When she was a baby, Lucky Prescott (Isabela Merced) lived in the small frontier town of Miradero with her father Jim (Jake Gyllenhaal) and mother Milagro (Eiza González). While Jim served as the general manager of the town’s railroad station—owned by his wealthy tycoon of a father, James (Joe Hart)—Milagro was a talented member of the rodeo, performing amazing tricks on her horse. However, when tragedy struck and Milagro had a deadly accident during one of her performances, Jim couldn’t bear it, and sent Lucky away to live with her Aunt Cora (Julianne Moore) and grandfather in the city.

It has been ten years, and Lucky is tired of being locked away like a princess in a tower, but whenever she tries to break out, explore, and create her own adventure, things always seems to end up in disaster. Lucky’s latest exploits, which involved chasing after a mischievous squirrel named Tom, resulted in ruining her grandfather’s gubernatorial campaign launch party. This was the last straw for James, who desperately needs some peace and quiet. So Cora takes Lucky to Jim hasn’t seen his daughter in ten years and only remembers what she enjoyed as a baby, so it is going to be an awkward reunion as Jim tries to reconnect with Lucky.

When she arrives in town, Lucky meets some of the locals, including a few of the rodeo riders who worked with her mother, corral owner Al Granger (Andre Braugher) and his daughter Pru (Marsai Martin), and oddball Abigail Stone (Mckenna Grace) and her equally strange but entrepreneurial younger brother Snips (Lucian Perez). During the train ride out west, Lucky saw a wild stallion galloping alongside the train, and instantly felt some sort of connection to the animal. In the corral is that same wild horse, which had been caught by wrangler Hendricks (Walton Goggins) and his men. They plan to break the stallion so they can sell it along with some of the other wild horses, but the spirited horse wants nothing to do with these wranglers, and it pains Lucky to see how these men are mistreating him. Growing up in the city, Lucky has never touched a horse, but she feels a sense of kinship with Spirit, and with the help of her new PALs Pru & Abigail, learns the proper way to bond with Spirit. However, with what happened to Lucky’s mother, Jim doesn’t like the idea of his daughter spending time around a wild, dangerous horse, and forbids Lucky from seeing the animal. But Lucky doesn’t let this stop her, and soon she finds herself on a wild, dangerous adventure, camping under the stars with her two new friends as they try to rescue the horses from the wranglers.

I have never seen Netflix’s Spirit: Riding Free series, but this film appears to be an adaptation of the same material, following the same premise and characters. However, the animation for Spirit Untamed looks like a major step up in quality, with a lot more detail, and characters that look and feel warmer and livelier. The film follows the adventures of these three girls, and explores themes of friendship, both among the girls as well as in the bond between Lucky and Spirit. If Lucky is the heart of the group, Pru is the brains, and Abigail is the pure wild fun and imagination. Spirit and the other girls help to unlock a side of Lucky she hasn’t been able to explore. She has always led more of a sheltered life, but now she is free. She also has the opportunity to learn more about her mother and this place where she was born, and reconnect with a father she never really knew, as she starts to form her own true identity.

I was worried that this film might be geared solely towards a younger audience, but I actually found it quite enjoyable. It has a great blend of action and humor, and never feels dumbed down for a younger audience. I think it would make an excellent family film. While it has some exciting moments, they are not too intense for younger viewers, and there are also some great musical numbers—and some that maybe aren’t so great (Abigail isn’t the most talented singer, but that doesn’t stop her from belting tunes out on the trail). The film also has a lot of humor, both physical and situational. Jim is more of an absent-minded professor type, his mind is always working on ways to improve the railroad, often leading him to forget that he has dangerous dynamite and other explosives lying around his house, which leads to some cartoony-style mishaps. Meanwhile Cora is the proper, clean-cut city girl who’s now having to deal with the messier country life, so there’s some fun fish-out-of-water stuff with both her and Lucky. The film’s language is also very family friendly—one of the locations is even named “Heck Mountain”.

Spirit Untamed has some really good messages for younger viewers, portraying strong female characters, and straying away from the typical “girls love ponies” type of theme. Lucky and her PALs may be young, but that’s not going to stop them from taking on the moustache-twirling villains out to do harm to the wild horses. Each of the girls has her own unique personality. They play well off one another, and each helps to round out the trio. There is a really fun friendship that forms between the girls, as well as the nice bond that develops between Lucky and Spirit. Lucky never really knew her mother, but soon discovers that a love of horses runs in her blood. At the same time, Jim is still worried about protecting his daughter from the danger and loss he has experienced, but slowly realizes that he must loosen the reigns, or he will have already lost his daughter.

Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing. The video is clean and pristine, with bright, beautiful colors, and an excellent level of detail, particularly in the characters and animals. The textures look great, though the fur on the horses doesn’t quite reach that realistic, individual hair movement level I’ve seen in some other animated feature films. However, it is leaps and bounds in quality over that of the Spirit: Rising Free TV series. The audio track on the disc sounds spectacular, providing an incredibly immersive viewing experience, making extensive use of the surround channel to bring the nature and bustle of the atmosphere to life.

