Stallion Is Free Now

Bodies can be leashed not the souls. For freedom is the song of souls. Liberty is to souls as flight is to birds. This is exactly what Dream work's Spirit: The Stallion of  Cimarron is all about. Employing the daring struggle of a wild horse, who loves freedom more than his life, as the metaphor of liberty and freedom; the animation film has wonderfully portrayed the essence of life that is instinctive in its origin and appeal across species inhabiting this wonderful planet.

The horse in action we come to see is Spirit, who right from birth challenges his seniors while racing down the meadows. He loves to drink water from a water body beside the herd of giant wild Bison. And when he grows up, he leads the Cimarron herd against all odds.

Spirit becomes a prey of his own inquisitiveness, when a needless exploration, miles down the American cowboy campfire, earns him a lariat around his neck and the riders take the unwilling animal over the army camp for labor. He loses his freedom for inquisitiveness. The alien people and place shocks Spirit. He regrets his decision to have come down from green slopes. And after seeing thousands of his likes roped and obeying their riders; his remorse deepens.

Man, as usual is known to be mean to horses. Likewise, the army's immediate reaction is to break down Spirit’s toughness. They starve him, accuse him of being disruptive when the defiant, determined Spirit bucks, kicks and throws rider after rider out of the square field where horses are beaten and rode by force. Apparently, they must have been erring for taking spirit as a novice.

However, the cavalry's leader (voice of James Cromwell) is a tough nut. But his order that a detained Red Indian be tied to a post with Spirit and kept without any food or water for three days turn into a bad scheme. The caged join forces and manage their escape thudding across the prairie grasslands while the cavalrymen bite their dust.

The Red Indian (voice of Daniel Studi), is the Spirit's new captor. Giving the name Spirit to his new animal, he teaches the stallion the doctrine of compromise and the power of love. Not with a man, but with a foxy blonde, blue-eyed mare —the Red Indian's friend.

While the love between two animals starts to germinate, Spirit longs to go back to his herd. However, an attack on the village by the cavalrymen puts the stallion to run again. The troops ransack through the village and leave Spirit's new girl dying in the roaring stream. Spirit manages to save his mate, but again finds himself caught up.

Next day, he is sent by train far away from his homeland to a countryside mountain where thousands of other horses are slogging with government laborers to construct a transcontinental railroad. Spirit is forced to join the band.

A time in the plot for exaggeration comes. With 'Rambo' style, Spirit dodges a bomb; neutralize a section of soldiers and gets away from a locomotive engine he just toppled. Not only he frees himself but also the horses, who had been forced to toil, escape in the jungles. Little red Indian also appears in the scene and helps him run away from the place.

All the shots are rousing, packed with action and amazingly animated.

However, the cavalry leader chases the fugitives atop a mountain where on one side a wide stream parts the two ridges and on the other side cavalrymen draw closer the duo. Spirit's perseverance filled with freedom to ramble again on the prairies takes him to the other ridge of the mountain with a mid air long jump along with the red Indian (the scene, which would later, become the cover picture of the film DVD's).

While one of the cavalrymen aims his gun on the escapees, the team leader stops him. He has realized the power of those who want to remain free of shackles. He nods towards the Spirit from this side to show that by coercion nothing can be tamed for long.

Stunningly tinted in picturesque sunset and columbine countryside watercolors, both the directors, Lorna Cook and Kelly Asbury had tried to explore a lyrical style of story written by John Fusco, utilizing music of Bryan Adams (Here I am kind of a) and a bare narration by Matt Damon to take on the plot.

It is a real treat to watch the juxtaposition of narrative with the cutting edge technology of visual medium that sparks a creative synergy between the story and its expression. And the mesmerizing special effects add proverbial icing to the visual cake of Spirit’s animation.

The animation film, which has performed exceptionally well across the Hollywood, is really an elegant, enjoyable film for movie lovers. However, this telling-tale of freedom and its costs holds a special charm for all those who dream about freedom very often but are yet to taste it and experience its spirit.