Animated Equines #1: "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"

It’s very hard to keep yourself from going completely insane while you pack box, after box of model horses (both bodies, and your collection), as well as the random stuff that accumulates in your studio… without SOME form of amusement…

So today, I put “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” into my studio’s DVD player, to amuse me as I packed. Hey, it was one of the few movies left unboxed (I keep all of my “horsey” DVDs in the studio, for whenever I need to watch something to keep me ‘in the mood’ to paint), and it’s a pretty good one!

Alright… it does have some marks against it. For instance, songs sung by Brian Adams (of “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” infamy… I still like a lot of the songs, but at the same time… the man is a bit DATED for this movie). Matt Damon as Spirit, the equine protagonist, also rubs me the wrong way. I honestly think an ‘unknown’ voice actor, would have been better. Every time I watch the movie, it takes me a while to get visions of Jason Bourne out of my head! And yes, there’s the fiery inferno Spirit ‘single-hoofedly’ creates… followed by the AMAZING climatic jump to safety… after running for what, at least a mile? O.o Yeah… Could have done without that! (Or the nod Spirit gives to the Colonel… >.< Just a touch too much humanity for my tastes. Haha!) (1)

But even as there are some drawbacks, it still occurs to me that perhaps this movie doesn’t really receive the recognition it deserves. Sure, it’s not a groundbreaking, tug at your heart-strings, Pixar flick (2) , but it does have some very redeeming qualities that it should be applauded for; ones *I* don’t think many people recognize.

First, and most obvious… the movie is told from the Spirit’s perspective…. BUT he doesn’t utter a SINGLE human word! Sure, they gave him eyebrows, and messed with equine anatomy to make him seem more expressive, more human… But he doesn’t TALK! Definitely a first in the realm of Anthropomorphic animation! This was a pretty brave move on Dreamworks’ part… Had this been a Disney movie, Spirit probably would have spoken actual dialog.

One thing that has ALWAYS amused me about this movie, is the fact that people are CONSTANTLY including it in the Disney pantheon. While this drives me nuts (it’s a DREAMWORKS flick people!!! NOT DISNEY!!! ~LOL~), it’s fairly obvious to see WHY they would confuse it as being created by the “mouse house”:

1. It’s a heartfelt movie, told from the perspective of an animal. It certainly seems like it would be right at home alongside; Bambi, Dumbo and the Lion King.



2. The animation is top notch. This can’t be said for every Dreamworks animation.
   


3. This animated movie, in a lot of ways lacks the "star power" that most Dreamworks movies boast. Dreamworks never once, used the "names" of the various actors as a method of "selling" the movie to the public (unlike "Shrek", and "Shark Tale" did... flashing the names of each and every actor's name involved, underneath a shot of their "character").

AND… as far as animating animals is concerned… this is the FIRST, and quite possibly ONLY movie to animate the equine… ACCURATELY! 99% of all animated movies come close, but never seem to quite get the animation on their horses (generally relegated to the background scenery anyway) anywhere close to realistically. I’ve always likened the animation of most horses in cartoons, to the early paintings of thoroughbreds racing…

Sure… it SEEMS like they are flying over the land like that… and at one point in the gallop, all four feet DO come off of the ground… however; that pose is not made by a running equine, unless they are flying over a fence or other obstacle! ~LOL~

Next… this is probably one of the FEW Hollywood movies to portray both Native Americans, and Cowboys (in this case, actually US soldiers)… in a relatively “neutral” light. Ok, ok… I’ll give you the fact that the US soldiers are more violent and brutal as they try to “break” Spirit and ride him, and thus an argument could be made that they are supposed to be the villains... but c’mon… wasn’t that at least SOMEWHERE near the truth of it!?

And, I suppose... by comparison the Native Americans, it could be argued, are shown living a peaceful life... until they are harassed by the "bad guy" soldiers... Regardless! In a lot of ways, I believe this film tries to be less P.C. and more "historically" accurate (at least for an animated 'kids' movie), than many others that have come before it.

In a lot of ways, I believe that "Spirit" is quite an undervalued movie... at least in the realm of animation, and equine film genre. Sure, it's not the cinematic gold, that is "The Black Stallion" (still the most stunning Equine movie, period.), but there really is more to "Spirit" than most film goers have given it credit for. We can only hope, that some animation studio in Hollywood, will have the guts to take on another Equine Animated Movie... and step it up a notch, from where "Spirit" took us!

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(1) Of course, Elyne Mitchel used the same device (her main character, Thowra, also jumped off of a cliff in order to escape “man”). But for some reason, the gravity defying jump in her book, works. Go figure!

(2) Sadly, not all animation can come from Pixar. ~LOL~ If it did, we would be very BORED between their yearly releases. There has to be some ‘filler’… and sometimes, that ‘filler’ can surprise us. But that, may be a post for another time. ~.^