"Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron" is the latest animated feature distributed by Dreamworks Production. The screenplay was written by John Fusco and directed by the team of Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. The story that follows is the emotional tale of a spirited stallion(voice by Matt Damon) who takes the audience with him on his adventures through narration and music.

The story unfolds as a foal is born to a mare on the plains in the pre-settlement era of the 1800s. The Stallion grows enjoying the environment he is in which stretches from the mid-American plains to Monument Valley, Utah and the Rocky Mountains. Much to the chagrin of his mother, he gets into trouble with his pranks and spirited behavior. As he grows he learns of his responsibility to care for his herd as the son of the previous stallion. The Stallion takes this job very seriously and protects his herd from predators, until one day he sees an orange glow in the distance. He must see what this glowing thing is and the audience realizes it is the campfire of a group of men who are called "mustangers." These men capture wild horses and sell them to the highest bidder. The mustangers sell the Stallion to an army post where the soldiers try to "break" him in order to ride him. The Stallion fights all the soldiers, but finds his match in an Army Colonel(voiced by James Cromwell). Stubborn and harsh, the Colonel stakes the Stallion to a post for three days without food or water. During this time, the army takes captive a young Indian Boy(voiced by Daniel Studi) who is also staked without food or water. The two captives recognize a stubborn need for freedom in each other and the Stallion is surprised by the care this "two leg" feels for him. The Indian Boy is thrown a knife by lurking companions and in a mad dash for freedom the two run from the fort.

Thinking himself free the Stallion is exhilarated only to find himself now the captive of the Indian Boy who is identified as Little Creek. Little Creek tries to "break" the Stallion with kindness, but the Stallion will not yield. Finally the Little Creek ties the Stallion to his own horse, a pinto mare he named "Rain." As they grow together, a bond is formed between the Stallion and Rain. Eventually Little Creek realizes that the Stallion was never meant to be tamed and sets him free. The Stallion is excited and wishes new friend to come with him, but she will not. They stand on a hill over looking the village when they see a company of soldiers heading for the village. Rain heads for the village to protect her "friend," Little Creek. The Stallion is puzzled but follows, helping her fight off the Colonel and the soldiers. Little Creek slips up onto the pintos back and races to assist his Indian family. In the process, he is attacked by the Colonel who pushes the pinto off balance. Rain and Little Creek fall into a fast moving river and are swept away. The Colonel raises his rifle to shoot Little Creek, but the Stallion slams into him knocking him to the ground. Little Creek pulls himself to safety, but the pinto is swept further down the river. Horrified, the Stallion jumps in after her and is swept down the river to a waterfall where they tumble to the bottom. The Stallion is shaken up, but is unhurt. He sees Rain across the river moaning quietly. He goes to her, but realizes there is little he can do for her. While sitting with her, the soldiers come and once again take him captive. This time the Stallion's will is broken by the loss of his companion. He goes willingly and is loaded onto a train bound for army mining camps. Little Creek follows hoping to free the Stallion. While on the train, the Stallion begins to regain his will and decides to try for his freedom once again. He is hooked up to a sled with several other horses that are pulling a circa 1870s train engine up a mountain pass. He tricks his captors by falling down. They believe he is injured and unhook him from the traces. He jumps free and frees the other horses, but in doing so he causes the sleigh to slide back down the hill destroying everything in its wake. Desperately trying to get out of the way of the engine, he is grabbed by Little Creek who rides him away to freedom.

As they arrive in the village, the Stallion sees that Rain isn't dead. She has been healed from her injuries. The two enjoy a happy reunion. Realizing that the two horses were meant to be free. Before he does, he names the Stallion, "Spirit" because he would not be broken. Spirit and Rain turn and race off into the wilderness eventually to rejoin the herd.

Although this movie would be predictable to the adult audience it still is worth seeing. John Fusco's screenplay and the team of Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook make this a wonderful, emotional story for old and young alike. This movie is layered with several messages directed at the young audience including: the need for all creatures to be free, to accept oneself as you are and the importance of taking and fulfilling responsibilities.

The animation of this film was very good accentuating the animal and human characters with a detailed panorama of the mid-American plains, Monument Valley and the Rocky Mountains.

Matt Damon and Daniel Studi brought emotion to each of the characters and this viewer found their performances endearing. James Cromwell, always exceptional, brought a sinisterness to the Colonel who eventually surprises the audience.

The rest of the cast accentuates their performances and this ensemble encourages involvement by the audience. But this viewer found the Hans Zimmer score to be the highlight of this film. Adding his gritty, emotional style of singing, Bryan Adams helps the audience feel Spirit's emotional journey through song.

In conclusion, this viewer recommends "Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron" to all audiences of all ages who want to enjoy an uplifting hour and one-half and hopes that the transition to video cassette or DVD will not be long as this view would definitely like to add this film to her collection.