The Blu-ray and DVD discs come packed in a standard HD keepcase with a carboard slipcover, and includes a slip with redemption instructions for an HD Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film, plus a bonus Universal All-Access Rewards points code that can be used for a free digital movie or towards other rewards. The release contains an audio commentary as well as over an hour of bonus material, including 3 deleted scenes, several behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and filmmakers, sing-alongs, craft and drawing demonstrations, and more. The majority of this supplemental material will appeal to a younger audience. There is a nice progression to these activities that will provide a full evening of entertainment for younger viewers to create their own “campfire” experience like the one seen in the film. As an adult, I enjoyed more of the standard supplemental fare like the audio commentary, deleted scenes, and interviews with the cast/filmmakers.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:27:40)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), French 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 9/30/2022):

• HD digital copy redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu
• Universal All-Access Rewards Code (Offer may not be valid after 12/31/2025)
  Code can be redeemed for points towards a free digital movie or other items in the Universal All-Access Rewards program. The selection of five free digital titles usually changes around the first of the month.

Extras:
All the same bonus material can be found on the Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy. Play All, or select from:

• Finding Your Spirit (9:20)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss the themes, characters, relationships and cultures portrayed in the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with co-writers Aury Wallington & Kristin Hahn, co-director Ennio Torresan, Jr., director Elaine Bogan, producer Karen Foster, composer Amie Doherty, and stars Eiza González (“Milagro Navarro Prescott”), Walton Goggins (“Hendricks”), Jake Gyllenhaal (“Jim Prescott”), Isabela Merced (“Lucky Prescott”), Julianne Moore (“Cora Prescott”), Marsai Martin (“Prudence Granger”) & Mckenna Grace (“Abigail Stone”).
• Home on the Range (3:20)
  Star Mckenna Grace leads a sing-along of “Home on the Range”. Lyrics appear on the screen over footage from the film.
• Snack Time – S’Mores (2:18)
  Stars Isabela Merced & Marsai Martin show viewers how to make a variety of smores at home using a broiler instead of a campfire.
• Deleted/Extended Scenes with Intros (7:03)
  Directors Elaine Bogan, co-director Ennio Torresan, Jr., producer Karen Foster & storyboard artist Daniel Tal provide an introduction to each of these extended/deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:
  • Campaign Launch — Extended (1:46)
    Extended version of Lucky and Tom the squirrel causing chaos at grandpa’s campaign launch party. Presented in rough computer animation.
  • Bubbles (1:25)
    Jim offers Lucky a peace offering of his horse Bubbles after saying no to the wild horse. Presented in rough pencil animation.
  • Elk Stampede (3:49)
    The three girls must outrun a huge stampede of elk. Presented in rough pencil animation.
• Behind the Voices – The Cast (9:59)
  The cast discuss their characters and the characteristics they share with their animated counterparts. Also includes behind-the-scenes footage from the recording booth, and comments from the filmmakers about the actors. Play All, or select from:
  • 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 González — Milagro Navarro Prescott (1:10)
  • Julianne Moore — Cora Prescott (1:22)
  • Jake Gyllenhaal — Jim Prescott (1:25)
• Cowgirls Rule (4:16)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about the female friendship at the heart of the film, and portraying strong female characters in the film and in the voices behind the production itself. Includes interviews with co-writers Kristin Hahn & Aury Wallington, co-director Ennio Torresan, Jr., director Elaine Bogan, composer Amie Doherty, and stars Eiza González, Mckenna Grace, Julianne Moore, Isabela Merced & Marsai Martin.
• Drawing Spirit (15:38)
  Story artist Wendy Sullivan shows viewers how to draw some of the characters from the film. Play All, or select from:
  • Lucky (2:31)
  • Spirit (2:37)
  • Pru (2:41)
  • Chica Linda (2:33)
  • Abigail (2:18)
  • Boomerang (2:40)
• How To…
  Stars Isabela Merced, Marsai Martin & Mckenna Grace introduce activities younger viewers can do at home. Select from:
  • Create Your Own Indoor “Campfire” (2:11)
    Create a “campire” at home using tissue paper, a balloon, tissue paper, posicle sticks and other household items.
  • How to Ukelele (2:19)
    Create your own ukulele at home using a box, a paper tube, string, and more, and you’ll be ready to sing songs in front of your “campfire”.
    
  • Snack Time – S’Mores (2:18)
    What’s a “campfire” without smores?! (This is the same feature that appeared earlier.)
  • Abigail’s Hand Shadow Secrets (2:42)
    Learn how to tell your own shadow puppet stories by the “campfire” like Abigail does in the film.
  • How to Zoetrope (6:00)
    Learn how to animate your own drawings of “Spirit” using a zoetrope, like the one Lucky finds of her mother in the film.
• Sing-Alongs
  Collection of lyric videos featuring songs from the film. Viewers can sing these around their “campfire”. Select from:
  • Home on the Range (3:20) — Mckenna Grace
  • Fearless (English Version) (4:16) — Isabela Merced
  • Fearless (Valiente Duet) (1:59) — Isabela Merced & Eiza González
    
  • You Belong (3:30) — Becky G
    
• Feature Commentary (1:27:40)
  Director Elaine Bogan, co-director Ennio Torresan, and producer Karen Foster provide a fun, entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film. They share some interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the production and how things evolved and changed over the course of making the film.
• Lucky’s Big Adventure Gameplay Video*
  *Only included on the digital copy.
  

Final Thoughts:

Spirit Untamed is a fun, action-packed and heartwarming film that the whole family can enjoy together. It’s been ages since I saw the original Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron movie, so I can’t really compare the tone between this film and that. However, this movie is a feature film adaptation of the Spirit: Riding Free Netflix series, following the same characters and story, but with a major increase in the quality of the animation and voice talent. Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing, and contains a great selection of bonus material, including both more standard fare that older viewers can enjoy as well as lots of activities for younger viewers to partake in. This is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a quality animated film, particularly one that the whole family can enjoy together.