I Called Spirit Mid, So My Girlfriend Made Me Rewatch It (Part 1)

Ah Spirit, the film I so casually criticised in an attempt to talk up yet another Dreamworks masterpiece. Soon after this I heard a lot of loud critiques coming for me to dare say that Spirit was "nothing special", particularly from my girlfriend who demanded I rewatch and do a review on it. So here I am, and uncharacteristically I was actually wrong. Now this video WAS roughly 15 minutes long, but no matter how many re-edits I did, KZbin would not have it. But once I broke up the same video into two parts it's no longer a copyright issue. I've been having this come up more and more recently so I appreciate you all bearing with me as I wander around blind trying to find out how to do this. When you're finished, here's the link to the second part of the review: • I Called Spirit Mid, S...
Enjoy

[@RedX03]

Your girlfriend singlehanded saved your life with this

[@keona5560]

I was literally about to say the same thing

[@SpideyStudios37]

@@keona5560me too lol

[@GoldeStatue]

she literally did

[@Tata45868]

We were already sharpening the pitchforks

[@MrTigracho]

Bro stop. I WAS not going to murder him

[@Makise3]

All praise to your girlfriend for making you watch this classic.

[@MakenzieMirror]

My sibling has/had a profile picture of the character in your profile picture I believe!! :00

[@heehoopeanut420]

For real, the fact that almost all men glaze over this movie because it was branded as "annoying horse girl movie" when really it's a masterpiece!😂

[@silversamurai0267]

Fun fact: horses are one of the hardest animals to draw, let alone animate. Their anatomy is just... kind of an anomaly? To animate an entire movie about horses, and to do it well, is challenging. So, this is beautiful.

[@K.C-2049]

R* solved this problem for Red Dead 2 by just throwing motion capture suits on horses lol

[@BrokensoulRider]

@@K.C-2049 Spirit was nearly two decades before Red Dead 2. This movie, along with a lot of Dreamworks and Disney movies actually, have always drawn horses/animated them well.

[@PetitTasdeBoue]

That's also why "horror horses" became a joke in webtoons, because so many of them take ugly out of place 3D horse model and just put them in their comics and it looks awful lol Sometimes you even have "ghost carriages" without horses aha

[@K.C-2049]

@@BrokensoulRider yes they also did great. Like I’m not trying to be sassy I just think the mo cap suits on horses is neat… why does literally everyone think every comment is an argument?

[@BrokensoulRider]

@@K.C-2049 I... wasn't arguing? I was simply pointing out a fact.

[@horse14t]

Fun fact: All the horse sounds, right down to the hoof beats are real! They had actual horse vocal recordings and recorded horses going over various terrain for the different hoof beat sounds!

[@luunix6793]

wow i always really liked the sound of them running lol

[@TheRibottoStudios]

damn that's hella dope! Wild also cause they had a VA do the lion sounds for the lion king.

[@horse14t]

@@TheRibottoStudios They also used some tiger sounds in TLK too :P Specifically some of the roars because "lion roars weren't intense enough".

[@tanishamuntslag6369]

Smarty pants calling spirit MID His gf :*feels offended and gives the how dare you face* watch it again

[@wak773]

people are entitled to their opinions, it's hard, but it's true. then again, nothing wrong with rewatching something

[@tanishamuntslag6369]

@@wak773 true

[@doczirebeka8312]

I will never forgive the girl power bullshit remake they did with it. This isn't a my little pony movie, and that is exactly why it is great! Its unique, mature, yet real tone is what made it outstanding and a classic! 😤

[@fightingfaerie]

Spirit, the horse that could not be broken. A symbol of freedom and resisting the oppression of the white man/US. No one could ride him. (If anything he carried Little Creek more than let him finally ride) Sequel: Horse becomes "best friends" with the daughter of a railroad owner. She rides him everywhere on little kiddie adventures. Just disrespectful....

[@returnoftheromans6726]

Yes! Somebody said it!!! ☠️

[@doczirebeka8312]

@@returnoftheromans6726 sir, it was literally the first thought I had when I first saw the trailer for that crap. Anyone could've said the same thing. 👍

[@Pandanananananananan]

IKR! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY BLASPHEMOUS WHAT THEY DID TO SPIRIT! I remember seeing the trail or every time I went inside Costco and I would point at it and tell my siblings about everything I hated and lil critiques I had for it

[@thatswack5282]

I remember watching the remake because I was so excited for it, spirit was my shit. My mom was pregnant with my little sister and I had her up on the trampoline pretending to be spirit singing “can’t catch me, I’m free”. Absolutely destroyed his entire iconic personality of being free and unwavering. I still watched the show, it was still cute, I just refused to acknowledge that she was riding Spirit.

