Our hero for this animated adventure is a horse who tells us his story with a small amount of narrative but mostly through action. He was born on the prairie at the time of the Old West and grew up with a close-knit herd, but one day he is separated from the group and is captured by the Army. Their methods of harnessing and transporting are pretty cruel, and the horse is roughed up by the time he arrives at the stockade. When he is shown to Colonel , the man in charge, the Colonel decides that the horse should be broken as soon as possible. But the horse is determined not to be cowed. (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.) Refusing to let any of the men ride him, he puts up a tremendous fight until the Colonel proclaims that he shall be tied to a post and given nothing to eat or drink for three days.
Thirsty and hungry, the horse endures the three days, determined not to give in. Early in the morning of the third day, the Army scouts bring in a young warrior of the Lakota tribe and tie him near the horse. Their eyes meet and they see within each other the seeds of wildness, and have a moment of recognition. When the Lakota, named Little Bear, has a chance to escape, he takes it and rescues the horse as well. Off they ride, releasing all the other horses in the Army corral as well.
When Little Bear gets the horse back to his camp, he tries to tame him as well. Although his methods are much more gentle than the Army’s, the horse still will not co-operate. Little Bear realizes that he should not try to tame this incredible horse, and names him Spirit That Would Not Be Broken.
Meanwhile, Spirit has spent quite a lot of time with Little Bear’s horse Rain, and they have fallen in horsey love. Little Bear decides to set Spirit free, and the horse gallops away happily, but his first stop is to ask Rain to go with him. She feels a sense of duty and wants to stay with the Lakota. Just then, the Army comes riding in to break up and destroy the camp, and Spirit returns to help protect the people from the Army’s harsh advances.
This is a thrilling movie, full of adventure. I did sometimes chuckle at the way the movie makers kept trying to give the horses human attributes. (At one point, Spirit saves Rain from drowning. Not too realistic.) I did find several scenes a bit violent, and even my eight-year-old, who’s usually not too intimidated, commented that he had been frightened. I think you should give this movie a try and see for yourself if it’s one your family would enjoy. Bryan Adams provides the soundtrack and Matt Damon voices Spirit in a narrative form; in this film, the horses do not talk.
This movie was rated G.
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