Family entertainment doesn’t get more wholesome than Spirit Untamed. This isn’t to say it’s bland, it’s just free from the concerns of the present situation and as such provides a picturesque and charming world to escape to. Returning to the equestrian equation from the Netflix animated television series Spirit Riding Free, this take fills the big screen with bold colours and landscapes.
Lucky Prescott (Isabela Merced AKA Dora the Explorer) is a free spirit who has lost her mother at an early age and grown up full of vigour for the world around her. Concern from her family for her future cause them to relocate her to the sleepy town of Miradero. The town is also the home of her absent father Jim (Jake Gyllenhaal). He disappeared from her life in reaction to the overwhelming grief of losing his wife, Lucky’s mother.
At first, the relaxed lifestyle of the town drives Lucky to distraction until she bonds with the wild horse Spirit. From this point forward her life becomes filled with purpose and she fights to save the wild animal and its herd from a group of rowdy wranglers led by Hendricks (Walton Goggins). This transforms the film into an epic tale of female-led heroism.
Taking full advantage of the animator’s art, the computer-generated landscapes are impressive as is the level of danger to be overcome. It treads the fine line between immediate harm and overwhelming danger and provides just the right level of thrills for the little ones. As always with films like this, it provides adult amusement as you try to figure out which character is attached to which star’s voice. You’ll be surprised by how few you get.
Rob Hudson
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