"Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron." The courageous horse who made his debut on the big screen in 2002 and changed the lives of countless children forever. From his bravery to the thrilling imagery and action, this was one of my biggest childhood obsessions. I'm not ashamed to say that my friends and I are still not rid of what I like to call "Spirit fever." We watched the movie just a few days ago and loved it just as much, if not more, than we did so many years ago.
1. You get chills when you hear the intro music.
You might even feel like you can conquer the entire world, like the eagle who is Spirit's friend and is so free that you're jealous of him throughout the entire movie.
2. You get chills when you hear any of the music, for that matter.
Bryan Adam and Hans Zimmer are literal angels. The movie wouldn't be half of what it is without that glorious soundtrack. Since the horses don't talk, and the people have a significantly small amount of dialogue, the music plays a pivotal role in the emotions the audience experiences throughout the movie. The wonder of the music might just inspire your friend to order the soundtrack off of Amazon at 2 a.m. after watching the movie, and that might just inspire you to order the same soundtrack the very next day. Not like I'm speaking from recent experience or anything.
3. Rain was somehow the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. It didn't matter that she was a horse. Her pink eye-shadow was on fleek.
And your know Spirit agreed. Do you see how he looks at her? Soulmates.
4. "Get Off of my Back" was your jam, and you felt like you could conquer the world while listening to it.
As tiny children across the country watched this movie, they couldn't help but feel that Spirit was inspiring them to stand up to their own enemies.
5. In contrast, you felt like your entire world was crashing down when those disgusting men destroyed Little Creek's village and made Rain nearly die.
Watching her lay on the bank of that waterfall, and then watching Spirit get dragged away from her, was like watching your best friend die, but worse.
You felt like your whole life was going to end if Rain didn't survive, and the rest of the movie was filled with tension because her well-being was completely unknown. One thing that was for sure was that Spirit loved her, and Little Creek did too. And somehow you now did, whether you meant to or not. She has that effect.
6. THE scene.
You know what I'm talking about. The pivotal moment when Spirit jumps to the other side of the cliff to get away from the soldiers, and that other side means freedom for him and for Little Creek. They make it back to the Indian camp, and then Rain comes out of the fog, and she's alive. All of your fears are dispelled, and Spirit continues to fill you with inspiration and a desire for adventure.
"And so I grew from colt to stallion, as wild and as reckless as thunder over the land. Racing with the eagle, soaring with the wind. Flying? There were times I believed I could." -"Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron."
