# Spirit (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. The first film, Stallion of the Cimarron, received mostly positive reviews from critics and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards.
An animated television series, Spirit Riding Free, premiered on Netflix in 2017 and introduced new characters like Lucky Prescott, who became one of the franchise's main protagonists alongside Spirit. It spawned a short-form series titled Pony Tales, a spin-off series titled Riding Academy, and two television specials.
The television series served as the basis for the 2021 film Spirit Untamed, which is a re-imagined version of the first episode of Spirit Riding Free.

## Films

| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
| Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | May 24, 2002 (2002-05-24) | Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook | John Fusco | Mireille Soria and Jeffrey Katzenberg |
| Spirit Untamed | June 4, 2021 (2021-06-04) | Elaine BoganCo-Directed by: Ennio Torresan Jr. | Aury Wallington and Kristin Hahn | Karen Foster |

### Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a 2002 American animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. It was directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, in their feature directional debuts, from a screenplay by John Fusco.
Set in the Old West in the late 19th century, the film follows Spirit, a Kiger Mustang stallion (voiced by Matt Damon through inner dialogue), who is captured during the American Indian Wars by the United States Cavalry; he is freed by a Native American man named Little Creek who attempts to lead him back into the Lakota village.
The film was released in theaters on May 24, 2002. In July 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation from Paramount Pictures (owners of the pre-2005 DreamWorks Pictures catalog) and transferred to 20th Century Fox before reverting to Universal Studios in 2018.

### Spirit Untamed (2021)

Spirit Untamed is a 2021 American animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is directed by Elaine Bogan, in her feature directorial debut, and co-directed by Ennio Torresan Jr.
It is a reboot and kind of a sequel of the traditional animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and based on the characters from its spin-off television series Spirit Riding Free, created by Aury Wallington, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Kristin Hahn. The film is a re-imagined version of the series' story that follows a young girl named Fortuna "Lucky" Prescott who moves to the small rural community of Miradero, where she meets the titular wild kiger mustang whom she names "Spirit" and immediately begins to bond with him.
The film was released in the United States on June 4, 2021.

## Television series

| Series | Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Network |
| Riding Free | 1 | 6 | 6 | May 5, 2017 (2017-05-05) | May 5, 2017 (2017-05-05) | Netflix |
| Riding Free | 2 | 7 | 7 | September 8, 2017 (2017-9-08) | September 8, 2017 (2017-9-08) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free | 3 | 7 | 7 | November 17, 2017 (2017-11-17) | November 17, 2017 (2017-11-17) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free | 4 | 6 | 6 | March 16, 2018 (2018-3-16) | March 16, 2018 (2018-3-16) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free | 5 | 7 | 7 | May 11, 2018 (2018-5-11) | May 11, 2018 (2018-5-11) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free | 6 | 6 | 6 | August 17, 2018 (2018-8-17) | August 17, 2018 (2018-8-17) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free | 7 | 7 | 7 | November 9, 2018 (2018-11-09) | November 9, 2018 (2018-11-09) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free | 8 | 6 | 6 | April 5, 2019 (2019-04-05) | April 5, 2019 (2019-04-05) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free: Pony Tales | 1 | 6 | 6 | August 9, 2019 (2019-08-09) | August 9, 2019 (2019-08-09) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free: Pony Tales | 2 | 4 | 4 | October 18, 2019 (2019-10-18) | October 18, 2019 (2019-10-18) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free: Riding Academy | 1 | 7 | 7 | April 3, 2020 (2020-04-03) | April 3, 2020 (2020-04-03) | | Netflix |
| Riding Free: Riding Academy | 2 | 9 | 9 | September 4, 2020 (2020-09-04) | September 4, 2020 (2020-09-04) | | Netflix |
| Spirit & Friends | 1 | 20 | 20 | February 12, 2022 (2022-02-12) | March 28, 2023 (2023-03-28) | YouTube Peacock |

### Spirit Riding Free (2017–2019)

Spirit Riding Free is an animated spin-off television series, produced by DreamWorks Animation Television based on the traditionally animated film, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Created by Aury Wallington, it premiered on Netflix on May 5, 2017.
The series is set in small frontier town of Miradero and follows Lucky Prescott, a 12-year-old girl who had recently relocated from the city. She encounters a wild kiger mustang named Spirit. Lucky immediately bonds with the stallion and also makes friends with Pru Granger and Abigail Stone. Pru owns a palomino horse called Chica Linda, and Abigail has a pinto horse called Boomerang. The girls call themselves the PALs.

