indian Wars by the United States Cavalry; he is eventually freed by a Lakota man named Little Creek with whom he bonds, as well as a mare named Rain. In contrast to the anthropomorphic style of animal characters in other animated features, Spirit and his fellow horses communicate with each other through non-linguistic sounds and body language (albeit with many human facial expressions and reactions).
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was released in theaters on May 24, 2002. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film also launched a media franchise completely using computer animation, with a Netflix spin-off television series Spirit Riding Free premiering on May 5, 2017, followed by a spin-off of the original film, titled Spirit Untamed, released on June 4, 2021.

Useful links

Trailer for the film:

Check out the video's transcript under this section

0:00-0:05 Before a green screen, there's white text, saying the Motion Picture Association of America rated the trailer All Ages
0:05-0:10 The old DreamWorks logo appears surrounded by clouds. Upbeat music starts playing
0:10-0:11 A bald eagle flies over a river in a canyon. The bird screeches.
0:11-0:13 A stud of horses runs into a river, while water splashes everywhere.
0:13-0:17 The main character, Spirit the Kiger stallion jumps over the viewer, and runs forward. He's catching up to the bald eagle flying overhead, casting its shadow over the horse.
0:17-0:18 Golden letters appear on screen with a dark blue background. A whoosh sound effect plays. The letters read: "Fast as the wind".
0:18-0:19 As the letters get further from the viewer, the background fades, revealing Spirit galloping through grassfields in the night.
0:19-0:20 We see two men laying on camping mats in a forest at night. One man is facing the viewer, while the other faces him. They are wearing american western outfits with jackets. The one facing towards the viewer is pointing at something out of sight. He says "Look at that stallion!".
0:20-0:21 Spirit is running towards the viewer in a forest at night. The stars are visible in the background.
0:21-0:22 Golden letters appear on screen with a light blue background. A whoosh sound effect plays. The letters read: "Strong as the Sun".
0:22-0:23 As the letters get further from the viewer, the background fades. Spirit is on a hill during daytime, standing on two legs. He's trying to follow the eagle with his head, which is flying further away from the hill the horse is standing on. The man who spoke before continues: "It's beautiful!".
0:23-0:25 In the forest at night, a man in a cowboy hat grabs a rope, while we see another man briefly in the background. Spirit has his front legs up in the air, waving them around to defend himself from the men. He neighs.
0:25-0:27 The men, now on horseback, start chasing Spirit in the woods. Spirit runs directly into them, and disorients the other horses.
0:27-0:29 Golden letters appear on screen with a dark green background. A whoosh sound effect plays. The letters read: "Wild as the place".
0:29-0:31 As the letters get further from the viewer, the background fades. Spirit is running next to a smaller foal, while the humans are still in pursuit. Spirit runs into one of the horses, almost knocking one of the men off.
0:31-0:33 Golden letters appear on screen with a light grey background. A whoosh sound effect plays. The letters read: "He called home".
0:33-0:35 As the letters get further from the viewer, the background fades. Spirit jumps towards the viewer in a rocky terrain, while a lasso is approaching his neck. As he realizes that, he looks startled. The upbeat music fades into something more sinister.
0:35-0:36 Everything is black except the lightning striking from the sky. Thunder strikes. Spirit is being dragged by a rope by the men who were chasing him.
0:36-0:37 It's no longer dark. Spirit is dragging his feet, resisting the rope he's tied to.
0:37-0:38 We can see a man with Balbo Beard and a mullet in a military uniform, with a sheriff-like hat on his head. He's the Colonel. He's brushing something off of his hand. He says: "Induct this animal, Sergeant.". The instrumental for 'Get Off Of My Back' starts playing.
0:38-0:39 Spirit is tied with many ropes, which he tries to get free of, while a native american man with dark hair is watching him. This man is Little Creek, and he's tied to a pole. Spirit neighs loudly.
0:39-0:40 Spirit is still struggling with ropes, and tries running away, but four soldiers are holding the ropes steady. Someone offscreen says: "He's a wild one...".
0:40-0:42 We see a moustached man in an apron exiting a forge (blacksmith's shop). He puts a piece of cloth on his shoulders. He says: "We'll see how wild he is, when I'm done with him.", while approaching Spirit, who is tied to four wooden poles. The man is holding a pair of scissors.
0:42-0:45 One of the soldiers is holding his hand out and screams: "Look out!". The man from before looks dumbfounded, and can't react when Spirit headbutts him. He was holding a heated iron to brand the horse, which is now knocked to the ground.
0:45-0:48 A new, more cheerful instrumental score from the movie's soundtrack starts playing. Little Creek is holding a knife, and he cuts the rope tying him to the wooden pole. He jumps upon the back of the starled Spirit, to kick one of the soldiers in the face. He holds onto the horse's mane, when Spirit starts galloping.
0:48-0:49 Spirit is galloping towards a narrow canyon, while Little Creek is still holding onto him. Soldiers are in pursuit. The narrating voice says: "DreamWorks Pictures presents".
0:49-0:54 The voice continues: "a world, that's never been seen, ". Spirit is running in the canyon. There's an obstacle ahead, which only the horse can fit under. Little Creek jumps atop the obstacle, and lands safely on Spirit's back.
0:54-0:55 The voice continues: "and a spirit, ". Spirit is running with the eagle back in his home. The surrounding forest is green and lush, and there are mountains in the background.
0:55-0:58 A shed exlodes in a forest at nights. Spirit is startled by the fire. He is running, while the fire around him starts consuming everything. The voice continues: "that can never be broken.".
0:58-1:00 A female singer starts a vocal track. Golden letters appear on screen with a green background. A whoosh sound effect plays. The letters read: "Leader".
1:00-1:01 Spirit is standing on a grassy hill, neighing happily. The other horses are running down from the hill. There are mountains in the background.
1:01-1:03 Spirit and a Sorrel overo paint mare (Rain) are caressing each other.
1:03-1:04 Golden letters appear on screen with a light blue background. A whoosh sound effect plays. The letters read: "Hero".
1:04-1:07 We cut back to Spirit standing on the hill. A mountain lion is attacking one of the foals of the stud. Spirit arrives on time, and jumps in to scare the predator off. The feline gets on his back.
1:07-1:08 Golden letters appear on screen with a light blue background. A whoosh sound effect plays. The letters read: "Legend".
1:08-1:12 Spirit is standing on the hill from before, under the stars. He looks up and watches a shooting star. The narrator says: "This summer, a new spirit is born.".
1:12-1:15 Spirit is jumping over the camera, into the river that Rain is drowning in he cannot find his footing.
1:15-1:17 Spirit is running with the eagle again.
1:17-1:21 Spirit as a young foal, slides off a snow-covered hill. Then as he slides down, he covers the other horses standing under with snow. They don't look too happy...
1:21-1:26 A train is heading somewhere in heavy snow. Spirit looks out of a wagon through a missing plank. In the falling snow, he thinks he sees the stud he left behind.
1:26-1:35 Spirit as a young foal is licking water from an icicle sticking his tongue out. His tongue gets frozen to the icicle. He struggles to free his tongue, eventually settling on breaking the icicle and carrying it in his mouth. He's trotting along proudly, but he stumbles at the end.
1:35-1:36 Golden letters appear on screen with a green background. A whoosh sound effect plays. The letters read: "Memorial Day". The narrator says: "On Memorial Day, ".
1:36-1:42 The stud is running towards the viewer. The narrator continues: "discover a new kind of motion-picture experience for everyone!". Little Creek is riding Spirit, and he yells out in joy.
1:42-1:44 Spirit and Rain are tied together by a rope in a green forest. They are heading towards a lake. The swim around in the lake, surrounded by water lilies.
1:44-1:46 Spirit is running with a metal chain around his neck. A huge black metal train falls behind him.
1:46-1:47 Spirit and Rain fall from a waterfall.
1:47-1:49 Little Creek is holding the chain around Spirit's neck, while the forest around them is burning. A flaming tree falls behing them. Spirit looks back.
1:49-1:55 Spirit, with Little Creek on his back, is running in canyon, with pursuing soldiers. He suddenly has to stop, because they have reached a huge ravine. Spirit eventually jumps over the ravine, while Little Creek is shouting from adrenaline.
1:55-2:01 The song momentarily stops but soon starts playing again. In the sunset on a yellowed grassfield, Spirit and Rain are approaching Little Creek. The man gently touches the Spirit's face. He says: "You will always be in my heart, Spirit, who could not be broken.". Spirit rests his head atop his left shoulder. Spirit and Rain start heading off into the distance.
2:01-2:06 There's a titlecard in red and gold, with Spirit's sillhouette trotting in place. 'Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron' is written in white capital letters.
2:06- In top of a black background, Memorial day is written in red capital letters, indicating the release date of the movie. Under it is a link in white: "https://www.dreamworks.com/spirit", which takes us to the site of the Spirit franchise now, having very little to do with the 2002 movie. Under the link there are several copyright marks. After some time, the screen fades to black.

