Let me start by saying that I probably would have enjoyed this film a tad more had it not been for all of those annoying and intrusive Bryan Adams tunes. I don't hate Adams mind you. It's hard to resist Summer of 69 but in the past decade or so, this guy has done more movie theme songs than Randy Newman. I guess this means Adams will probably win an Oscar next year.

Spirit is a new animated feature that tells the story of a horse who is captured by a group of soldiers during the mid 1800's. The horse in question goes by Spirit, a name given to him by a Lakota man who helps the animal retain freedom.

Spirit is well animated. It's beautiful vistas and old western settings are expertly drawn and the scenes in which the horses gallop through the wild, are absolutely gorgeous. I also liked the cast, particularly James Cromwell as a stern Colonel.

What is most fascinating about Spirit, is that it features animals that don't talk. No, these horses neigh at one another just like they do in the real world. Matt Damon supplies the voice of Spirit's thoughts, and even his narration is limited. In that respect, I admired the storytellers for doing something that animation lovers have hoped for quite sometime.

However, non-talking animals, do not a great animated feature make. While I enjoyed much of Spirit, I found many parts of the film to be pretty dull. And rather than letting the film thrive on realistic drama, it's makers felt compelled to let scenes be overly manipulated by those all too obvious Bryan Adams songs.

I hate to sound like a killjoy here. I do like animated features a lot. I caught a lot of flack for not being overwhelmed by Monsters Inc. Like that picture, I felt that Spirit is decent but lacking in energy. It just didn't completely win me over. As far as animation goes, I still think Ice Age is the best flick this year has to offer.