### 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. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Magic Show" | Jim Schumann | Robert Taylor | Rick Lacy | August 22, 2017 (2017-8-22) |
| 2 | "Rainy Day" | Jim Schumann | Robert Taylor | Kennedy Tarrell | November 7, 2017 (2017-11-7) |
| 3 | "Mustang Mail Part 1" | Jim Schumann | Robert Taylor | Rick Lacy | January 16, 2018 (2018-1-16) |
| 4 | "Mustang Mail Part 2" | Jim Schumann | Robert Taylor | Rick Lacy | January 23, 2018 (2018-1-23) |
| 5 | "The Circus Mystery, Pt. 1: Magical New Tricks" | Joshua Taback | Robert Taylor | Jean Kang | July 24, 2018 (2018-7-24) |
| 6 | "The Circus Mystery, Pt. 2: Kidnapping in Miradero" | Joshua Taback | Robert Taylor | Jean Kang | July 31, 2018 (2018-7-31) |
| 7 | "The Circus Mystery, Pt. 3: The Bandit Standoff" | Joshua Taback | Robert Taylor | Jean Kang | August 7, 2018 (2018-8-7) |
| 8 | "Adventure Music Video" | - | - | - | September 23, 2018 (2018-9-23) |
| 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 (2019-1-15) |
| 11 | "The Grooming Wagon, Pt. 2: Race Against the Clock" | - | - | - | January 22, 2019 (2019-1-22) |
| 12 | "The Grooming Wagon, Pt. 3: A Soapy Success" | - | - | - | January 29, 2019 (2019-1-29) |
| 13 | "Fast Friends: Abigail & Boomerang Meet for the FIRST Time!" | - | - | - | July 16, 2019 (2019-7-16) |
| 14 | "Fast Friends: Pru & Chica Linda Meet for the FIRST Time!" | - | - | - | July 23, 2019 (2019-7-23) |
| 15 | "Fast Friends: Lucky & Spirit Meet for the FIRST Time!" | - | - | - | July 30, 2019 (2019-7-30) |
| 16 | "Unstoppable Music Video" | - | - | - | August 6, 2019 (2019-8-6) |
| 17 | "A Friendly Race" | Allan Jacobsen | Nicole Belisle | Kat Chan, Laur Uy | June 17, 2020 (2020-6-17) |
| 18 | "The Vet Is In" | Allan Jacobsen | Nicole Belisle | Kat Chan, Laur Uy | June 24, 2020 (2020-6-24) |
| 19 | "Dressage Corsage" | Allan Jacobsen | Nicole Belisle | Kat Chan, Laur Uy | July 1, 2020 (2020-7-1) |

### Spirit Riding Free: Pony Tales (2019)

Spirit Riding Free: Pony Tales is an animated short-form television series, produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and the second spin-off television series of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and the first from the first television series Spirit Riding Free. It premiered on Netflix on August 9, 2019.

### Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy (2020)

Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy is an animated television series, produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and the third spin-off television series of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and the second from the television series Spirit Riding Free. It premiered on Netflix on April 3, 2020.
Lucky, Pru and Abigail are preparing to leave Miradero as they move away to boarding school at the Palomino Bluffs Riding Academy. But the girls are faced with fresh responsibilities and experiences. From meeting their new competition, the BUDs, their transition to the academy is anything but easy. Along the way the PALs will make new friends and explore their individual talents as they grow up and discover their new home together.

