Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron 2
Spirit Untamed (2021) is an animated Western musical comedy-adventure film that serves as a spin-off of the Netflix series "Spirit Riding Free" and a soft reboot of DreamWorks' "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" (2002). The narrative centers on Fortuna "Lucky" Prescott, a spirited young girl who, after a series of mishaps, is sent from the city to live with her estranged father in the frontier town of Miradero. There, she forms a profound connection with a wild Kiger mustang, whom she names Spirit, and befriends two local girls, Abigail and Pru. The film largely focuses on themes of courage, friendship, family bonding, and self-discovery as Lucky and her friends embark on an adventure to protect Spirit and his herd from horse wranglers. It is aimed at a young audience, particularly children aged four and over. While containing moments of peril and mild, slapstick-style violence, the film is consistently rated as family-friendly and generally avoids explicit or intense content in areas such as profanity, sexual references, and substance use.
Concerns
Violence
MediumThe film contains mild, cartoon-style violence and perilous situations, contributing to its PG rating. There are instances of horse mistreatment by antagonists and slapstick confrontations.
1. Lucky's mother, Milagro, is killed in a horse-riding accident at the beginning of the film; her death is implied rather than explicitly shown, affecting Lucky's father Jim deeply. 2. Horse wranglers, led by Hendricks, are shown mistreating Spirit by kicking him with spurs and tying him with ropes, and aggressively hitting wild horses as they force them onto a train. 3. Lucky experiences peril, such as nearly falling off a cliff in a rocky ravine while riding Spirit, and being kicked in the face by a horse and nearly hit by a train. 4. During the climax, there are slapstick-style fights where characters are kicked, thrown from horses, argue, fist-fight, and are hit with objects, including Cora repeatedly hitting thieves with an oar.
Scary & Intense Content
MediumThe film includes some intense moments and peril, particularly during adventure sequences and confrontations with antagonists, which may be frightening for very young children.
1. Lucky and her friends face dangerous situations, such as navigating a narrow and high "Ridge of Regret" over a canyon. Lucky and Spirit also fall into a rocky ravine after failing a jump, leaving their safety momentarily ambiguous. 2. The horse wranglers are portrayed as antagonists who threaten Spirit and his herd, creating suspense as they aggressively capture horses and transport them by train. Lucky is directly endangered when she is kicked by a horse and almost hit by a train. 3. The implied death of Lucky's mother in a horse-riding accident at the film's opening is a thematic element that can be distressing for younger children.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumThe protagonist, Lucky Prescott, is characterized by a rebellious spirit and frequent disobedience to her father and aunt, though these actions are often motivated by good intentions and lead to positive character growth.
1. Lucky's initial move to Miradero is a consequence of her "risky escapades" and accidentally disrupting her grandfather's gubernatorial campaign. Her aunt, Cora, expresses worry over Lucky's "unladylike ways." 2. Lucky directly disobeys her father, Jim, who wants her to stay away from horses due to her mother's past fatal accident. Despite his wishes, Lucky sneaks out to bond with Spirit and later defies her father and aunt to rescue the captured horses. While her actions lead to saving the horses, the theme of a child actively going against parental directives is prominent.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
LowNo explicit LGBTQ+ characters, themes, or gender identity discussions are present in "Spirit Untamed" (2021). The film focuses on traditional platonic friendships between girls and a heterosexual father-daughter relationship.
The film does not feature any openly LGBTQ+ characters or storylines. Relationships depicted are strictly platonic friendships between Lucky, Pru, and Abigail, and the familial bond between Lucky and her father, Jim. While one of the voice actors, Isabela Merced (Lucky Prescott), identifies as queer in her personal life, this is not reflected in her character or the film's content. Mentions of LGBTQ+ themes in search results were found to refer to other media or personal lives of voice actors, not the film itself.
Romance and Sexual Content
LowThe film has minimal to no romantic or sexual content, with no explicit sexual references, nudity, or intimate scenes, maintaining a strong family-friendly tone.
1. Multiple parental reviews explicitly state "no sexual references" and "no nudity and sexual activity" are present in "Spirit Untamed." 2. The most significant 'romantic' element noted is a brief scene where a woman dances with a man and feels flattered by his attention, which is very mild and non-explicit. The primary focus remains on platonic friendships and familial bonds.
Profanity
LowThe film contains very limited mild language, with no strong curse words or offensive profanity, consistent with its family-friendly rating.
1. The most frequently cited mild expletive is the word "heck," which appears in the dialogue. One review notes, "there are many uses of the word 'heck' (they even name a place in the movie after the word)." 2. Mild insults such as "dimwits" and "demonic" are also present, but do not escalate to strong profanity. Overall, reviews indicate "no swear words to note" in the film.
Witchcraft & Occult
LowThere are no explicit depictions or discussions of witchcraft, sorcery, magic rituals, or occult themes in "Spirit Untamed." The film is largely devoid of supernatural elements.
1. Reviews explicitly state that there is "little actual spirituality found here" and that the film is "devoid of supernatural references." 2. A humorous reference to a "demonic squirrel" is made after a squirrel causes chaos at Lucky's grandfather's gubernatorial campaign event, but it is not a literal supernatural entity. Search results discussing "witchcraft" or "occult" were consistently found to be about other media not related to "Spirit Untamed."
Substance Use
LowThe film contains no depictions or references to alcohol consumption, drug use, or smoking, maintaining a clean content profile for young viewers.
1. Parental guidance reviews universally report "no use of substances" and "Alcohol / Drug Use: None noted" within the film. 2. The film's content is consistently described as appropriate for children and does not include any scenes involving characters consuming alcohol, using drugs, or smoking. Search results mentioning "alcohol" or "drugs" in conjunction with "Untamed" were primarily discussing the spiritual connotations of the word "spirits" or other unrelated media.
Anti-Christian Themes
LowThere are no anti-Christian themes present in "Spirit Untamed." The film is secular in nature, focusing on universal values like family, friendship, and respect for nature without any explicit religious content or commentary.
1. Christian media reviews, such as Dove.org, rate "Spirit Untamed" as "Faith: None" and give it a "Dove approved" rating, indicating the absence of any content conflicting with Christian values. 2. The Catholic News Service classifies the film as "A-I — general patronage," further confirming its lack of specific religious or anti-religious messaging. The film's themes revolve around positive secular messages such as courage, kindness, and environmental respect. Any search results about "anti-Christian" themes were found to refer to other media not related to "Spirit Untamed."
Other Notes
Target Demographic
Ages 7+ due to thematic elements involving implied death and mild peril. While rated PG and suitable for younger children with parental guidance, the themes of loss and moments of suspense may be more appropriately processed by children slightly older than the youngest suggested age.
Additional Notes
The movie is a soft reboot/spin-off of the original "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" (2002) and is based on the Netflix series "Spirit Riding Free." While it features some familiar characters, it retells certain origin elements and is distinct in its animation style and narrative focus compared to the original film. The film runs for approximately 87-88 minutes. There are no known theatrical, extended, or director's cuts with significantly altered content that would impact parental guidance concerns.
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