La légende de l'étalon noir

I'm not sure you'll find a more spellbinding debut than that of Biana Tamimi. Grounded in compassion and emotional complexity, her performance, at times, borders on the ethereal. Breathing new life into an all too familiar genre, Tamimi acts as a torch bearer for young actresses who seek to break the cycle of form over substance.

The rejection of cinematic norms is what raises this particular film above many of the tried and true Disney formulaic offerings. Tamimi is at the center of this paradigm shift. At once mysterious and spiritual, Tamimi's star is on the rise. She's here and for real!!

OK, I have been a huge fan of the Black for a long time and was DISGUSTED after seeing this film. Let's name the problems...First this film has much of the same crew that the first two had. It has also been called the PREQUEL to the original Black Stallion. Why is it that they can't get Shetan's dam's name correct or her color?? In The Black Stallion Returns, we learn the Sagr was the Black's CHESTNUT mother and in this film she is a gray mare name Jenny?!?!?!?!? WTF? And it's set in Africa in 1946 and 1947...I could be wrong but the first one was set in the 1940's as well when the ship wrecks. Time line doesn't sound quite right to me. Also, as a goof, there is a friesian in the beginning of the movie that is supposed to be Shetan's father...upon further notice it appears to be a gelding. Ben Ishaak is the only character that remained to even make this film appear to be related to the previous two in any way. Might be a cute family film to some but it's my biggest movie disappointment of the year.

I understand that this movie is made for kids and as a parent I have sat through many movies that don't particularly hold my interest, but I can appreciate from a constructive point of view in how it is being received by my children. Parents are supposed to be encouraged after all to take part in their children's activities and to monitor the quality of the entertainment that they view so there should be something that appeals to an adult audience on some level even in children's movies. Disney has always understood this which is why it is so hard to fathom how it could allow such a complete piece of drek to bear their name.

Technically, the sound editing is horrible and all dialog sounds over-dubbed and unnatural. Personally I hate that, but it was doubly awful considering the dialog itself seemed as though it was written by a 12 year old for a school project. The "acting" reminded me of a school play and none of the child actors had any range of emotion in their voices. Thankfully it was a very short movie.

Now, before I come off like a video-geek measuring a kids movie with an adult yard stick, the one thing that can save even the worst children's movie is a positive message. Far be it from me to determine how a message has to be delivered so long as the right one is. Let us take a walk through this film to see what messages are given:

If you are lost, don't worry, you will inevitably find your way home.

Approach wild animals without any fear.

You can win any competition just because you "know" you can.

and my favorite, the final message left in the film:

It's okay to disobey authority figures and do what you think is right.

Went and saw the premiere with my kids (both under 7) this week. They thought it was great, and although the run time was a little short for my tastes, it worked out great for their attention spans. My little one seemed a little bored during some of the slower portions.

The film was visually very appealing, the landscape was terrific. The far away shots of the desert were really stunning as well as the race footage. You could almost feel the sand being kicked up during the race scenes. IMAX was a great format to see this in and my kids were in awe of the size of the screen.

That being said, the acting was a bit strained but hey 2 of the 3 main characters were kids and the other was the horse. And while it may be nit picking, how does a 12 year-old girl start a fire all by herself with no tools or supplies?

Anyway, overall a fun experience to take your kids to.

This movie, no question is a very beautifully shot movie. Much like The Black Stallion of 1979 was. The horses were amazing too and the horse race was fun. The score was very nice. I enjoy this movie, and put it on often when I need something simple to watch. That's the key, this movie is simple. Although the acting annoys me, I still find myself coming back to this movie for that reason. It's under an hour long, it's simple and right to the point. In this movie, I think it works beautifully.