### Spirit & Friends (2022-2023)

On February 9, 2022, DreamWorks Animation Television announced a new series titled Spirit & Friends inspired by the characters from Spirit Riding Free, which takes place in the same setting of Spirit Untamed. It was released on YouTube on February 12. The cast trio of Spirit Untamed (Merced, Martin, and Grace) reprised their roles and all shorts were directed by Andrew Wilson with animation provided by Doberman Pictures and Top Draw Animation. The series was also released on Peacock months later after the release.
| No. | Title | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Chompy the Baby Mountain Lion" | Jessie Gant | Daniela Fischer | February 12, 2022 (2022-02-12) |
| Lucky, Pru, and Abigail try to save a mountain lion cub, but who will save them when the mama comes back looking for her baby? |||||
| 2 | "Baby Ducklings" | Laura Sreebny | Renee Howerton | February 19, 2022 (2022-02-19) |
| When the PALs find some duck eggs, they decide to take care of them until they're old enough to be on their own. |||||
| 3 | "Baby Bunny Breakout!" | Nicole Belisle | Daniela Fischer | February 26, 2022 (2022-02-26) |
| When Lucky falls asleep while watching baby bunnies, it's up to the PALs and a filly to find them before the snake does. |||||
| 4 | "Lost Lamb on the Range" | Nicole Belisle | Hadas Rosen | March 5, 2022 (2022-03-05) |
| The PALs set off to find a lost lamb. Will they find him before the wolf does? |||||
| 5 | "Bunny Gets His Bounce Back" | Alex Fernandez | Renee Howerton | April 2, 2022 (2022-04-02) |
| Silver is all grown up and an awesome jumper, but when he is found limping, will the PALs do everything they can to get him jumping again? |||||
| 6 | "Foal’s First Check Up" | Martín Julio Castillo & Grace Murphy | Daniela Fischer | April 8, 2022 (2022-04-08) |
| It's Checkup day at the ranch, but a little filly is scared of her first one. Will the PALs be able to coax her to get one? |||||
| 7 | "Keeping Up with a Three-Legged Pup" | Jonathan Hernandez | Hadas Rosen | April 16, 2022 (2022-04-16) |
| 8 | "Marshmallow Mishaps" | Denisse De La Cruz | Renee Howerton | April 23, 2022 (2022-04-23) |
| 9 | "What a Pigsty!" | - | - | July 30, 2022 (2022-07-30) |
| 10 | "Invasion of the Apple Snatchers" | - | - | August 6, 2022 (2022-08-06) |
| 11 | "Feista Fiasco" | - | - | August 13, 2022 (2022-08-13) |
| 12 | "Kittens, Kittens Everywhere" | - | - | August 20, 2022 (2022-08-20) |
| 13 | "Creepy Campfire Story Comes to Life" | - | - | September 24, 2022 (2022-09-24) |
| 14 | "Abigail's Fantastic Flea Remedy" | - | - | November 5, 2022 (2022-11-05) |
| 15 | "A Christmas Llama Miracle" | - | - | November 12, 2022 (2022-11-12) |
| 16 | "The Mystery of the Candy Stealing Ghost" | - | - | November 19, 2022 (2022-11-19) |
| 17 | "Lucky vs Donkey: Who's More Stubborn?" | - | - | January 16, 2023 (2023-1-16) |
| 18 | "Save the Goats!" | - | - | January 16, 2023 (2023-1-16) |
| 19 | "Lost Kitty Finds an Unexpected Home" | - | - | March 14, 2023 (2023-3-14) |
| 20 | "Pru's Amazing Rodeo Audition!" | - | - | March 28, 2023 (2023-3-28) |

## Television specials
### Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas (2019)

Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas is a Christmas special which premiered on Netflix on December 6, 2019. The special starred the characters from Spirit Riding Free television series.
Lucky and her friends embark on a Christmas Eve adventure into the city to find the perfect gift, but their return to Miradero for the holiday festivities are ruined when an avalanche derails their plans.

### Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure (2020)

Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure is a interactive special which premiered on Netflix on December 8, 2020.
In this special, Lucky and her friends go on a mission to save Maricela's beloved mare, Mystery, from greedy horse thieves who've taken her captive with a wild herd.