[@henrymockingbird9645]

I don’t think box office is always an indicator of quality some of the greatest classic movies are box office bombs

[@Dude-hs7zm]

Yeah. Basically every Laika movie is *technically* a box office flop, but they’re one of my favorite studios. The thing with box office success movies is they either had an ungodly amount of advertising, or had all the right cliches to draw in a large crowd.

[@joyhope9486]

Box office is bullshit. Box office measures money. It doesn’t even measure views. Money doesn’t equate to artistry, although I think many trust fund baby fraud “artists” would disagree with me…

[@xaoz2362]

yeah, but box office is what determines if it was a good investment or not.

[@iPyromantic]

Katharine Hepburn was dubbed "box office poison" during her career. Because Katharine Hepburn is just SO unenjoyable and such a dreadful actress. 😅

[@nikmariealex]

Shout out to her bc you were dragging it lol

[@kalanilove3702]

Ong

[@heehoopeanut420]

fr she should've been meaner😂❤ I wanna hear her take

[@SkookieCat_Arts]

Spirit was actually the reason I got into animation. I watched it when I was 4 and when I saw the behind the scenes on the dvd I was absolutely blown away. I didn’t fully understand what the animators were doing but it really made me want to become an animator, and it’s been my life goal ever since😂

[@thunderclanwarrior1253]

Hope you can achieve it!!! Fellow animation student here :D Good luck!!!!!

[@lorettabes4553]

I'm in my 3rd year of 4 years of earning my art diploma with the desire to become a 2D animator. You can do it!!!

[@StealAwayTheStars]

Spirit was the movie that got me paying attention to movie scores. Of course Hans Zimmer is a master but every movie I watch I really listen to the music and it all started with Spirit. And coming from a horse person, they did a phenomenal job animating this movie. Horses are so difficult and they they just nailed it.

[@GragonOhare]

I had a similar experience! I watched that "How to Draw Horses" special feature on the DVD when I was 10 and it completely changed how I thought about drawing. Rewired my brain. I'm an artist now, at least partially because of Spirit.

[@SkookieCat_Arts]

@@GragonOhare dang dude, I just checked out your channel and you’re so skilled :0 I’m still a beginner 😅

[@lorettabes4553]

Btw, horses are consired the hardest animal to draw. *To. DRAW*. James Baxter drew horses for days to learn their anatomy and behaviour (and the other animators ofc). Animating him was not easy. (Source: James Baxter talked about it at Playgrounds Eindhoven last year. We got to see the frames onnpaper that they used! A beautiful shot from Belle and The Beast was there too)

[@SpaceotterwithaMustache]

James Baxter is literally built different when it comes to animation

[@starcrash-ash6061]

Wait the James Baxter horse from adventure time was named after a real guy? 😂

[@ricegorm]

​@@starcrash-ash6061yup! The episodes featuring the character were basically made just to praise James Baxter and his work, since he's just that phenomenal! He also animates and voices the character, which is why the animation quality is significantly more fluid and smooth compared to the usual style of the show

[@Vandriar]

Sinbad and Spirit are like Treasure Planet. They are hidden diamonds in the rut that never got the chance they deserved to fully shine. Hats of to your girlfriend for waking you up to reality

[@misfits9294]

Your girlfriend is top tier, make her a keeper. Also this just made me realize Spirit probably failed more critically simply because it was a Native allegory in 2002. It still did well but 69% on rotten tomatoes?! For THIS masterpiece?! I feel it'd rank a lot higher today.

[@zorro......]

Not just an allegory but also explicit in its stance against colonialism and its tragic and cruel consequence to natives of the land (humans and animals and mother nature alike). When I rewatched it as an adult, I was in awe that they were so explicit in being against colonization, and not just used the horses as an allegory but had native people that the audiences were meant to feel for and relate to more than the stoic, tough cowboy (colonizer).

[@MrTigracho]

​@@zorro......this movie was released too ahead of it's time

[@austint4139]

Sinbad is similar to treasure planet with how they performed and being ahead of there time, you shouldn’t judge them by the box office

[@lorettabes4553]

Same with Legends of the Guardians tbh

[@immydocherty]

literally! the animation is so beautiful and the plot is so good!! It does have that nostalgic factor but it's a movie I could watch over and over again and never be bored

[@kyuumons]

No for real. Even Brother Bear didn't do great at the Box Office, but it's still a beautiful movie. All those movies came out at a time where the studios were actively trying to bomb their own movies so they could excuse the pull push towards 3D :/

[@catelyngrace6903]

FOR REAL!!

[@jonny45k44]

​@kyuumons Oh god, Brother Bear was GORGEOUS and beautifully written

[@foxpokemonforever4775]

BASED Smarty Pants’ girlfriend Spirit is one of my favourite animated movies, it’s so gorgeous

[@hayleybartek8643]

"Spirit is mid." Ooh, that there's a paddlin'.

