Spirit Riding Free

Last updated

Spirit Riding Free
Genre Adventure
Based on Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
by John Fusco
Developed by Aury Wallington
Voices of
Theme music composer Kari Kimmel [1]
Opening theme"Riding Free", performed by Maren Morris
Ending theme"Riding Free" (Instrumental)
ComposersJoachim Horsley (S1)
James Allen Roberson (S2-8)
Sunna Wehrmeijer (Pony Tales and Riding Academy)
Peter Bateman (Pony Tales and Riding Academy)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8 + 2 Pony Tales seasons, 2 Riding Academy seasons
No. of episodes52 + 10 Pony Tales episodes, 16 Riding Academy episodes, 19 webisodes and 2 specials(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerAury Wallington
Running time23 minutes [2]
Production company DreamWorks Animation Television [3]
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseMay 5, 2017 (2017-05-05) –
December 8, 2020 (2020-12-08)

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]

Contents

A feature film based on the series, titled Spirit Untamed , was released on June 4, 2021. [5] [6] The "Ride Along Adventure" interactive special will be removed from Netflix on December 1, 2024. [7]

Plot

Set in the small frontier town of Miradero, a 12-year-old girl [8] 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.

Cast

Production

The first season premiered on May 5, 2017. [2] The final eighth season premiered on April 5, 2019. [9] Spirit Riding Free is Produced by Marathon Media, Image Entertainment Corporation and Canal J

Crew

The voice director for the first three episodes was Ginny McSwain. Katie McWane took over as voice director after that.

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
1 65 May 2017 (2017-05-05)
2 78 September 2017 (2017-09-08)
3 717 November 2017 (2017-11-17)
4 616 March 2018 (2018-03-16)
5 711 May 2018 (2018-05-11)
6 617 August 2018 (2018-08-17)
7 79 November 2018 (2018-11-09)
8 65 April 2019 (2019-04-05)
Pony Tales 1 69 August 2019 (2019-08-09)
Pony Tales 2 418 October 2019 (2019-10-18)
Special 6 December 2019 (2019-12-06)
Riding Academy 1 73 April 2020 (2020-04-03)
Riding Academy 2 94 September 2020 (2020-09-04)
Interactive Special 8 December 2020 (2020-12-08)

Webisodes (2017–2020)

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.

No.TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboarded byOriginal release date
1"Magic Show"Jim SchumannRobert TaylorRick LacyAugust 22, 2017 (2017-08-22)
2"Rainy Day"Jim SchumannRobert TaylorKennedy TarrellNovember 7, 2017 (2017-11-07)
3"Mustang Mail Part 1"Jim SchumannRobert TaylorRick LacyJanuary 16, 2018 (2018-01-16)
4"Mustang Mail Part 2"Jim SchumannRobert TaylorRick LacyJanuary 23, 2018 (2018-01-23)
5"The Circus Mystery, Pt. 1: Magical New Tricks"Joshua TabackRobert TaylorJean KangJuly 24, 2018 (2018-07-24)
6"The Circus Mystery, Pt. 2: Kidnapping in Miradero"Joshua TabackRobert TaylorJean KangJuly 31, 2018 (2018-07-31)
7"The Circus Mystery, Pt. 3: The Bandit Standoff"Joshua TabackRobert TaylorJean KangAugust 7, 2018 (2018-08-07)
8"Adventure Music Video"---September 23, 2018 (2018-09-23)
9"Joy to the World (Christmas Music Video)"---December 11, 2018 (2018-12-11)
10"The Grooming Wagon, Pt. 1: Horse Cleaning Calamity"---January 15, 2019 (2019-01-15)
11"The Grooming Wagon, Pt. 2: Race Against the Clock"---January 22, 2019 (2019-01-22)
12"The Grooming Wagon, Pt. 3: A Soapy Success"---January 29, 2019 (2019-01-29)
13"Fast Friends: Abigail & Boomerang Meet for the FIRST Time!"---July 16, 2019 (2019-07-16)
14"Fast Friends: Pru & Chica Linda Meet for the FIRST Time!"---July 23, 2019 (2019-07-23)
15"Fast Friends: Lucky & Spirit Meet for the FIRST Time!"---July 30, 2019 (2019-07-30)
16"Unstoppable Music Video"---August 6, 2019 (2019-08-06)
17"A Friendly Race"Allan JacobsenNicole BelisleKat Chan, Laur UyJune 17, 2020 (2020-06-17)
18"The Vet Is In"Allan JacobsenNicole BelisleKat Chan, Laur UyJune 24, 2020 (2020-06-24)
19"Dressage Corsage"Allan JacobsenNicole BelisleKat Chan, Laur UyJuly 1, 2020 (2020-07-01)

