 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
- Review Date: May 18, 2003
- G
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2002
Common Sense Media says
Many kids will like this mustang tale.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie may be too scary for younger kids. The soldiers use guns and treat Spirit harshly, applying whips and spurs. The blacksmith makes an unsuccessful attempt to brand him. Characters are in peril and it appears that one has been killed. There's a fire and a chase scene. The Native American boy is portrayed as brave, compassionate, and honorable. Some families may be concerned that all of the white males are portrayed as brutal and insensitive.
What's the story?
In this animated horse tale, Spirit is born (in a discreet G-rated scene) to a loving mare and grows up in a paradise of mountains and plains, with plenty to eat and drink and freedom to run as far as he can dream. He becomes the leader of the pack of horses, and watches out for his group to keep them safe from predators. His curiosity leads him to investigate a campsite, and he is captured by cavalry soldiers. A brutal commander tries to break him, but even starvation does not make him submit. Spirit escapes with an Indian boy named Little Creek and they grow to care for each other. Spirit also cares for Little Creek's pretty palomino, Rain. But Spirit still will not let anyone ride him. Little Creek sends Spirit back to his home, but he is captured again and has many more adventures before returning to his family.
Is it any good?
Many kids will enjoy this traditionally animated story about a brave wild mustang in the 19th century American west, but parents may find it overlong even at a running time of less than 90 minutes. Parents should also know that there are some scary scenes and that the story may be hard for younger children to follow because the horse characters do not talk.
There are some lovely and powerful images of horses racing through endless stretches of grass, mountains, and rivers. The scary scenes are very vivid, especially the fire and a railroad engine knocked off its tracks that comes tumbling downhill. But the story moves slowly, especially during the dreary Bryan Adams songs. The narration (by Matt Damon) is more poetic than descriptive, so younger kids will benefit from some discussion about the story before they get to the theater.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the different ways that the Colonel and Little Creek have of trying to teach Spirit to carry a rider. Do different parents have different ways of teaching children? What ways work best? What made Spirit different from the other horses, those of his family and those he met on his travels? Families of older children might want to talk about the triumph and tragedy of the Westward Expansion in the 19th century.
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AGE
This movie is great!! the music is awesome!!! ive been watching this my whole life. maybe a little violent for ages 6 and under but its really an awesome movie!!
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AGE
You have to watch this!
thsi movie rocks! i got around when i was 6 and nothing bothered me. I love horses so that movie was and still is one of my all time favorite movies!!!!!!!
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AGE
VERY VIOLENT!!! NOT suitable for SENSITIVE Children...
i think this movie is far too negative and violent for any child under the age of 8. to be honest - i would have preferred my child to never see this! i really feel that the 3 minutes at the end where the horse escapes and finds freedom does not make all the negative and scary parts worth enduring... a very traumatic film full of animal cruelty, fighting and fire!
i fast forwarded many of the really violent scenes but to see people mistreating horses that way and no positive message at all... my daughter cried so many times... this is the first time ive seen her sob uncontrollably in a movie! my husband left cause he just couldnt bare it - he said it was a horrid movie! if you have a sensitive child - dont go there - its just not worth it. if you want to see a horse movie consider dreamer or flicker.
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AGE
a great, action packed movie.
next to the lion king, this is my favorite movie. its fun an exitciting, I like the fact that it's for kids and tells a good story.
With little kids, tv's not all about dora.
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AGE
A beautiful movie
For hardly any talking in this film, this movie was AWESOME! The horses seemed so realistic, so did the people. Kids may be frightened by some people that tie up the horses, kick them, and beat them. But, it's a beautiful tale.
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Kid, 12 years old
August 9, 2010
AGE
I wonder if they have kids....WELL ITS SO GOOD U WANT IT TO KEEP GOING!
i LOVED the movie....a great great movie
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AGE
The BEST horse movie on Earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spirit is the BEST horse movie I have ever seen!!!!!!! WARNING - This movie is so awesome that it will make you cry! I wish I had the bond with my horse like the one Little Creek had with Spirit. I have watched this movie so many times that I can almost remember every word. When I was about 5, I drew a picture book about Spirit because I loved it so much (a very lame attempt if I do say so myself!)
The audio buy Bryan Adams if pretty cool too...
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AGE
Not ready at age 5.
I'm watching this as I type and decided I'm not ready for my 5 year old to see it yet. Certainly not my 3 year old, so it can't pass as a family movie for us. There is a lot of peril and violent interaction. It's certainly an adventure, but by percentage of time spent on negative vs. positive action, I just can't endorse this until my kids are older. It's almost non-stop action and I'd like to keep it more calm here. The landscapes are beautiful. We'll check it out later when my kids are ready for more discussion about it. It will raise lots of questions about violence. But it does lack the typical annoying, base, verbal violence and drama of so many other shows.
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| Topics: | adventures, horses and farm animals |
| Studio: | DreamWorks |
| Directors: | Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook |
| Cast: | Chopper Bernet, James Cromwell, Matt Damon |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 83 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 24, 2002 |
| DVD release date: | November 19, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
| MPAA explanation: | scenes of peril, scary fire |
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