[@K.C-2049]

he'd better not steal the school canoe next.

[@sakurap95]

I remember seeing the trailer in theaters. It comprised of the opening sequence with the eagle and expanded over the grassy landscape. When those horses erupted on screen, it was epic! You felt like those horses were really coming right at you! They captured the power and majesty of being surrounded in a horse herd so well! I still get chills to this day.

[@thirteenthhour370]

8:12 -- Spirit being violently kidnapped from his people, tied up and forcably dragged back across days or even weeks to the army base, just so they can break his mind to use his body, and the absolute horror on his face when the gates open and he sees exactly what the army has in mind for his kind: brand-burns and shaved heads and forced labor -- what they have already done to break, burn, starve, and exploit all those other horses and when the gates close, they will do the exact same thing to him with no means of escape-- that's a nice firendly gentle subtle callback to slavery. It also makes that music montage to "You Can't Take Me, I'm Free" (objectively the best song in the movie) a LOT more intense and meaningful

[@1Fresh_Water]

My grandpa raised horses and he loved this movie. He loved that the horses didn't talk, that they moved like real horses, acted like real horses (mostly), and that it shows the real *spirit* of the wild horse. Add in the absolute banger soundtrack and the fact the horse is "voiced" by MATT DAMON, and it's an absolutely amazing movie.

[@ItsMeFern2019]

My mom told me this movie was the only one that ever made my dad cry. I've never seen the man even come close to shedding a tear in my life. To me that says a lot about Spirit. When I was a kid I was blown away watching it and nowadays if I sit down to watch this I'll cry at least 10 times either from sheer amazement or sadness. I'm glad your girlfriend got you to take another look at Spirit, it's deserving of so much more hype than it gets imo!

[@swifttoplay3047]

spirit was THE reason i became into animation, into art, into horses into the very idea of bringing things to LIFE! that opening shot alone made me go "i want to recreate this feeling of being ALIVE as we dive through the canyons with the eagle" the eagle being the imagery of freedom, of spirit himself being freedom and self. Spirit has and will i say, brought life to many artists. its not just ABOUT horses, it brought storytelling to where it should be, its beautiful and my favourite way of telling stories for animals. your only understanding through the animals perspective, they wouldnt understand anything other then their own wants and needs but aware certain things.

[@lauramarschmallow2922]

I was really confused when I found out that they made a Spirit sequel series about a human interacting with Spirit rather himself? I like horses, not people! xD

[@jessiewilson207]

When I watched it as a kid I wasn’t very into it because I lived in the world of talking animals and I didn't understand the emotion, though I still enjoyed some things. Watching it later, after growing up, I realized how amazing the score, songs, characters, and story are

[@Tellsajokecrowdsitsinsil-ic2dc]

I watched at three and loved it so much I named all my toys after it. Not just the horses.

[@runezunn6655]

Spirit is actually one of my many favorites among the Dreamworks movie run. I remember watching this movie over and over again because it was so good. 😄

[@olleselin]

Oh, you have a girlfriend? 🆒️ And yes, Spirit is alot better in quality then what we all give it credit for

[@returnoftheromans6726]

I watched this film over and over as a child. Spirit was, undoubtedly, one of my animated animal heros. (Balto and Simba being the others.) This started my transformation into a full-blown horse girl. Lol! But as an adult, I fully appreciate what it encapsulates. The setting of the sun on the "Wild West"; one that Frederick Remington loved to paint; the brutality on the Natives. (By the way, can we just appreciate how Dreamworks respected them as a whole while they made this, and also highlighted how close they were with their animals?) Apparently, Spirit's father was a black stallion called Strider. He was also captured by humans, and possibly killed by them. In this light, it is even more heartbreaking seeing the look on his mother's face as he tells her it's going to be okay, when she already knew that he probably would not survive the humans. Some say that the Eagle is a manifestation of his father in 'spirit' form. But I have another theory. In the train, when Spirit has that vision of his family, there appears a black horse galloping behind his mother. I believe this is when Strider appears to strengthen his son in his time of need. The movie's opening lines telling the audience it is up to them to decide whether that land was won or lost in the end gets me every time. That, along with: "There are those in Washington who believe the West will never be settled. The Northern Pacific Railroad never reach Nebraska; a hostile Lakota, will never submit to Providence. And it is in that manner of small thinking that says this horse can never be broken." Ring true in some form or other. But, thanks to those who respected the West, namely Theodore Roosevelt, we still have those hoofbeets ringing clear across parts of our land. That is what Spirit's whole being stands on: that Nature will find a way.