Submitter's thoughts

"This movie means a great deal to me. When I was really small, the DVD we had of the movie was watched almost every day. The animation is stunning for its age, and it truly feels like watching a HORSE move, communicate and behave. It's refreshingly natural on the children's animation market, where mostly anthropomorphic, talking and singing animals dominate. Spirit's journey was emotionally impactful, and the scene in the snowy wagon has always made me shed a tear or two. The story's conclusion is bittersweet, but still satisfactory. The soundtrack is amazing. Even though I watched the movie localized to my native language, therefore I only heard the original lyrics when I was older, I still fell in love with them. 'Get Off Of My Back' in particular will always be one of my favorites. Even though I'm probably speaking out of childhood nostalgia, I love this movie, and recommend you give it a watch. Despite not having many action-packed scenes, or flashy moves, 'Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron' is still a movie that will manage to keep the attention of its audience."

~ Anonymus submitter

Trivia

  1. The model for Spirit was a 3-year-old Kiger stallion named Donner. He was bought from a rancher for $50,000 (considered a high price). Kiger Stallions are noteworthy because they are a wild breed with traits originating back to the breeds brought over by the Spaniards in the 16th and 17th centuries.Donner was most likely chosen so that DreamWorks Animation could base Spirit on a horse most like what a wild horse in the 18th century might have looked like.
  2. Real horses were recorded for all the audio. At no time were any human vocalizations used for the horse characters.
  3. There was a book called Esperanza that was a prequel based around Spirit's parents. Spirit's mom is the titular Esperanza, and his dad is a black stallion named Strider. There are also books based on Rain's family history; her mother is named Sierra and her grandmother was a pampered riding horse named Bonita.
  4. Although never given a name, the Colonel displays a number of similarities to the real-life Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer of the 7th Cavalry: Both were in command of cavalry units in the 1870's, both were experienced horsemen, both led attacks on Lakota Indian camps (an act that would ultimately trigger the Battle of Little Big Horn), and both were involved in the protection of railroads near where they were stationed.
A Kiger stallion standing in a yellowed grassfield. The horse is facing the camera.

Donner, the real Spirit