Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Spirit Untamed Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 27, 2021

Director Elaine Bogan's Spirit Untamed releases nearly two decades after the cherished 2002 film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. A digitally animated film of bonding, remembrance, and heartfelt connections to the world, the film shares some essential narrative connections with the original but quickly finds its own voice, a voice that is not particularly unique but that does speak with passion for its story and characters.

Official synopsis: 'Spirit Untamed' is the next chapter in the beloved franchise full of adventure, family and friendship. Free-spirited Lucky Prescott (voiced by Isabela Merced) moves to Miradero to join her estranged father (voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal). She is decidedly unimpressed with the sleepy town until she discovers a unique tie to her late mother, who was a fearless horse-riding stunt performer. She quickly forms a bond with a wild mustang named Spirit and makes two new pals (voiced by Marsai Martin and Mckenna Grace) who love horses as much as she does. When a heartless wrangler (voiced by Walton Goggins) plans to capture Spirit and his herd, Lucky and her friends set off on an epic journey to rescue the horse who has given her an unbreakable connection to her mother's legacy.

The story builds around Lucky and the tragedy that befalls her mother. Resultantly, she's shuttered and sheltered and on the verge of being shattered. Her father means well -- he's lost so much and cannot bear to lose Lucky, too -- but he's stifling her, suffocating her spirit, ultimately doing her more harm than good. When she rediscovers her mother's life and livelihood and bonds with the wild mustang Spirit, her father fears the worst. But even in the danger that her adventures find, her bond with the animal and that cultural and, in some ways, almost physical reconnection with her mother bring her to a place of heightened self awareness and bring new meaning to her life. The film is about her growth, both within herself and into the world around her. Ultimately the story may not yield much in the way of fine point originality but the broad stroke heartbeats and sentimentalities bring the material to a place of emotional satisfaction.

The film is likewise a bit heavy on the cut-and-paste side of things in terms of its animation and voice work. Neither are particularly noteworthy, the former in particular taking on a more generic appearance that is lacking the soul and spirit of the original film's more classically aligned animation style. Here, it's cold digital stylings, stiff characters, and details that are lacking depth and intricacy. The content looks fine at a glance but it quickly becomes clear that the look and feel is a step down from the higher end projects on the market. The voice work is likewise effective but not so naturally robust and engaging as to truly define the characters from a soulful essence rather than mere superficialities. Each actor brings enough heart and soul to the work but, with the script and story not pushing hard to dig deep beyond the mostly familiar emotional centers, there's only so much even a cast this talented can do to bring the movie all that far beyond a midlevel experience.

Spirit Untamed Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal brings DreamWorks' Spirit Untamed to Blu-ray with a radiant 1080p transfer. While the animation itself may be a little lacking in depth and fine detail, the Blu-ray presentation appears to bring the best out of the source material. The picture thrives at every turn, revealing crisply defined elements that showcase every last bit of the somewhat limited animation intricacies on offer. While horse bodies and human faces lack complexity -- the former particularly disappointing -- the picture appears well capable of clearly revealing the inherent animation elements with efficiency and ease. The picture's tack-sharp content holds steady throughout, whether in cheerful daylight or under cover of darkness. Color output is a strength. For a "Western" the palette is impressively diverse with natural greens, various blue waters and skies, punchy clothes, bursts of color in a field full of flowers, and other colorful accents revealing exceptional depth and spark. Of course, some earthy Western landscapes likewise reveal superior color expression on the various browns and beiges. The picture is home to scant aliasing issues but appears free of banding or other eyesore maladies. This is not the most attractive film at the source, but the Blu-ray certainly handles duties with admirable clarity and color intensity.

Spirit Untamed Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack offers a spacious soundscape for the film's sonic needs. The Old West setting frequently allows for a large, expressive sound design which the track presents with impressive depth and detail. Atmospheric effects effortlessly draw the listener into the various locales seen throughout the film, particularly some of the more broadly expansive natural settings (see the girls' horseback journey around the 54-minute mark for an example). Music is spirited and alive, faithfully and steadily wide and engaging along the front with a healthy, though balanced and not at all dominant, surround push. Accent sound effects, particularly deeper sounds like charging horses and crashing objects, play with appropriate depth and fill. Dialogue is clear and steadily delivered from a natural front-center location.

Spirit Untamed Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Spirit Untamed includes several extras, including a blend of kid-friendly supplements and others aimed more at adults. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Finding Your Spirit (1080p, 9:20): Looking at the story basics, Lucky's journey, diversity in the film, the "joining up" theme, and more.
• Home on the Range (1080p, 3:20): Mckenna Grace, who plays Abigail Stone, sings a song.
• Snack Time -- S'Mores (1080p, 2:18): Isabela Merced and Marsai Martin instruct audiences on how to make this classic tasty campfire treat.
• Deleted/Extended Scenes with Intros (1080p): Three scenes with intros by Co-Directors Elaine Bogan and Ennio Torresan, Jr., Producer Karen Foster, and Storyboard Artist Daniel Tal. Included are Campaign Launch - Extended (1:46), Bubbles (1:25), and Elk Stampede (3:49). The scenes are presented in either early storyboard or rough animatic states.
• Behind the Voices -- The Cast (1080p): Interviews with key voice performers and select crew. Included are Isabela Merced - Lucky Prescott (1:09), Marsai Martin - Prudence Granger (1:12), Mckenna Grace - Abigail Stone (1:10), Walton Goggins - Hendricks (1:13), Andre Braugher - Al Granger (1:18), Eiza Gonzalez - Milagro Navarro Prescott (1:10), Julianne Moore - Cora Prescott (1:22), and Jake Gyllenhaal - Jim Prescott (1:25).
• Cowgirls Rule (1080p, 4:16): Exploring the relationship between Lucky, Pru, and Abigail.
• Drawing Spirit (1080p): The seemingly obligatory "how to draw the characters" supplement, here with Story Artist Wendy Sullivan. Included are instructions for drawing Lucky (2:31), Spirit (2:37), Pru (2:41), Chica Linda (2:33), Abigail (2:18), and Boomerang (2:40).
• How To... (1080p): Brief tutorials on a few things Spirit Untamed-related. Included are Create Your Own Indoor "Campfire" (2:11), How to Ukulele (2:20), Snack Time - S'Mores (2:18), Abigail's Hand Shadow Secrets (2:42), and How to Zoetrope (6:00).
• Sing-Alongs (1080p): Lyric videos for Home on the Range (3:20), Fearless (English Version) (4:16), Fearless (Valiente Duet) (1:59), and You Belong (3:30).
• Audio Commentary: With Director Elaine Bogan, Co-Director Ennio Torresan, and Producer Karen Foster.

Spirit Untamed Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spirit Untamed is frustratingly uneven. On one hand it's built on a rock solid foundation. Even if the content is not necessarily teeming with originality -- not so much on the surface but certainly down at its essence -- it's good enough to pull on the heartstrings and invest the audience in the characters and story pulls. But slightly uninspiring animation and good-not-great voice work yield an end product that is very watchable but always just beyond greatness. Children will be drawn to the magic but adults might be left wanting something more original and more deeply profound. Universal's Blu-ray delivers excellent video and audio presentations along with a healthy allotment of bonus content. Recommended for younger audiences.