Home media

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. [10] 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. [11]

Film adaptation and web-series

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. [12] 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]

Spirit & Friends (2022-2023)

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. [13]

Video game

On December 4, 2019, Dreamworks Animation released a game for Android and iOS based around the series entitled Spirit Trick Challenge. [14] [15]

Music

TitleU.S. release dateLengthLabel
"Riding Free"May 25, 20173:07 Back Lot Music
"Friends Forever"November 7, 20171:56
"Unstoppable"May 3, 20192:40
"Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas - EP"December 6, 201910:42

Reception

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." [16] 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." [17] 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. [18] 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. [19]

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. [20] 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." [21] 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." [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas</i> 2003 DreamWorks Animation animated film

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is a 2003 American animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. Featuring the character Sinbad the Sailor, it was directed by Tim Johnson and Patrick Gilmore and written by John Logan, and stars the voices of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Joseph Fiennes. It tells the story of Sinbad, a pirate who travels the sea with his dog and his loyal crew, alongside Marina, the fiancée of his childhood friend Prince Proteus, to recover the stolen Book of Peace from Eris to save Proteus from approving Sinbad's death sentence.

<i>Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron</i> 2002 film by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a 2002 American animated Western film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. The film was directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook from a screenplay by John Fusco, based on an idea by Jeffrey Katzenberg, who produced the film alongside Mireille Soria. The film combines traditional animation and computer animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie del Carmen</span> Filipino-American storyboard artist (born 1959)

Ronaldo del Carmen is a Filipino writer, director, storyboard artist, illustrator, and voice actor. He co-directed and co-wrote the story for the Pixar film Inside Out (2015), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the first Filipino to do so.

James Baxter is a British character animator. He was first known for his work on several Walt Disney Animation Studios films, including various characters in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Rafiki in The Lion King, and Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Asbury</span> American film director (1960–2020)

Kelly Adam Asbury was an American film director, writer, voice actor, and illustrator. He was best known for directing animated films, including Shrek 2, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Gnomeo & Juliet, Smurfs: The Lost Village, and UglyDolls.

<i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> DreamWorks Animation media franchise

How to Train Your Dragon is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the eponymous book series of the same name by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). The franchise also contains five short films: Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010), Book of Dragons (2011), Gift of the Night Fury (2011), Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019). A live-action remake of the first film is scheduled for release by Universal Pictures in June 2025.

<i>The Adventures of Puss in Boots</i> American animated series

The Adventures of Puss in Boots is an American animated television series, starring the character of Puss in Boots from DreamWorks Animation's Shrek film series and its 2011 spin-off film, voiced by Eric Bauza. The series premiered with its first five episodes on Netflix on January 16, 2015; the sixth and final season was released on January 26, 2018.

<i>Rapunzels Tangled Adventure</i> American animated television series

Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is an American animated television series developed by Chris Sonnenburg and Shane Prigmore, and produced by Disney Television Animation. It premiered on Disney Channel as a Disney Channel Original Movie titled Tangled: Before Ever After on March 10, 2017. Its regular episodes premiered on March 24, 2017. The series is based on the 2010 film Tangled and features the returning voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, alongside Eden Espinosa, Clancy Brown, Julie Bowen, James Monroe Iglehart, Jeff Ross, Paul F. Tompkins, and Jeremy Jordan.

<i>Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh</i> American animated television series

Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh is an American 2D animated television series produced by DreamWorks Animation and animated by Titmouse, which debuted on July 29, 2016, as a Netflix original series. It was developed by Ryan Crego and Thurop Van Orman. The series is based on the 2015 DreamWorks animated film Home, which in turn was based on the 2007 novel The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Aside from Matt Jones reprising his role as the voice of Kyle, none of the original cast reprised their roles.

<i>Spirit</i> (franchise) DreamWorks Animation media franchise

Spirit is an American media franchise owned by DreamWorks Animation, which began with the 2002 animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron written by John Fusco from an idea by producer Jeffrey Katzenberg. The franchise follows the adventures of a Kiger Mustang stallion named Spirit and his same named descendants.

<i>Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures</i> Inaugural Barbie television series (2018–2020)

Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures or just Dreamhouse Adventures, is an American animated television series that was released between 3 May 2018 and 12 April 2020 on Netflix in the United States, while it debuted on YTV in Canada on 22 June 2018.

<i>The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants</i> American animated comedy television series

The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants is an American animated television series produced by DreamWorks Animation Television. Developed for television by Peter Hastings and Mark Banker, it is a sequel to the 2017 feature film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, based on the Captain Underpants book series by Dav Pilkey.