[@copycat0284]

Your girlfriend has, all my respect for doing this

[@frankiebcatt3661]

i think the narration takes itself really seriously, but it works because 1. the movie hits some really serious stuff! it has a serious undertone! and 2. it’s spirit himself narrating it, and he’s a bit of a self important dickhead of a horse whose character arc is largely about expanding his worldview, maturing and humbling- still, he lacks the context the audience has, and to him the events of the film are the singular most important and dangerous things anyone could ever possibly encounter. there is nothing he as a horse could imagine that’s more important than keeping the herd (and later rain, little creek and the other Lakota people and horses) safe, and no greater danger to them than a train line carrying the men who represent all evil to him. the narration is such an important part of this movie IMO seeing as the horses don’t speak, and it’s our only insight to what he’s thinking, so every line had to have been chosen so carefully, and I think they did a great job representing both spirit’s character and conveying plot.

[@marisokami5259]

it's not right to judge a movie based on box office, it's more about luck and marketting and whomever edited the trailer than what the movie actually is, there's plenty of people who shouldn't have gone to see coraline because parents didn't realise it might be too scary for their kids and there's plenty of people who go to live action disney remakes even though they are often completely inferior to the original

[@eralswiggins9837]

She saved you from such a disgrace

[@khabukie]

people thinking Spirit is "too PC" is absolute bonkers

[@ThisisIzzy69]

i remember voice dubbing Spirit when i was little, then when i got a little older, i realized that they don't need to talk. I'm very happy that they made that choice. :) Also Dreamworks, please bring 2d animation back!

[@iPyromantic]

It's criminal that they only ever made 4 traditionally animated feature films. Their style always felt more .... mature? Than Disney, somehow?

[@ThisisIzzy69]

@@iPyromantic yes! it uses very realistic/semi-realistic animation style. However, Disney has done this before in the past. Nowadays it more cartoony. Hopefully we can get to see this type of animation again. I also really into drawing people/animals in this style as well. :)

[@selmabm3409]

Girlfriend made an excellent decision

[@lucamagic]

Nice to see that you gave it a second shot :) Also, I always find it so weird that some Americans refuse to acknowledge that their ancestors were horrible people even if that’s what really happened in history…

[@SpaceotterwithaMustache]

I don't know, it's some stupid ego stuff or smth. Humans are very narcissistic sometimes, even if admitting it wouldn't make them the bad person.

[@kiramortwilson7411]

It’s not about ego, guys. We’re just tired of hearing it all. The. Time. People don’t shut up about it. And it’s used to justify treating us as if WE did all that stuff ourselves. Literally. Imagine if someone just walked around behind you everyday, saying “Your ancestors sucked, you don’t deserve what you have,” yada yada. Wouldn’t you get sick of it after a while? Wouldn’t you feel like the other person was just being a jerk? Like, let me live in peace, man. That’s all I freaking want. I ain’t hurting anybody.

[@lucamagic]

@@kiramortwilson7411 I was talking about refusing to acknowledge it and denying it. My ancestors were horrible people as well but I won’t deny that it happened.

[@TheEpicArtist-jo2pj]

Thankyou for making this spirit is my favorite movie of all time, and it saddens me how underrated it is. I hope a bunch of youtubers make videos about it and more people get to enjoy this amazing film.

[@AbigailPinehaven]

Your girlfriend saved you from a bombardment of horse girl rage

[@artikulv731]

I remember watching this film so many times as a kid, always loved it.

[@battythings]

My aunt took me to see Spirit when I was a kid and I was such a sobbing mess she asked me if I wanted to leave 😂 I’d never seen a movie as a kid where injustice just kept happening to the main character. It served this child well, taught me a lot ❤

[@benjaminwitham8142]

Spirit stallion of the cimarron is such a classic very underated at the time of its release I watched it alot its great if there was a place for there to be both a healthy balance of styles both in 3d computer animation and the traditional classic 2d hand drawn style it would be wonderful to see happen also this is one of the rare animated films to tackle the western genre would love to see more animated films in this genre and cover more historical type settings

[@wizard-lizard]

Growing up in the southwest US and going on road trips to all the national parks as a kid, this movie is one of my all-time favorites! I rewatched it with friends and we can tell generally what state they're in throughout the movie, and it's so cool to see my home drawn/represented so beautifully. The only other time I've seen the southwest animated so thoughtfully was in Cars, which also has a soft spot in my heart. I'm not indigenous/native American so I can't speak to the accuracy of the representation here, but as a kid it definitely seemed like one of the most realistic/nuanced pictures of the American colonization/genocide in the west over other films like Pocahontas. Also the soundtrack is fantastic and great for road trips!

[@Chireiya]

The animation of this movie amazes me to this day. Every single frame looks perfect. The horse anatomy, but also the adaptation into the cartoon style (especially in the face) is incredible! Also funny you showed a brief clip from RDR2; In the online version of the game you can get a mustang horse that looks exactly like Spirit.

