Spirit Riding Free

Found the show first on YouTube as 5 minute shorts, and my youngest daughter (4 yr old) seemed to like it. Then not long after we got Netflix and found it on there, she's got really into it, even my eldest daughter (13) has said she likes it (in fact they are watching happily together right now in a fort in the living room). Although the writing can sometimes be a bit simple or contrived with not too much depth there is still enough going on to keep them entertained. the characters are likeable and strong willed are good role models for young girls.

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!

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.

I'm not going to deny that this is a great series for children. It teaches young girls that they can solve their own problems without being too dependent on other people; aside from friends. That's something to be admired.

The low rating comes from the title. This animated series has nothing to do with Spirit, the horse. The title of the series is meant for leeching off the success that was of Spirit, the movie. Honestly, if they changed the name of the series to something else - you couldn't even tell that this had anything to do with Spirit. The low rating is due to the disgust of clickbait.

If you're an adult looking for nostalgia - skip this. If you're an adult with children - watch it with them and silently scoff and roll your eyes.