Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (also known as Spirit) is a 2002 American animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. The film was directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook in their directional debuts, and written by John Fusco.[4] The film follows Spirit, a Kiger Mustang stallion (voiced by Matt Damon through inner dialogue), who is captured during the American Indian Wars by the United States Cavalry; he is freed by a Native American man named Little Creek who attempts to lead him back into the Lakota village. In contrast to the way animals are portrayed in an anthropomorphic style in other animated features, Spirit and his fellow horses communicate with each other through sounds and body language like real horses.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was released in theaters on May 24, 2002, and earned $122.6 million on an $80 million budget.[3] It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, losing to Spirited Away. A Netflix animated series based on the film, titled Spirit Riding Free, premiered on May 5, 2017, followed by a feature-length film adaptation of the series set for release on May 14, 2021.