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Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron êêêê ( G )
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Reviewed By Demetrius Payne
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The Summer's first great family movie is here!
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Matt Damon: Spirit/Narrator
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James Cromwell: Cavalry Colonel
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Daniel Studi: Little Creek
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Directors: Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook
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30 Second Bottom Line: Wonderful animation brings to life a story with heart, good writing, and a great score; from the people who brought you "Shrek."
Story Line: "Spirit" is the story of a horse in the days of the old west; a horse that was born free and is determined to stay that way against all odds. This movie takes you on a trip "before the west was won" and tells the story of those who inhabited the west before it was anything to be won…or lost.
Tell Me More About It: Everything about animated movies that I can do without is avoided in this movie. Since this tale is about a horse and there are other animal characters in the film, you would expect to see some "Mr. Ed" stuff going on, (that always used to freak me out, even though it's a little easier to take in an animated film). The filmmakers cleverly avoid that by using two techniques. First, they use Matt Damon's voice as that of a first person narrator and second, all the animals' interactions are done via expressions and grunts and the like. Also, directors Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook throw in different story angles you wouldn't expect, including a love story and a coming of age tale, and infuse it all with wit and charm that will have you in LOVE with this movie. Not very often do people start applauding BEFORE the end of a film, but when they do, you know you are watching a special film.
Now I suppose no movie is perfect, so if I had to choose one teeny, tiny drawback to this film it would be that the animation here, compared to the computer graphics style of animation utilized in "Shrek," just doesn't compare, but that is really nit-picking. One could just as easily argue that too much computer animation is utilized in film these days, and that literally "going back to the drawing board" is a good thing. But like I said, that's over analyzing. The lushness of the colors, the rustic nature of the setting, with a score by Hans Zimmer and songs by Bryan Adams, make this a do not miss for the entire family.
Rated G for general audiences
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Demetrius Payne
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Mini Filmography
Matt Damon-Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (coming soon), The Bourne Identity , Ocean's 11
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James Cromwell-The Sum of All Fears , Space Cowboys
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Daniel Studi- Crazy Horse-TV
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Director-Kelly Asbury- James and the Giant Peach-storyboard supervisor, Toy Story-story artist, The Little Mermaid-layout designer
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Director-Lorna Cook-The Prince of Egypt-storyboard artist
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