<i>Harvey Girls Forever!</i> American animated comedy television series

Harvey Girls Forever!, originally titled Harvey Street Kids in its first season, then retroactively retitled, is an American animated comedy television series produced by Brendan Hay and Aliki Theofilopoulos for DreamWorks Animation Television, and is based on comic book characters from Harvey Comics. It premiered on June 29, 2018, on Netflix and concluded on January 10, 2020.

Hilda is an animated television series based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Luke Pearson. Produced by Silvergate Media and Mercury Filmworks, the series follows the adventures of fearless Hilda, an 11-year-old blue-haired girl who, along with her mother Johanna and her deerfox Twig, moves to the fictional city of Trolberg after their old residency in the outskirts of a forest is destroyed by a giant. Though moving away from the wild and into a bustling city, Hilda still manages to befriend even the most dangerous of monsters.

<i>Spirit Untamed</i> 2021 film by Elaine Bogan and Ennio Torresan

Spirit Untamed is a 2021 American animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was directed by Elaine Bogan and co-directed by Ennio Torresan Jr., from a screenplay written by Aury Wallington and Kristin Hahn. The second theatrical release of the Spirit franchise, it is a soft reboot of the traditionally animated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) and is based on characters from the Netflix spin-off television series Spirit Riding Free, developed by Wallington.

<i>The Bad Guys</i> (book series) Comic book series

The Bad Guys is an illustrated children's graphic novel series written by Australian author Aaron Blabey. It revolves around a gang of anthropomorphic animals known as the "Bad Guys", who attempt to perform good deeds to change society's perception of them as criminals.

<i>Spirit Untamed</i> (soundtrack) 2021 film score by Amie Doherty

Spirit Untamed (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album for the 2021 DreamWorks Animation film Spirit Untamed. A spin-off as well as the stand-alone sequel and reboot of the traditionally animated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), it is the second theatrical film of the Spirit franchise and is loosely based on the characters from its Netflix animated spin-off television series Spirit Riding Free (2017–2020).

References

  1. ↑ Nashid, Naureen (March 30, 2017). "Interview with Kari Kimmel". Teal Magazine. Retrieved May 27, 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 Amidi, Amid (April 19, 2017). "TRAILER: 'Spirit Riding Free' Takes The Dreamworks Franchise In A New Direction". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  3. ↑ McLean, Tom (April 30, 2017). "Perfect Match". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (June 16, 2016). "Netflix Readies Animated 'Spy Kids,' 'Llama Llama' Series (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016. "Spirit Riding Free," from DreamWorks Animation, is inspired by the 2002 Oscar-nominated film "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"...
  5. 1 2 3 D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 7, 2019). "DreamWorks Animation & Universal To Release 'Spirit Riding Free' & 'The Bad Guys' In 2021". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  6. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 10, 2020). "Jennifer Lopez Romantic Comedy 'Marry Me' Heads To Summer". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Don't Miss Out: Everything Disappearing from Netflix in December 2024". Collider . November 23, 2024. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Milligan, Mercedes (April 18, 2017). "Trailer: DreamWorks' 'Spirit Riding Free' Races to Netflix". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Spirit Riding Free Season 8 Coming to Netflix in April 2019". What's on Netflix. March 12, 2019. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Spirit: Riding Free (2017) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas (2019) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (October 7, 2019). "DreamWorks, Universal Slate 'Spirit Riding Free' & 'Bad Guys' for 2021". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  13. ↑ @DreamWorksTV (February 9, 2022). "Saddle up for an all-new adventure! Spirit & Friends is coming to YouTube on February 12!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Spirit Trick Challenge". App Store . Apple Inc. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Spirit Riding Free Trick Challenge - App Review". Common Sense Media. January 25, 2020. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  16. ↑ Ashby, Emily (April 19, 2017). "Spirit Riding Free TV Review - Common Sense Media". Common Sense Media . Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  17. ↑ Ashby, Emily (June 28, 2020). "Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy TV Review". Common Sense Media . Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  18. ↑ Ashby, Emily (December 17, 2019). "Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas TV Review". Common Sense Media . Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  19. ↑ Ashby, Emily (December 17, 2020). "Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure TV Review". Common Sense Media . Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  20. ↑ Caroll, Mandie (October 18, 2019). "Spirit Riding Free: Pony Tales TV Review". Common Sense Media . Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  21. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (April 24, 2017). "Netflix's 'Spirit Riding Free' Tames the Stallion of the Cimarron but Keeps the West Wild". Collider . Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  22. ↑ Babu, Armaan (September 4, 2020). "'Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy' Part 2 Review: A wholesome, heartwarming story of friendship and maturity". Meaww. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.