Spirit Riding Free

No, "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" it is not. I can see why fans of the movie are disappointed (offended just screams snowflake to me) and yes, historically it is not accurate in terms of fashion and life in frontier America. There are anachronisms aplenty. BUT it's a children's show about girls who go on adventures with their horses and learn important lessons in friendship and life. Yes the animation is somewhat lazy (limited character types) but I would argue that the storylines are original and interesting. There is humour and some very touching moments too. I really enjoy it as does my 4 year old daughter. And the 3 protagonists represent all kinds of girl, from girly girl to tomboy and all independent, intelligent people who are kind and loyal to their friends with an accurate amount of teenage attitude I'd say. It really doesn't deserve the bad reviews it's getting here! The toys (barbie type dolls) are crap so buy the Playmobil stuff as this is good. Or don't buy the toys and just enjoy a wholesome kids show about young girls and their horses. Just chill out a bit about it!

The horse in Spirit Riding Free is not the same horse as the horse in Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron. The original Spirit was a Dun (Dun stripe down the middle of his back) The Horse in Spirit Riding Free is a Buckskin and has no Dun stripe.

Now. Problem solved. All of you that are so offended can calm down.

More than one horse name Spirit in this world. My son has a Dun horse, colored like the original Spirit because he Loves the Original movie. He also Loves the series too. Not the same story. Not the same horse. Calm down. Enjoy the series. It's good fun and in no way has insulted your favorite of the Spirits.

Also I'd like to point out that the original movie and the series are fictional. Horses do not behave in this manner. I've trained horses for over twenty years. These stories are for kids. They are not real.

Sure, this isn't a show for history buffs or die-hard Spirit enthusiasts, but it's a cute and entertaining show for kids. If the horse had any other name I think people could calm down and stop getting so angry that this isn't a "true" depiction of wild horses and their behaviour. The characters' eyes are also bigger than their mouths, so chill out. The show is entertaining and one of the few things I can watch with my toddler and not hate. The characters are sweet, mostly likable and the stories - while far-fetched - are fun and usually have some kind of lesson thrown in.

If you want your generic girls riding and bonding horses show, its cute and funny, and it is 100% what you would expect from this kind of show. I came as a a fan of the original but this was enjoyable on its own and doesn't require seeing the original movie.

If you were looking for something like the namesake, a movie about a wild horse stumbling through the taming of the wild west and the struggle of Native Americans, who also bonds with a human through their trials, there is nothing for you here. The only thing this has in common with the movie is the name. The only real nods to the movie within the show itself is where they show that this Spirit is the original's son in the pony tails shorts, and they occasionally use Spirit not liking rope as a plotpoint. They basically used the name as a marketing tool, they could replace Spirit with any wild horse and nothing would change.

I was gonna go for 5 stars since it was a good show but completely lied for the title, but I think other fans of the original keep giving it a terrible score just out of revenge for the title so I'll help bump it up a bit.

It should be noted while some sources said that the horse is actually Spirit's son, I believe that's far from the case as I don't think we'll ever see the characters from the original film appear on this show. This is definitely meant to be a complete rewrite of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. I can see fans of the film won't be happy about this.

On the other hand, it's a kids show so of course things will be watered down. In this show, Spirit becomes semi-tamed (not completely tamed thankfully). He starts out as a wild horse but forms a connection with the girl Lucky, who still allows Spirit the freedom to go to and from as he pleases. And they never put a saddle or bridle on him.

As someone who loved the original film, you better believe I'm disappointed with the changes made. As far as the show goes though, it's okay. It's about as much as you would expect without getting cringey. Season 1 has a mix of good, meh, and bad episodes. If you're a horse lover, you might like the show good enough. If the writers are willing to take more chances with future seasons, it does have the potential of being a decent kids show.