[@MentalMeles]

Spirit is one of my all time comfort movies. I can watch it again and again and not be bored. The animation and story are both wonderful and the movie itself made me passionate about art when I was young. I'm so glad you gave it a second chance!

[@lulakacontreras3520]

Boy the chaos of ur arguments about simbad would make Eris so happy.

[@berengerdietiker22]

I'm not a horse guy, but even I enjoyed Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron wholeheartedly.

[@mine_neko]

I remember as a kid I was already excited about an animated movie about horses 🐎

[@QUARTERMASTEREMI6]

Oh yeah, it’s my favourite “horse themed” animated movie of all time! 😁

[@AriTheWarrior999]

I mean, Iron Giant was also a flop in theatres but essentially became a cult classic afterwards. Some movies just need to age like a fine wine. I personally find most critics to be about as exciting and reliable as a sack of hammers - Spirit deserved far more credit than it got. Honestly, people whining about movies being too PC just piques my interest even more. Mainly because you learn pretty quick how thin-skinned people are 😆 what, you can't handle the tiniest reminder of the fact that America has never been perfect and has contributed to horrible attrocities for as long as it's been colonized? Grow up. Face it. Quit shoving your head in the sand, you look ridiculous. Getting an animated film about horses and Native Americans, even if it's designed for a kid's palate, made a solid stamp on my life. Still a favorite to rewatch to this day. Glad your gf knocked some sense into you about it!

[@lenastorm6280]

I LOVE "Sindbad"! It's one of my favourite movies! And it's has been since I was a kid. And I also realy, realy, realy like "Spirit", but mabey that's just because I like horses.

[@sebastiantrias1529]

Welcome to club of not embracing this underrated masterpiece.

[@zofifi7549]

The funny thing about this movie is that horses aren't native to americas. Europeans brought horses there and the wild ones are decendants of those that escaped or were abandoned and some point. There turned out to be a horse-shape slot in the ecosystem so they survived while not becoming invasive species. So, yeah, for horses it was longer because they have shorter faster generations but they are there only as long as europens. Not like the Spirit could know, or would care about petty chistorical details. But, no he is not techically native, more like naturalized.

[@SakuraStallion]

To be fair, American horses has only gone extinct a few thousand years prior, which is fairly short evolution wise! Horses evolved and spread from North America and were brought back by europeans!

[@zofifi7549]

@@SakuraStallion Oh? Yeah, that sure expliains the empty ecological nishe. I knew there was a huge extinction of megafauna but didn't know local horses were part of it too.

[@emimartinic]

Uhm, no, horse evolution is fairly complex. There were horses in america and they went extint a few thousand years before the europeans brought them back

[@juliarush111]

I have a distinct memory of SOBBING watching this when I was a teenager. Crying so hard it woke my mom up. She teases me about it to this day

[@darlingdannid]

i love this movie. when i was a little kid i spent a lot of time with my mom's sister and her family, and my cousins weren't allowed to watch a lot of shows and tv. my aunt was very religious and bought heavily into the satanic panic of the 2000s. but she had this movie on dvd, and it was one of our favorites. as a black kid i empathized very greatly with both spirit and the lakota because i understood the ways in which chattel slavery was similar. and i appreciated that the movie recognized the importance of harmony with nature instead of trying to bend it to your will. but my absolute favorite part of this movie is the masterful way it navigates storytelling with very little dialogue, through the music, the animal sounds, and the expressive animation. it's so enriching in that way.

[@Twisted56]

I just watched Spirit last week, and it's beautifully animated, with a very exciting story.

[@kitkat5596]

If Dreamworks and Disney returned to 2-D animation I'd learn to do a backflip then and there. But that's just wishful thinking.

[@SpaceotterwithaMustache]

Real

[@teentraveler1790]

I really appreciate you changing your mind a bit for the Spirit movie. It was the first film where I ever saw anything nice and positive about my ancestors as a kid. It genuinely warms my history-loving heart.

[@Nichrysalis]

Amazingly animated, gorgeous landscapes, soundtrack has amazing orchestral score and some bangers, greatly written characters, and an amazing message about what spirit is and why spirit is important to community.

[@js66613]

Honestly, I'm so glad that your girlfriend made you rewatch Spirit. Wish more people's girlfriends did that. xD

[@GingerSnapping]

The most interesting part of the development of the movie is they mixed the digital and traditional media! This movie claims to be the first use of digital and traditional animation mixed. Lots of the models and landscapes are painting over with traditional animation. The landscape paintings are meant to mimic artists from the late 1800s and the early 1900s who depict the same environments out west. All of the native characters were played by native actors. Like said, previously the horse noises including hoofbeats were all made by real horses. Horses are one of the hardest things to draw/animate because there movement is so clean and complex. We all know what they look like and how they move so its hard to mimic realistically. Spirit unfortunately was tarnished by Dreamworks attempt at 3difying it in "Spirit running free" but I will forever love the original for its anti western expansion pro native rights and natural rights vibes. The horse blows up a train. he's my hero and fostered my love of horses.

