6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Lucky Prescott's life is changed forever when she moves from her home in the city to a small frontier town and befriends a wild mustang named Spirit.
Starring: Eiza González, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mckenna Grace, Isabela Merced, Walton GogginsFamily | 100% |
Animation | 89% |
Adventure | 57% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: DTS-HD HR 7.1
Spanish: DTS-HD HR 7.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2017
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1942
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