Hey folks, Harry here... I sent Quint up to this junket, cuz I just don't like junkets generally and can only be persuaded to go to one, when it is a movie that I'm literally DYING to see. I mean, dying... Like SPIDER-MAN or LORD OF THE RINGS style dying, even then... I'd just rather see the movie somewhere here in Austin. So Quint is in Dallas. Now from the sound of it this seems to be a pretty damn fine animated film, though that much Bryan Adams music might be cancerous... I wonder if the FDA has approved this movie for Health Reasons? However, if you happen to really dig this movie, check out this review of THE GOLDEN STALLION and pop over to IMDB and get the film... This is my fave Horse movie... better than BLACK STALLION or NATIONAL VELVET and even PHAR LAP. Although DAY AT THE RACES is technically the best horse movie ever... Well, accept for CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE and SANTA FE TRAIL! Ahem... and STAGECOACH and... Ah hell, there's a ton of great horse movies....
Ahoy, squirts. 'Tis I, everybody's favorite Wyld Stallyn and crusty seaman, Quint, here reporting in from Dallas on Dreamwork's Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. I saw Spirit a few hours ago digitally projected at Dallas's Magnolia theater.
To start out... I really haven't been looking forward to this film. The trailers don't make it out to be a very good or entertaining movie. I met Lorna Cook, one of the film's co-directors, while in LA with Harry on his book tour and she was very cool and kind, but that just made me feel bad that I wasn't looking forward to her film. So, it came to be that I saw the film tonight, a month early, introduced by Jeffrey Katzenberg, no less. The audience was filled to the brim with kids. I was a bit relieved that it wasn't just going to be a roomful of journalists... those screenings are usually dead and without anybody emitting any emotion whatsoever. When it comes to seeing a movie like Spirit that is aimed at children, the best way to see if it works or not is to see it with the target audience.
The kids loved the movie, gasping and cheering and crying and laughing at the right moments. What about me? I was pleasantly surprised. Actually, Spirit is pretty great kids flick... It follows a traditional children's film formula that has been in effect since the first flicker show and feels amazingly like what Disney films used to be, but what current Disney could never put out.
Look at Dinosaur, a movie that should have been amazing and would have been if Disney hadn't wussed out. While I liked Dinosaur, it was a safe movie, following every character convention Disney has had since the beginning. In Spirit, the horses don't talk. WHAT? The hell you say! Kids won't like an animated movie without talking animals, right? I have a roomful of kids that'll disagree with that last point. The only characters that talk in the film are the humans. Sure, there's a bit of interior narration(voiced by Matt Damon), but they use that dialogue only when needed and never use it as a crutch. Since they take away this basic convention of animal animation, the filmmakers forced themselves to create inventive character animation... showing, not telling.
Spirit isn't the best thing since Pinocchio, but it's better than anything Disney has put out in years (Pixar films excluded) and I think it's the first Dreamworks animated film to actually have shot at being a family classic. Will it become one? I have no idea. Its inventiveness in setup and beauty of the animation gives it a great chance, but only time will tell.
OK, basic story... The film's set in the old west and is about a mustang stallion, leader and protector of his herd, who gets a little too curious one night and inadvertently ends up on a long journey. He faces Cowboys (not so good guys), Indians (good guys) and even ends up eye to eye with a tough as nails Cavalry Colonel (voiced terrifically by James Cromwell) who makes it his life's mission to break the mustang.
Sure, it's pretty traditional kiddy animated fare, but there is enough uniqueness and defiance of convention that it keeps the film fresh. There are scenes that come close to cliché, but somehow overcome the cliché... For instance, there's a fantastic scene in the film when Spirit is in an Indian camp and a little Indian girl (maybe 2 years old) comes up to him and they check each other out, she being delighted to see the horse up close and he still being wary of humans. It's a scene we've seen a few dozen different versions of in films, but the scene is wonderful and even brought a laugh out of some of the stilted journalists sitting around me. The final confrontation of Spirit and the Calvary Colonel also avoids cliché and adds a great deal of class to the movie, actually giving the token bad guy some dimension.
Now we come to the songs... Again, thankfully, the characters don't sing. It's not that I dislike animated musicals, it's just that I've seen so many great animated musicals... I haven't seen so many great straight animated films. I'd rather see the effort being put into story and character than of worrying where to put the musical number. I didn't mind the songs in the movie and often times they provided the right background music during the animation, but I can tell you this right now... If you hate Bryan Adams music, I mean truly hate the man and every note that comes out of his mouth, then avoid this movie. Nothing can save you. His mark on the film is that big.
I'm a lukewarm Bryan Adams fan. I don't own any of his albums... I like a few of his songs, but am not a big listener. I dug what he was doing in the film, but there is no doubt he has a huge part in the feel of the movie. More than Randy Newman and his Pixar work, Bryan Adams sets a tone for this film as some piece of his music is playing almost throughout the whole film. He should be credited alongside Hans Zimmer as his work acts like the score for the film, setting the mood, helping explain the situations and feelings of the characters. This is Bryan Adams working near his best, but it is still Bryan Adams... There is no escaping this, Adams-haters. He doesn't just have song over the beginning or end credits. He is a part of the movie, love him or hate him.
This is the first time I've seen a film projected digitally. It was very nice, but I have to say it's not as perfect as it has been cracked up to be. The pixelization was pretty obvious throughout most of the film, but I do admit I was sitting pretty close. It didn't look video projector bad... it actually looked very nice, but it's not the crystal clear picture people have been trying to sell on me. I think digital projection will eventually reach the state of perfect picture, but it still has a little ways to go.
All in all, Spirit is a great example of an old fashioned family entertainment movie. Your kids/little brothers/sisters/nephews/whatever will love this film and it is one that the average film lover (without a heart of stone) should enjoy right alongside them. The movie comes out Memorial Day Weekend, so if Attack of the Clones is still sold out and you've already seen Spider-Man 157 times, you have another choice for fun, family friendly fare.
Sorry the review was so short, squirts, but I've got a big day ahead of me tomorrow and I am one sleepy seaman. I'll be back very soon with tons of interviews and other goodness for ya'. 'Til that day, squirts, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
email: If my philly is out there and wants mounting, e-me babe!