[@edwardvincentbriones5062]

the term "traditional animation arms race" echoes through my mind

[@alalessia]

first movie I very clearly remember crying to when I watched it as a kid, it's a core memory and I've loved drawing horses ever since

[@Pandanananananananan]

Thank goodness your girlfriend made you rewatch the film

[@littleperson8315]

"WHY AM I SO EMOTIONAL, THEYRE HORSES" welcome to the club lol

[@unistudent4002]

If spirit came out in the age of streaming I reckon it would have been bigger.. I had it on vhs when I was a kid and we watched and rewatch that shit thousands of times

[@DragonMagi]

I actually have a version of this film with the Mat Damon narration removed pretty seamlessly and it's great. There's a torrent for it floating around somewhere, at least there used to be.

[@iPyromantic]

Ima have to look for that!

[@fenafea7287]

spirit is my absolute comfort film and it makes me yearn for being free and wild (and a horse as well i guess). it´s the one horse movie i still love to this day loooong after my horse girl childhood

[@BlackReshiram]

i watched this movie when i was five and the memory of how much it emotionally moved me and made me cry is a core memory but my opinion of the fact that it managed to make me cry has changed to a positive one! this movie was insanely good.

[@bananaberry91]

My takeaway for this film is probably the portrayal of emotion and intention. The body language and emotion almost told the narration for it. Like the scene where Spirit notices the campfire, he looks back like, "Mom. Come here, check this out. What do you think that is?" Then it implies that he's saying, "I'm going to go check it out." To which his mother tugs on his mane with a, "Don't, it's too dangerous." to which Spirit gives her a look, and seems to say, "You worry too much. I'll be fine." You can almost hear the dialogue. The fact that this movie didn't need to have spoken words and still ACCURATELY portrayed thought and intention was what made this such a fantastic movie. It's so sad that it flopped. It remains one of my favorite animated films to this day.

[@WlfToboe]

Random neat fact, the animation for the horses in Spirit were done by a guy named James Baxter; He also guest animated and voiced the horse James Baxter in Adventure Time, which is why the horse has a much smoother animation than the other characters :v

[@starxolotl]

I remember running around the house to the opening scenes. Loved this movie as a kid.

[@Corona567]

The actual evilness we did to the natives is very tragic. I remember reading my first college book of what we did to them, and it brought me to tears. No child, no women, no men were safe.

[@erinbathie-moore8478]

Spirit, Treasure Planet, and Ferngully were some of my most watched 2D films as a kid. I'm glad you've come to love this film

[@ImSo_Snazzy]

When I was in second grade, my teacher found out I like the movie- I had an infatuation with this film and I still love it as a young adult- and she gave me a disk of the SOUNDTRACK. I went to sleep to that disk on a radio/cd player/cassette player every single night for six years

[@cjanderson2371]

This movie is a masterpiece. Sometimes it takes a few viewings to really appreciate the depth, but the animation in itself is some of the best there is. James Baxter is such an outstanding animator, too. Also, the reason why Spirit failed in the box office was marketing and people who were not ready for the truth. It’s got quite a cult following now, much like Treasure Planet binned for Disney, but is now a well-loved cult classic. Spirit is such a mature film. Love it so much!

[@flowercrown-eevee]

Spirit was my favorite movie as a kid. I was a horse girl as a kid and LOVED horses. I drug my mom to the theater as a kid to go see it and im pretty sure i was that annoying kid bouncing around way to excited to see the movie. And i still love it. It was one of my go to movies to watch. I had the sound track, toys and anything else i could. my mom also liked the movie she was impressed by the animation and particularly loved the train chase scene.

[@Ellie-ub7qo]

as a child i would quite literally wake up but still be half asleep and right away would call out “horse” repeatedly while not being old enough to know how to pronounce the word until my mom would put the movie on. one of my favorite movies ever

[@KittMouri]

I LOVED this movie! I regret not seeing it in the theater. It was well written and I really loved that it wasn't a talking animal movie...and this is coming from someone whose favorite movie is The Lion King. I also really loved the soundtrack. And obviously, I absolutely adored the animation. This movie deserved better. ❤❤

[@morningrosie3684]

Spirit is one of the only movies that made me cry from the music alone. Listening to it while driving through the mountains is a feeling like no other. America is my home, and there’s just something about this movie that makes me appreciate the beauty of this land, and be grateful for it. I grew up in the countryside, and it feels nostalgic to see it on screen, even if I may not be from the mountains.

