'Spirit Untamed' Review
PG: Some adventure action
Runtime: 1 Hr and 27 Minutes
Production Companies: DreamWorks Animation
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: Elaine Bogan, Ennio Torresan Jr.
Writer: Aury Wallington, Kristin Hahn
Cast: Isabela Merced, Marsai Martin, Mckenna Grace, Julianne Moore, Jake Gyllenhaal, Walton Goggins
Release Date: June 4, 2021
THEATRICAL ONLY
An epic adventure about a headstrong girl longing for a place to belong who discovers a kindred spirit when her life intersects with a wild horse, Spirit Untamed is the next chapter in the beloved story from DreamWorks Animation.
The voice cast ensemble delivers really good vocal performances. Despite the writing being weak, the cast brings a liveliness to their respective characters that elevate the emotion of some scenes. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the friendship shared between Lucky (voiced by Isabela Merced) and her newfound friends Pru (Marsai Martin), and Abigail (Mckenna Grace). Lucky is the headstrong rebel, Pru is sarcastic and smart, and Abigail is the comedic relief wild card. They have such a good dynamic together and the actresses do a fantastic job making that chemistry between them feel real. The film was at its best when it focused on their bonding as they embarked on a perilous adventure to stop horse wranglers. Apart from that… oh boy.
It’s been 19 years since the release of one of DreamWorks Animation’s final traditional 2D animated features, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. I don’t feel any type of nostalgia for the film because I watched it for the first time in 2020 on Hulu. Not gonna lie, it surprised the heck out of me. It was rather bold for an animated movie made in 2002 to speak on Indigenous culture in America during colonial times and having an Indigenous protagonist, all while telling the story through the eyes of a horse who didn’t speak. Though it had unnecessary narration by Matt Damon, the animation was gorgeous and delivered visual storytelling that was ahead of its time with its themes. It had timeliness to it that would still rock audiences today. All of that is the complete antithesis of Spirit Untamed, a soulless cash grab based on the spin-off series Spirit Riding Free on Netflix, which now has the gall to open only in theaters. I try to not come off as harsh when reviewing animated features designed for young kids, but I also cannot sit idly when I see a cheap cash grab. Due to the popularity of horse girls and the Spirit series on Netflix, somebody had the nerve to go, “Hey, what if we made a Cliff Notes version of this series that’s already available to watch and sprinkle some How to Train Your Dragon elements into it because that’s the best recent property we got?” It’s so uninspired and the final result of the film reflects that, even down to the animation.
First of all, this film obviously didn’t have the budget of other DreamWorks productions. In fact, this is the second time DWA outsourced their animation services from their in-house Glendale campus. The first time they did this was for Captain Underpants in 2017 with Mikros Animation, which benefited from having a visual art style that looked vastly different from their other productions. Spirit Untamed was handled by Jellyfish Pictures and instead of doing something different, the film emulates that trademark DreamWorks style that everyone recognizes. The character designs look more in-tune with films like The Boss Baby and Home where they have large expressive eyes, slanted faces, and over-exaggerated physiques. It stays on brand, but it doesn’t visually stand out amongst their already large catalog. Say what you will about Riding Free, but it had its own art style that was consistent. Spirit Untamed looks rushed and unfinished due to the lack of detail on all of the humans, horses, and the jerky movements in ample scenes. The way the horses run lacks weight and dynamic, looking rather restrained in most cases. This also applies to the lack of character assets, so when you see Lucky arrive at her new home with her aunt, the town of Meridero looks underpopulated. The character models are exaggerated, but certain textures like the hair physics are blended in realism while everything else isn’t. For the textures and realism they’re trying to portray, the hair doesn’t feel natural and primarily moves as a single unit. Plus, the lighting is so hyper realistic that it looks mismatched when compared to everything else. Even the background designs lack detail and desperately needed one more render pass in order for everything to integrate with a cohesive streamline. From a visual standpoint, the film is always at odds with itself, wanting to go into either hyper-realism in certain regards or exaggerated movements due to the overly smooth frame rate. It simply looks awkward and outdated. Compare this to something like Puss in Boots, another DreamWorks western from 10 years ago that was consistent across the board. Having this outsourced animation studio come in and emulate the signature DreamWorks style that it didn’t have the budget for was a poor course of action.
The story itself is a recap of the first few episodes of the spin-off series but simplified… so, you know, there's nothing of value to it at all. There’s potential in its set-up, for the film tells the story of 12-year old Lucky and her Aunt Cora (Julianne Moore) as she has to move back in with her dad Jim (Jake Gyllenhaal), who gave her up as a baby following her mom’s death after a horse stunt went wrong. It’s an enticing and distinct setup that should make for an emotional story with depth but everything about the relationship between Lucky and her dad is either completely rushed or forced, especially in terms of writing. Jim hasn’t seen his daughter in nearly a decade and they go from the motions of generic father-daughter shouting arguments to the “your mother would be so proud” moment of truth after she saves the day. After seeing something like Wolfwalkers, which went in-depth with a similar dynamic of a single dad taking care of a headstrong, adventurous girl, Spirit does nothing at all. All the emotional beats are rushed and never feel earned. That also applies to the relationship between Spirit and Lucky. Though the film positions the two as untamed, rebellious, kindred spirits, it lacks any form of originality. As aforementioned, sequences of the two bonding are ripped straight out of How to Train Your Dragon but without satisfying development.
It’s depressing to see that a variety of high-quality animated features with actual money put into them are getting the straight-to-streaming treatment, such as Sony Animation’s The Mitchells vs the Machines and Vivo at Netflix and Pixar’s Luca going to Disney+. Meanwhile, something that is noticeably cheap and uninspired gets to be released ONLY on the big screen to capitalize on an already large brand that exists on a streaming service. Not to reference a meme but you already have a Spirit series at home that fleshes out this entire basic, uninspired story. With in-person press screenings back in full force, Universal had the courtesy to send me a screener of Spirit, meaning I watched this on my TV… and that’s how this movie should be seen. This movie is meant for young kids but holds a PG rating. So if you’re going to play on that level, let me give you better alternatives that add more food for thought for your kids:
The NETFLIX SPIRIT SHOW, WHICH THIS WAS BASED ON.
Wolfwalkers, a 2D-animated film from 2020 that had a detailed arc between an anxious father and rebellious daughter
The Wild Thornberrys Movie, which had a headstrong young lead going on a perilous journey against poachers on her own.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, the original 2D-animated 2002 Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron movie, which was rated G.
Compare the 2002 movie to this new one and you’ll see just how inept an animation studio can be these days, setting aside any glimpse of the edge and creativity that they had 20 years ago. There’s no reason for Spirit Untamed to exist and the fact that it’s going straight to theaters looking as cheap and bland as it does is even more laughable.
