Spirit Riding Free

Did You Know?

• The voice director for the first three episodes was Ginny McSwain; Katie McWane took over after that.
• Spirit Riding Free: Season 1–4 was released on DVD on June 5, 2018, grossing $668,194.
• Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas was released on DVD on November 11, 2021, grossing $27,614 in home video sales.

Premise

Set in the early 1900s frontier town of Miradero, 12-year-old Fortuna "Lucky" Esperanza Navarro Prescott moves from the city and encounters a wild kiger mustang named Spirit Jr., son of Spirit and Rain from the 2002 film. Lucky frees the stallion from wranglers and befriends Prudence "Pru" Granger and Abigail Stone. The three girls, calling themselves the PALs, ride their horses—Chica Linda and Boomerang—on many adventures.

Cast

Amber Frank voices Fortuna "Lucky" Esperanza Navarro-Prescott, the brave, headstrong main protagonist of half-European and half-Mexican heritage. Andy Aragon plays Javier, a Mexican cowboy and skilled trick rider who becomes Lucky's crush and later boyfriend. Sydney Park voices Prudence "Pru" Granger, the knowledgeable African-American brains of the team. Bailey Gambertoglio plays Abigail Stone, the youngest, kindest, and most naive of the group. Darcy Rose Byrnes voices Maricela Gutierrez, the spoiled mayor's daughter who starts as an adversary but becomes an acquaintance. Victor Garber and Nolan North provide voices for James Prescott Sr. and James "Jim" Prescott Jr. Kari Wahlgren voices Lucky's aunt Cora Prescott and sister Polly Prescott. Duncan Joiner plays Snips, Abigail's brother. Jeff Bennett voices Mesteneros and various characters. Andy Pessoa plays Turo, the friendly teenage craftsman. Tiya Sircar voices Kathryn "Kate" Flores-Prescott, the schoolmarm who becomes Lucky's stepmother. Jonathan Craig Williams and Dawnn Lewis play Al and Fannie Granger. Lucas Grabeel voices Julian Prescott, Lucky's scheming cousin. Bridger Zadina plays Mixtli, a Native American who heals Spirit. Other cast members include Eric Lopez, Marite Mantilla, Lilimar Hernandez, Tony Hale, Carlos Alazraqui, Julie Brown, James Patrick Stuart, Katey Sagal, Thomas Lennon, Rhys Darby, Paul-Mikél Williams, Rob Riggle, Jane Lynch, and Anna Vocino.

Film adaptation and web series

On October 7, 2019, DreamWorks Animation announced a feature film based on the series, scheduled for theatrical release on May 14, 2021. Directed by Elaine Bogan and co-directed by Ennio Torresan Jr., the film was written by series developer Aury Wallington and produced by Karen Foster. Titled Spirit Untamed, it was released on June 4, 2021. On February 9, 2022, DreamWorks announced a new series, Spirit & Friends, inspired by the characters and set in the Spirit Untamed world, with release beginning on YouTube on February 12.

Reception

The series received positive reviews. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media described it as "sweet," noting it lightly addresses factual strife between settlers and indigenous populations while raising issues of migration and assimilation. Ashby praised Lucky as a heroine showing courage, selflessness, and adventure, and called the stories humorous and heartwarming with themes reflecting the changing American West. Dave Trumbore of Collider said the series focuses less on social commentary and more on a girl, her horse, and sincere friendships and life lessons. Ashby called the "Riding Academy" seasons geared toward tweens, praising diverse characters and self-confident females coping with growing up, with healthy self-awareness and emotional maturity. She reviewed the specials "Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas" as a so-so holiday tale with timely themes, and "Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure" as a laborious interactive story with realistic peril.