Black Beauty (2020)

**Black Beauty** is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Ashley Avis which was released on November 27, 2020 on Disney+.

It is based on Anna Sewell's 1877 novel of the same name.

## Plot

A wild horse befriends a spirited teenage girl who form an unbreakable bond that keeps them connected for a lifetime.

## Cast

* Kate Winslet as Black Beauty (voice)
* Mackenzie Foy as Jo Green
	+ Faith Bodington as Jo Green (age 12)
* Iain Glen as John Manly
* Calam Lynch as George Winthorp
* Claire Forlani as Mrs. Winthorp
* Fern Deacon as Georgina Winthorp
* Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Terry
* Max Raphael as James
* Matt Rippy as Henry Gordon
* David Sherwood as Mr. York
* Bjorn Steinbach as Mario
* Patrick Lyster as Mr. Winthorp

## Production

In May of 2019, it was announced that a new adaptation of Anna Sewell's novel of the same name was in development, with Ashley Avis writing and directing the film. Mackenzie Foy and Kate Winslet were set to star in the film.

Filming for "Black Beauty" began in South Africa on October 14, 2019, with Claire Forlani and Iain Glen joining the cast. Filming ended on November 27, 2019.

Black Beauty is portrayed by four different horses: Spirit, Jenny, Awards and Rosie. The horse that portrays her as a foal, is coincidentally named Black Beauty.

Beauty's mother, Duchess, is portrayed (coincidentally) by a horse named Beauty while Ginger was portrayed by Susie and Orion and Merrylegs was portrayed by Lulu Belle and Victoria.

Iain Glen (who played John Manley) was in a round pen with a semi-untrained (no join-up experience) paint horse. Glen delivered his lines as the horse walked up behind him without cue.

## Release

In July of 2020, Walt Disney Pictures acquired the distribution rights to "Black Beauty" from Constantin Film.

It was scheduled to be released theatrically, but due to the negative effects of COVID-19, it was eventually bought by Walt Disney Studios and released their streaming service, Disney+ on November 27, 2020.

## Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, "Black Beauty" has an approval rating of 48% based on 46 reviews with an average rating of 6.4\10. The site's consensus reads: *"Unable to rein in the complexities of its source material, Black Beauty struggles to gallop out of the paddock."*

On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."

Common Sense Media gave "Black Beauty" a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, calling it *"emotionally taxing, with the central horse suffering abuse, loss, and danger"*, adding: *"That said, the film, told mostly from the horse's perspective, ultimately shows a clear respect and admiration for the animals, and it conveys positive messages of loyalty, family, perseverance, resilience."*

The New York Post gave it a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, stating: *"One of the purposes of the book was to shine a line on animal cruelty, which is admirable — but “Black Beauty” veers so often into the dark and the sad I question how much appeal it’ll really have for the younger set. Still, if your tear ducts need cleaning, this is one holiday film that’ll get the job done."*

Den Of Geek praised Ashley Avis's work, stating: *"Ashley Avis hits all the plot points and throws in some fantastically pretty shots in the process, yet there is a lack of texture (both visually and narratively) that keeps this film from graduating from serviceable horse-girl film to something greater both within and outside the limits of Horse Girl Canon" and that the movie "lacks the thematic ambition of its source material, but is a serviceable addition to Horse Girl Canon."*

Brian Lowry from CNN said: *"Black Beauty gives the original Victorian novel a significant makeover, a contemporary remake that relocates the story to the American West. The movie delivers a more pointed animal-rights message, but while its equine star fares well enough, the two-footed characters never really get out of the starting gate."*

The New York Times wrote: *"[Ashley] Avis loses the novel’s sincerity by watering down [Anna] Sewell’s animal welfare plea. In this update, the humans are not as villainous. Beauty is not as prominent. And the novel’s mustang spirit diminishes into a ho-hum horse movie."*

The Hollywood Reporter wrote: *"While the muted performances might have benefitted from the occasional more emotionally rooted response and the South Africa locations don’t quite convincingly double for John Ford country, it’s the inertness that ultimately stops Black Beauty in its tracks."*