Spirit Riding Free is an animated television series, produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and distributed by Netflix, based on the 2002 Oscar-nominated traditionally animated film, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and the first series in the Spirit franchise.[4] The series was first released on Netflix on May 5, 2017.[2]
A feature film based on the series, titled Spirit Untamed, was released on June 4, 2021.[5][6]
Set in the small frontier town of Miradero, a 12-year-old girl[7] named Fortuna "Lucky" Esperanza Navarro Prescott, who had recently relocated from the city, encounters a wild kiger mustang named Spirit Jr. (the son of Spirit and Rain from the 2002 movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron). When Lucky is on the train travelling to Miradero, the horse is caught by wranglers and brought to Miradero to be “broken in”. Lucky immediately bonds with the stallion and frees him from his pen. Lucky also makes friends with Prudence "Pru" Granger and Abigail Stone. Pru owns a talented and proud palomino horse called Chica Linda, and Abigail owns a friendly and goofy pinto horse called Boomerang. The three girls call themselves the PALs and go on many adventures with their horses.
The first season premiered on May 5, 2017.[2] The final eighth season premiered on April 5, 2019.[8]Spirit Riding Free is Produced by Marathon Media, Image Entertainment Corporation and Canal J
The voice director for the first three episodes was Ginny McSwain. Katie McWane took over as voice director after that.
A number of webisodes have been released exclusively (except for "Unstoppable Music Video") on the DreamWorks Spirit YouTube-channel during the course of the series.
Spirit Riding Free: Season 1–4, containing all of the episodes from seasons 1–4, was released on DVD on June 5, 2018, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and grossed $652,518.[9] On September 24, 2019, Universal released Spirit Riding Free: Season 5–8, containing all of the episodes from seasons 5–8 on DVD. The series is also scheduled for DVD releases in the UK, France, Italy, and Germany. Spirit Riding Free: Spirit Of Christmas was released on DVD on November 11, 2021 and grossed $22,805 in home video sales.[10]
On October 7, 2019, DreamWorks Animation announced that a feature film based on the series was in development scheduled for a theatrical release on May 14, 2021. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by Universal Pictures.[5] The film was directed by Elaine Bogan and co-directed by Ennio Torresan Jr. in their feature directorial debuts, and written by the developer of the series, Aury Wallington, and produced by Karen Foster.[11] The film was produced on a lower budget and made by a different animation studio outside of DreamWorks, similar to Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.[5] On November 10, 2020, the film's title was announced as Spirit Untamed, with a new release date of June 4, 2021.[6]
On February 9, 2022, DreamWorks announced a new series Spirit & Friends inspired by the characters from Spirit Riding Free, which taking place in setting of Spirit Untamed and release has begun on YouTube on February 12.[12]
On December 4, 2019, Dreamworks Animation released a game for Android and iOS based around the series entitled Spirit Trick Challenge.[13][14]
The series was received positively. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media described the series as "sweet," arguing that the series treads lightly on "factual strife between new settlers and the indigenous population," and said the series "raises issues, such as migration and assimilation" while saying that Lucky was a heroine who showed "courage, selflessness, and a tireless sense of adventure." Ashby further argued that the series has stories that are "humorous and heartwarming" and themes which reflect the "changing atmosphere of the 19th century American West." Dave Trumbore of Collider, said that the series is less about social commentary and more about a girl, her horse, and "real, complicated friendships and life lessons learned in a refreshingly sincere manner."[15] Ashby also called the "Riding Academy" seasons of the series "geared toward tweens" and praised the series for having a "diverse group of characters," female characters who are self-confident, and characters "coping with challenges of growing up." She also noted these seasons show "healthy self-awareness and emotional maturity for tween viewers," argued that unlike the "Spirit Riding Free" seasons doesn't "touch on themes of the historical time."[16] Ashby also reviewed "Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas" and "Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure" specials. The first special she called a "so-so holiday horse tale warms with timely themes" and criticized for "relegating the animals to mere afterthoughts," while calling it emotionally-laden and having themes perfect for a focus on Christmas.[17] The second special she was more critical of, saying its "lengthy story tangents" result in a "laborious interactive story," called it an "exercise in guessing which choice might lead to the exit most quickly," but noted that this involves much "realistic" peril for the young protagonists.[18]
Other reviewers gave a mixed reception. Mandie Caroll, also of Common Sense Media, called the two "Pony Tales" seasons "fun" and noted that while the series does not substantially confront "the actual history of westward settlement," it does focus on cheating, conflicts within friendships, and doing what's right, while criticizing these collections as somewhat disorganized.[19] In contrast, Dave Trumbore of Collider argued that the series tames the message from the 2002 film, noted that in the early seasons of the series mainly focus on the "class divide," offering a sense of adventure rather than social commentary, and noted that while the animation is uneven, it is "an adventurous, kid-friendly series."[20] Armaan Babu of Meaww was more positive, calling the series "one of the most wholesome and inspiring shows on Netflix," arguing that while it is aimed at one young girls, saying it is written well enough to connect with those of all ages, with the protagonists growing "into mature and responsible young adults." Babu also noted that part 2 of the series dealt with heavier topics than part 1, and praised the series for being filled with characters who are "constantly, and genuinely supportive of each other."[21]
"Spirit Riding Free," from DreamWorks Animation, is inspired by the 2002 Oscar-nominated film "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"...