[@amjthe_paleosquare9399]

Been drawing horses sinxe I was 8 yrs old because of the DVD Behind the Scenes and the absolute beautiful animation. Do you know how hard horse hooves are???

[@grafcharming5030]

I just read the title and was like 5min saying in disbelief „What?!“ in different octaves - you called spirit mid? Your girlfriend set you on the right path my friend. What?! I mean… There is no world where spirit is mid 😂 Honestly no 😂

[@radioisactive7590]

I used to watch this movie on loop as a kid, I guess I had good taste because it really holds up!

[@ovidbowie3929]

Spirit is both deep and a banger. The soundtrack will make you rock out, cry and fill you with courage. Edit: And the bad guy’s defeat was so cool cause it showed you can overcome by example (by spirit in this case) winning the battle without sending them off a cliff into fire. But in a subtle and oddly mature way, getting a nod and realizing the battle is over.

[@Marvelousmax94]

Here goes....I LOVE SINBAD! I like the story, the character dynamics and stylistic animation with some smooth 3d effects

[@eleosde7045]

I loved Spirt so much, I watched it on repeat weekly for a lot of my childhood.

[@ruthiewitter569]

This film shaped my childhood and gave me a sense of wonder and freedom. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

[@TheSourLemon.]

Spirit is one of my all time favourite movies, ive seen it so many times that i can recite the entire plot at this point.

[@rt_goblin_hours]

Something this movie reminds me a lot of surprisingly is how the rohirrim are characterised in the lotr movies, horse focused and commenting on how times are moving past them

[@tamara.mw.]

Watching this movie as a child is the reason I did 6 years of vet school with a specialty in horse medicine. Spirit can be many things, but "forgettable" is definitely NOT one of them

[@MAdelineMichelRiding2Paradise]

Fun fact: The reason we don't see Spirits dad is because Stallions will fight any other stallion off a herd. You can unwrap that more and most people are horrified once they learn that spirits mom is in the herd. Because... one stud "watches" over a band of mares Also, the reason these horses have eyebrows id for expression since the horses don't talk. Real horses don't have eyebrows

[@ruthiewitter569]

I listen to the soundtrack to this day

[@mirianrichter2905]

Spirit is my favorite childhood movie, I would watch it everyday, all day and it IS AMAZING

[@speljufcharlotte8999]

This is my all time favorite childhood movie. Together with Pocahontas. Might have to do with the Native American fibes, and my love for horses. But it is also just a genuinly good movie with beautiful music and emotions.

[@frankyanish4833]

This was one of the first movies I ever saw in a theater. It was for my sister’s birthday: I found an unopened package of licorice in my seat.

[@EclipseSeth]

I remember when it came out. I watched 5 different times on the cinema. Yes, I made my family buy me tickets for it for 5 times. I think the last 2 were from my grandmother, who took me to the cinema on the last day and let me rewatch the movie again to say it goodbye. I never did that with any other movie.

[@forg_m6424]

This was my favourite movie as a kid, despite being painfully hard to watch and introduced me to a very interesting part of history. And, gosh, people, you have to listen to the italian soundtracks, they are breathtaking!

[@sudenkieppi]