## Cast and crew
### Cast and characters

| Characters | Feature films | Feature films | Television series | Television series | Television series | Web series | Television special(s) | Television special(s) |
| Characters | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | Spirit Untamed |
| Characters | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | Spirit Untamed | Spirit Riding Free | Pony Tales | Riding Academy | Spirit & Friends | Spirit of Christmas | Ride Along Adventure |
| Spirit | Matt Damon | Silent | Silent | Silent | Silent | Silent | Silent | Silent |
| Little Creek | Daniel Studi | | | | | | | |
| Lucky Prescott | | Isabela MercedBridget Hoffman (young) | Amber Frank | Amber Frank | Amber Frank | Isabela Merced | Amber Frank | Amber Frank |
| Pru Granger | | Marsai Martin | Sydney Park | Sydney Park | Sydney Park | Marsai Martin | Sydney Park | Sydney Park |
| Abigail Stone | | Mckenna Grace | Bailey Gambertoglio | Bailey Gambertoglio | Bailey Gambertoglio | Mckenna Grace | Bailey Gambertoglio | Bailey Gambertoglio |
| Snips Stone | | Lucian Perez | Duncan Joiner | Duncan Joiner | Duncan Joiner | | Duncan Joiner | Duncan Joiner |
| James “Jim” Prescott Jr. | | Jake Gyllenhaal | Nolan North | Nolan North | Nolan North | | Nolan North | |
| Cora Prescott | | Julianne Moore | Kari Wahlgren | | Kari Wahlgren | | Kari Wahlgren | |
| Al Granger | | Andre Braugher | Jonathan Craig Williams | Jonathan Craig Williams | Jonathan Craig Williams | | Jonathan Craig Williams | |
| Maricela Gutierrez | | | Darcy Rose Byrnes | Darcy Rose Byrnes | Darcy Rose Byrnes | | Darcy Rose Byrnes | Darcy Rose Byrnes |
| Turo | | | Andy Pessoa | Andy Pessoa | Character is Mute | | | |
| Bianca and Mary Pat | | | Gabriella Graves | Gabriella Graves | Gabriella Graves | | Gabriella Graves | |
| Fannie Granger | | | Dawnn Lewis | Dawnn Lewis | Dawnn Lewis | | Character is Mute | |
| Kathryn "Kate" Flores | | | Tiya Sircar | | Tiya Sircar | | Tiya Sircar | |
| Julian Prescott | | | Lucas Grabeel | | | | | |
| James Prescott Sr. | | Joe Hart | Victor Garber (1st voice)Nolan North (2nd voice) | | Victor Garber (Archive recordings) | | | |
| Milagro Navarro | | Eiza González | Natalie Otano | | | | | |
| Tito | | | Eric Lopez | | | | | |
| Estrella | | | Marite Mantilla | | | | | |
| Solana | | | Lilimar Hernandez | | | | | |
| Javier | | | Andy Aragon | | | | | |
| Mixtli | | | Bridger Zadina | Bridger Zadina | | | | |
| Miz McDonnell | | | Christine Baranaski | Christine Baranaski | | | | |
| Major Gutierrez | | | Christian Lanz | Christian Lanz | | | | |
| Mrs. Hungerford | | | Julie Brown | Julie Brown | | | | |
| Bebe Schumann | | | | Julia Lester | Julia Lester | | | |
| Daphne | | | | Georgia Dolenz | Georgia Dolenz | | | |
| Ursula Lin Yang | | | | Charlet Chung | Charlet Chung | | | |
| Headmaster Perkins | | | | | Rhys Darby | | | |
| Lydia Sterling | | | | | Kitana Turnbull | | | |
| Jack | | | | | Paul-Mikél Williams | | | |
| Saher Kapoor | | | | | Karan Brar | | | |
| Priya Kapoor | | | | | Roshni Edwards | | | |
| Alex Fox | | | | | Justin Felbenger | | | |
| Beef | | | | | Austin Kane | | | |
| Dr. Annalisa Cope | | | | | Briana León | | | |
| Coach Bradley | | | | | Jane Lynch | | | |
| Major Schumann | | | | | Rob Riggle | | | |
| Mr. Daniels | | | | | Piotr Michael | | | |
| Tyler | | | | | Benjamin Flores Jr. | | | |
| Mr. Gael | | | | | | Carlos Alazraqui | | |
| Anahí | | | | | | TBA | | |
| Mrs. Johnson | | | | | | TBA | | |
| Banks Beller | | | | | | TBA | | |
| Sally Jessup | | | | | | | Katherine McNamara | |
| The Colonel | James Cromwell | | | | | | | |
| Sgt. Adams | Chopper Bernet | | | | | | | |
| Hendricks | | Walton Goggins | | | | | | |
| Harlan Grayson | | | James Patrick Stuart | | | | | |
| Butch LePray | | | Katey Sagal | | | | | Katey Sagal |
| Rooster | | | Thomas Lennon | | | | | |
| Frankie LePray | | | | | | | | Rachel Kimsey |

