Plot
After a brief introduction featuring an eagle and the mustang's homeland
(which resembles Yellowstone National Park, and is likely to be Cimarron
County), there is a scene showing the birth of a Buckskin Kiger Mustang,
who is the main protagonist, Spirit. His mother is known as Esperanza
- a beautiful palomino mare. His father, Strider, is never shown in the
actual movie, although he is seen in photos to be pure black (as his mother
is yellow and white mixed with black, creating yellow and black; although
this probably wasn't thought out by the animators). He grows into a stallion,
and assumes the role as leader of the herd. As leader, he defends two
foals from a cougar.Spirit is a grand leader with a serious mischievous
streak and a high sense of curiosity. Spotting a camp one night not far
from his herd, the stallion is unable to control his curiosity and moves
towards it, as he's never seen humans before. Against his mother's wishes,
he goes to investigate anyways, thus beginning his journey. To Spirit's
surprise, the humans (cowboys or horse-traders) are vicious.
After a long chase, he is captured and taken to a US cavalry post. During
this time in the movie, the army are fighting the Indian Wars and colonizing
the soon-to-be western United States. There he encounters a Colonel (based
on Colonel Custer; in the film he is known simply as "The Colonel").
He sees the stallion as a symbol of the West, which he is setting out
to conquer. Naturally, he attempts to conquer the mustang, too. Spirit
is not tamed easily and manages to outwit all who attempt to ride him.
Not pleased with this, The Colonel orders the horse to be tied to 'the
post' for three days, without food or water.During this time, a Lakota
American Indian named Little Creek is also brought into the fort and held
captive. After being thrown a knife over the fence by a Lakota tribe member,
Little Creek quickly hides it just as the bugle at dawn sounds.
This marks the end of the three days and the Colonel decided to attempt
to break Spirit himself. Spirit seems at first to have given up in exhaustion,
but his wild spirit seems to return and he manages to throw the Colonel
off and escape with Little Creek. The rest of the horses are intentionally
freed in the process. Little Creek's own mare, Rain, gallops up beside
them and, while Spirit is distracted Little Creek and the other Indians
with him loosely capture Spirit.After a failed attempt at mounting the
mustang, Little Creek ties him and Rain together. Rain shows Spirit her
world of the Lakota village. Spirit begins to understand their ways and
grows close to the mare. His affections for Rain, however, do not soften
his yearning to be free.At the end of this time Little Creek decides that
Spirit should never be tamed and frees him. However this occurs just before
an attack on the Lakota village by an Army regiment led by the Colonel,
in which Rain is shot by the Colonel and falls into a river. Spirit is
determined to save her, and falls over a waterfall with her in his attempt.
They survive, but Rain is injured and on the brink of dying. Spirit is
captured, yet again, by the Army. After finding Rain just as they lead
Spirit away, Little Creek is determined to free the mustang once and for
all, and follows the men who captured the stallion after tending to his
own mare.Spirit and some other Indian horses are put on a train and taken
to the work site of the Transcontinental Railroad, where they are put
to work pulling the locomotive engine up a mountain. As he and many other
horses are dragging the locomotive up a mountain, Spirit realizes that
if the track extends along its present course, it will infringe on his
homeland.
Spirit tricks the humans once again and, with the aid of the other horses,
breaks free from the steam engine and causes it to fall down the steep
incline they had been moving on. The locomotive rolls down the hill, chasing
Spirit all the way down. The engine collides into another locomotive,
causing a boiler explosion which starts the camp and woods on fire. As
fire erupts, the chain that had remained around Spirit's neck catches
on a log while he was leaping over it, but he is freed by Little Creek
before he strangled himself.When he wakes in the morning, Spirit spends
a short time playing in a lake and on the grass with Little Creek before
the Colonel and his men find them. In desperation, Little Creek sends
the mustang running. Realizing Little Creek is in danger, Spirit runs
back and pushes Little Creek on his back.
During the climactic chase scene on the winding rock passages leading
to the canyon, the two get trapped on a plateau. As the Colonel and his
men get closer, there is no where to go unless they jump over a large
gorge. In a spectacular leap of faith, the mustang and Little Creek jump
across to the other side. The soldiers do not attempt to follow. The Colonel
stops one of his men from shooting the two, and exchanges nods of respect
with Spirit before they part.After a brief celebration, Spirit races back
to the rebuilt Lakota village with Little Creek still on his back, where
he finds Rain still alive. The horses share a happy moment, and Little
Creek, knowing it's for the best, sets Spirit-who-could-not-be-broken
and Rain free, and they return to the wild herd. As they race back, the
song "I Will Always Return" is played. Eventually, they meet
up with his herd and Esperanza. The film ends with Spirit and Rain standing
at the ledge, with the herd below. The camera then spans up to the eagle
as he flies into the blindness of the sun.
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