| Spirit Riding Free | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure |
| Based on | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron byJohn Fusco |
| Developed by | Aury Wallington |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | Kari Kimmel[1] |
| Opening theme | "Riding Free",performed byMaisy Stella |
| Ending theme | "Riding Free"(Instrumental) |
| Composers | Joachim Horsley (S1) James Allen Roberson (S2–8) Sunna Wehrmeijer(Pony Tales andRiding Academy) Peter Bateman(Pony Tales andRiding Academy) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8(+ 2Pony Tales seasons and 2Riding Academy seasons) |
| No. of episodes | 52(+ 10Pony Tales episodes, 16Riding Academy episodes, 19 webisodes and 2 specials)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Aury Wallington |
| Running time | 23 minutes[2] |
| Production company | DreamWorks Animation Television[3] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | May 5, 2017 (2017-05-05) – December 8, 2020 (2020-12-08) |
Spirit Riding Free is an American animated television series, produced byDreamWorks Animation Television and distributed byNetflix, based on the 2002Oscar-nominatedtraditionally animated film,Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and the first series in theSpirit franchise.[4] The series was first released on Netflix on May 5, 2017.[2]
A feature film based on the series, titledSpirit Untamed, was released on June 4, 2021.[5][6]
Set in the small frontier town of Miradero during the early 1900s, a 12-year-old girl[7] named Fortuna "Lucky" Esperanza Navarro Prescott, who had recently relocated from the city, encounters a wildkiger mustang named Spirit Jr. (the son of Spirit and Rain from the 2002 movieSpirit: Stallion of the Cimarron). When Lucky is on the train travelling to Miradero, the horse is caught bywranglers 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 proudpalomino horse called Chica Linda, and Abigail owns a friendly and goofypinto 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 eighth and final season premiered on April 5, 2019.[8]
The voice director for the first three episodes wasGinny McSwain. Katie McWane took over as voice director after that.
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 5 May 2017 (2017-05-05) | ||
| 2 | 7 | 8 September 2017 (2017-09-08) | ||
| 3 | 7 | 17 November 2017 (2017-11-17) | ||
| 4 | 6 | 16 March 2018 (2018-03-16) | ||
| 5 | 7 | 11 May 2018 (2018-05-11) | ||
| 6 | 6 | 17 August 2018 (2018-08-17) | ||
| 7 | 7 | 9 November 2018 (2018-11-09) | ||
| 8 | 6 | 5 April 2019 (2019-04-05) | ||
| Pony Tales 1 | 6 | 9 August 2019 (2019-08-09) | ||
| Pony Tales 2 | 4 | 18 October 2019 (2019-10-18) | ||
| Special | 6 December 2019 (2019-12-06) | |||
| Riding Academy 1 | 7 | 3 April 2020 (2020-04-03) | ||
| Riding Academy 2 | 9 | 4 September 2020 (2020-09-04) | ||
| Interactive Special | 8 December 2020 (2020-12-08) | |||
Spirit Riding Free: Season 1–4, containing all of the episodes from seasons 1–4, was released on DVD on June 5, 2018, byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment and grossed $667,366.[9] On September 24, 2019, Universal releasedSpirit 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 $27,257 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 byUniversal Pictures.[5] The film was directed by Elaine Bogan and co-directed by Ennio Torresan Jr. in theirfeature 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 their Glendale studio, similar toCaptain Underpants: The First Epic Movie in 2017.[5] On November 10, 2020, the film's title was announced asSpirit Untamed, with a new release date of June 4, 2021.[6]
On February 9, 2022, DreamWorks announced a new seriesSpirit & Friends inspired by the characters fromSpirit Riding Free, which takes place in the setting ofSpirit Untamed and release has begun onYouTube on February 12.[12]
On December 4, 2019,DreamWorks Animation released a game for Android and iOS based around the series entitledSpirit Trick Challenge.[13][14]
| Title | U.S. release date | Length | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Riding Free" | May 25, 2017 (2017-05-25) | 3:07 | Back Lot Music |
| "Friends Forever" | November 7, 2017 (2017-11-07) | 1:56 | |
| "Unstoppable" | May 3, 2019 (2019-05-03) | 2:40 | |
| "Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas - EP" | December 6, 2019 (2019-12-06) | 10:42 |
The series was received positively. Emily Ashby ofCommon 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 ofCollider, 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 ofCollider 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 ofMeaww 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"...
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