### Crew

| Role | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | Spirit Untamed |
| Role | 2002 | 2021 |
| Director(s) | Kelly Asbury Lorna Cook | Elaine BoganCo-Directed by: Ennio Torresan Jr. |
| Producer(s) | Mireille Soria Jeffrey Katzenberg | Karen Foster |
| Screenplay by | John Fusco | Aury Wallington Kristin Hahn |
| Composer(s) | Hans Zimmer | Amie Doherty |
| Editor(s) | Nick Fletcher Clare De Chenu | R. Orlando Duenas |
| Studio(s) | DreamWorks Animation | DreamWorks Animation |
| Animation producer(s) | DWA Glendale Anvil Studios Bardel Entertainment Stardust Pictures | Jellyfish Pictures 88 Pictures Minimo VFX |
| Distributor(s) | DreamWorks Pictures | Universal Pictures |
| Running time | 84 minutes | 85 minutes |

## Reception
### Box office performance

| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office gross | Box office gross | Budget | Ref. |
| Film | Release date | North America | Other territories | Worldwide | Budget | Ref. |
| Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | May 24, 2002 | $73,280,117 | $49,283,422 | $122,563,539 | $80 million | |
| Spirit Untamed | June 4, 2021 | $17,716,215 | $25,001,000 | $42,717,215 | $30 million | |
| Total | Total | $90,996,332 | $74,284,422 | $165,280,754 | $110 million | |

### Critical and public response

Critical and public response of Spirit films :
| Film | Critical | Critical | Public | Public |
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore | PostTrak |
| Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | 69% (125 reviews) | 52 (29 reviews) | A | — |
| Spirit Untamed | 48% (115 reviews) | 49 (23 reviews) | A | 75% |

## Video games

| Year | Title | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Platform(s) |
| 2002 | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron — Forever Free | The Fizz Factor | THQ | Windows |
| 2002 | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron — Search for Homeland | Hyperspace Cowgirls | THQ | Game Boy Advance |
| 2019 | Spirit Trick Challenge | Dreamworks Animation | Dreamworks Animation | Android / iOS |
| 2021 | Spirit: Lucky's Big Adventure | aheartfulofgames | Outright Games LTD. | Windows / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One / Nintendo Switch |

## Book series

Shortly after the movie, a book series called “Spirit of the West” was released by writer Kathleen Duey; telling the story of Spirit's family lineage and herd.

## Music
### Soundtracks

| Title | U.S. release date | Length | Label |
| Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - Music from the Original Motion Picture | May 4, 2002 (2002-05-04) | 59:55 | A&M Records |
| Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas - EP | December 6, 2019 (2019-12-06) | 10:42 | Back Lot Music |
| Spirit Untamed (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | May 28, 2021 (2021-05-28) | 68:06 | Back Lot Music |

### Singles

| Title | U.S. release date | Length | Artist(s) | Label | Film/Series |
| "Here I Am" | June 11, 2002 (2002-06-11) | 4:06 | Bryan Adams | A&M Records | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron |
| "Riding Free" | May 25, 2017 (2017-05-25) | 3:07 | Maisy Stella | Back Lot Music | Spirit Riding Free |
| "Friends Forever" | November 7, 2017 (2017-11-07) | 1:56 | Amber Frank, Sydney Park and Bailey Gambertoglio | Back Lot Music | Spirit Riding Free |
| "Unstoppable" | May 3, 2019 (2019-05-03) | 2:40 | Amber Frank, Sydney Park and Bailey Gambertoglio | Back Lot Music | Spirit Riding Free: Pony Tales |
| "Fearless (Valiente Duet)" | May 6, 2021 (2021-05-06) | 4:14 | Isabela Merced and Eiza González | Back Lot Music | Spirit Untamed |
| "You Belong" | May 20, 2021 (2021-05-20) | 3:16 | Becky G | Back Lot Music | Spirit Untamed |