Film reviews and more since 2009
Spirit Untamed review (2021)
Dir. Elaine Bogan
By: Steve Pulaski
Rating: ★★
Today’s kids are aware of Spirit through the Netflix series, Spirit Riding Free, which, to my amazement, has produced 12 seasons and 78 episodes over its four-year run. I’ve never seen the show, but judging by the film adaptation, Spirit Untamed, I’m not led to believe it possesses the same magic quite like the film that started it all.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was released in 2002. It was budgeted like a conventional DreamWorks property, which is why we never did see a direct sequel after comparatively meager box office earnings. Moreover, it remains DreamWorks’ most beautiful, evocative motion picture to date. With minimal dialog and an emphasis on mood, it was a divine work that combined hand-drawn and CGI animation to produce utterly breathtaking landscapes. At the time, it was a marvel of character/animal design, not to mention being released in an era when animated movies weren’t always seeking to kickstart nine-figure franchises.
Read the full review on Influx Magazine!
“Spirit Untamed” (2021) Review
About Steve Pulaski
Steve Pulaski has been reviewing movies since 2009 for a barrage of different outlets. He graduated North Central College in 2018 and currently works as an on-air radio personality. He also hosts a weekly movie podcast called "Sleepless with Steve," dedicated to film and the film industry, on his YouTube channel. In addition to writing, he's a die-hard Chicago Bears fan and has two cats, appropriately named Siskel and Ebert!