Okay I'll add a few scrambled thoughts of my own, because Spirit was one of the movies that made me get into art. Not so much animation, though I have done some very simple attempts. Back when I was a kid, I had the DVD (it's still on a shelf at my parents' place) and it had a little guide video on how to draw horses in the style of Spirit and also some behind the scenes stuff iirc. I had always been artistic, but this movie basically made me start working on getting better at anatomy and drawing in general because WOW. I wanted to be able to draw well. Also for some context, I'm Finnish and have only ever watched the Finnish dub of Spirit. I tried watching it in English a while ago, but I literally could not, because it felt very... different? The soundtrack is essentially the same, the songs are in Finnish as is the dialogue, but otherwise it's the same afaik. Personally I like the Findub so much better, it just feels almost like the voices fit better?? Also the songs in Finnish are absolute FIRE!!! No hate to the American versions, but the Finnish covers are absolutely beautiful. Especially the cover of You Can't Take Me that plays after Spirit is captured. I would link it here, but I think YT doesn't like links in comments anymore because of bots. So if you do want to listen to the Finnish cover, just type this into KZbin: Spirit you can't take me nondisneyfin (The channel name is NonDisneyFIN). It should be the top result, and also has [HD 1080p] in the title for some extra specificity if needed. There are other uploads of this song, but personally this specific one is the best clipped from the movie. Some cut the beginning too short, others cut off the end, making too abrupt. This one's pretty perfect. Anyway. Not much to comment on the start, though I agree about the animals-not-speaking part. The body language and expressiveness of the horses is so good that no dialogue is needed. And I mean, that's pretty darn impressive, actually. To make a somewhat complex facial structure such as a horse so expressive that it's obvious to even small children, while still retaining that they are indeed horses and not some kind of amalgamations between horse and human. I've seen it happen, it doesn't always work and would probably traumatise the children lol In general about the movie, I absolutely loved it. As a kid, and now as a young adult. Being Finnish, I had no proper knowledge of American history as a little kid, so this sort of introduced me to it, I guess? As I think back on my childhood experience with this movie, I can honestly see that it may have had a slight influence on my own values. Some of them more strongly than others. Freedom is a very important concept to me, though I think the American and Finnish ideas of them differ somewhat. Personally I wasn't super hyper into the love story side of Spirit, but it's not bad at all, and Rain (I believe that's the name of the love interest) is a very nice character as well. Without her, some parts of the movie wouldn't be the same. It's a bit silly, horses in love, but it works. I think as a kid I was just mad that Rain was keeping Spirit from achieving his goals of freedom, I guess. He would rather stay with her than to go back home? I think it's just a slight deviation from his character, the unbreakable wild spirit. To abandon the wilderness for her? Mehhh. But I still love her as a character. I'm just not into very romance-focused media, though there is a lot of good stuff out there. it's really a shame what the new Spirit Riding Free did to Spirit. I've seen a couple rants about the series. The style and animation have gone WAY downhill, what with being a semi-crappy 3D style because of budget. Where the movie had very real and smooth and beautiful movement, the series are..... well, not that. I mean, it's made for kids, but it's still kinda awful. OG Spirit was also made for kids, but it's awesome. They also basically made Spirit, the unbreakable, an absolute loser. He just lets this random kid ride him. They have some kind of a "connection" or something??? It seems very 'stereotypical horse girl series where the girl magically makes the dangerous horse sweet as can be in approx. 0.2 seconds' coded. There is a good message behind the show afaik, but it's still like... no? You can't just basically clickbait people by using Spirit... I would watch it to see if it's as bad as I've heard, but I don't want to contribute a single cent.

[@Lita3O2]

nice summary. i think this movie is underrated, it looked really cool visually when it came out and has some interesting animation style, which still holds up pretty well overall. i would have certainly liked to see dreamworks continue with this style, so its a real shame it didn't catch on. and doing the music + narration combination rather than talking animals was an excellent decision. it keeps the movie a bit more grounded and adds to the traditional western feel. hans zimmer and bryan adams did so well; that soundtrack is really great, was one of my favorite CDs as a kid and i still listen to it from time to time.

[@ThatGlitterFairy]

Whenever this movie is on, it just hit Netflix, I will without a doubt cry; I will cry when I watch it soon

[@EKOIS267]

I LOVED this film growing up I think I might of had it on dvd but I do remember when it was on Netflix, as a kid my fondest memories were listening to the soundtrack. I think I rewatched the movie about 17 times. Whenever I get sad I find myself watching spirit :’) I loved the film and also love horses!! It’s nice to appreciate for its accuracy and it’s such a nice plot !!

[@nova14414]

I love how even if the movie flopped, everyone seems to still agree its REALLY good! Yeah it's definitely showing it's age with the animations but oh well. I grew up watching this movie alot, basically to the point of knowing the to this day almost perfectly so it makes me happy seeing others watch it and realizing its still good for how old it is!

[@moonrat1955]

Watched this movie when I was really little and would watch it over and over. And the dvd came with a “how to draw spirit.” Extra so I would watch that and draw horses. I remember getting super frustrated. But as an illustrator I can definitely draw horses now 😂

[@Azrael178]

Had a similar situation. I remembered watching spirit once, told i didn't see anything interesting in it to my gf. She made me rewatch it. i still didn't notice anything interesting in it but could pin point like five reasons i didn't care for it afterwards.

[@zorro......]

Might be hard to appreciate depth when your literacy skills are capped at typing "dint" and "resons". Luckily for the rest of us, we're capable of media literacy and engaging with themes that have some level of depth and tie-in to real-world struggles that people have faced and are facing to this day, and care enough about fellow people to have empathy. (Or, y'know, at least have eyeballs that function enough to pinpoint amazing animation where we see it.) Either way, your inability to engage with good media that isn't paced like CocoMelon for adults is your (and your girlfriend's) loss 😂 Honestly though, what do you gain from commenting this on a video that's praising the movie? Do you think it's cool to engage with none of the points in the video or to just disagree with people for fun? It doesn't make you special, you just seem like a chore to be around if you have to throw in your negative 2 cents whenever someone expresses a positive experience.

[@Azrael178]

@@zorro...... Oh shut up grammar queen I'm neither a native speaker nor writing on a PC, so cry me a river about how a typo proves lack of media literacy

[@Jade_1872]

You did indeed flip flop hard and that’s 100% acceptable for Spirit.