Both ‘Spirit’ Movies in Order (Including TV Shows & Specials)
If you have seen the classic movie ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,’ you also know that it was a huge success at the box office back in 2002, when it came out. In fact, it’s one of the best horse movies of all time. The movie received great reviews and was even nominated for the Academy Award. Fast forward to this year, and the ‘Spirit’ movie has become a franchise by now.
The ‘Spirit’ franchise currently consists of 2 movies, 4 TV Shows, and two specials, and today, we’re going to tell you how to watch them in order.
Editor’s Note: This watch order was updated in November 2023 and reflects the current state of the ‘Spirit’ franchise.
All ‘Spirit’ movies, shows & specials in release date order
The franchise started with the first movie ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,’ and it took more than 15 years for it to turn into a full-fledged franchise that we know today. 2017 is the year when the shows started getting released, followed by another movie. Let’s see the release date order of ‘Spirit’ franchise:
- ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’ (2002)
- ‘Riding Free’ (2017-2019) 8 Seasons
- Riding Free: Pony Tales (2019) 2 Seasons
- ‘Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas’ (2019) Special
- ‘Riding Free: Riding Academy‘ (2020) 2 Seasons
- ‘Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure’ (2020) Special
- ‘Spirit Untamed’ (2021)
- ‘Spirit & Friends’ (2022-2023) 1 Season
Are all ‘Spirit’ movies, shows & specials connected? What’s the best way to watch them?
Technically all ‘Spirit’ movies, shows, and specials are connected they, take place within the same universe and are part of the same continuity but not all of them are a part of the main franchise. ‘Riding Free’ is the spinoff of the original ‘Stallion of the Cimarron’ movie, the second movie, ‘Spirit Untamed’ is based on the spin-off show and is considered to be a standalone sequel. ‘Spirit Riding Free: Pony Tales,’ ‘Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy,’ are all spinoffs based on the original movie. ‘Spirit & Friends’ however is a spinoff based on the ‘Spirit Untamed’ movie, as you can see it’s quite complicated. So probably the best course of order would be to watch them in release date order, however, if you’re brave enough, we have the chronological order as well.
‘Spirit’ movies, TV shows & specials in chronological order
Since proper chronology is pointless with so many spinoffs that include different characters, we’re going to break this chronological order into primary and spinoff works that they are connected to. This is how it goes:
- ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’
- ‘Riding Free’ (8 Seasons)
- ‘Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas’
- ‘Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure’
- ‘Spirit Untamed’
- ‘Spirit & Friends’
- ‘Riding Free: Pony Tales’
- ‘Riding Free: Riding Academy’
1.‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’
‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’ follows the story of a wild Mustang named Spirit, who defies captivity and forms a bond with a Native American youth named Little Creek. Together, they embark on a journey of freedom and friendship, facing various challenges and adventures in the untamed American frontier.
2. ‘Riding Free’
‘Riding Free’ follows the adventures of a spirited girl named Lucky and her wild horse companion, Spirit. Set in the small frontier town of Miradero, the show revolves around the duo as they navigate friendship, courage, and various challenges while exploring the wonders of the Wild West. It was the first spinoff of the original movie.
3. ‘Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas’
A television special based on the first spinoff, taking place during Christmas Holidays. Follows Lucy and her stallion.
4. ‘Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure’
A second special and first interactive special related to the ‘Riding Free’ spinoff. It also stars Lucy and her stallion.
5. ‘Spirit Untamed’
‘Spirit Untamed’ is the second movie, but it’s actually a re-imagining of the story that we followed during the ‘Riding Free’ spinoff show and takes place within the same timeline.
6. ‘Spirit & Friends’
‘Spirit & Friends’ follows the secondary characters of the ‘Spirit Untamed’ movie and roughly takes place within the same timeline so it’s best to watch it after the movie, or show.
7. ‘Riding Free: Pony Tales’
‘Riding Free: Pony Tales’ is a collection of animated shorts that expands on the adventures of Lucky and her horse companion, Spirit, in the ‘Riding Free’ universe. Each short episode features new and exciting stories, highlighting the bond between Lucky and the horses in Miradero as they face challenges, embark on adventures, and celebrate the spirit of friendship in the Wild West.
8. ‘Riding Free: Riding Academy’
‘Riding Free: Riding Academy’ is a spin-off of the ‘Spirit: Riding Free’ series. The show follows Lucky and her friends as they embark on a new adventure at the PALs’ Academy, where they learn about horsemanship, teamwork, and friendship. The focus is on their experiences and challenges at the riding school, deepening their connection with horses and each other.
Where to watch the movies, shows & specials?
‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’ can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Peacock. ‘Riding Free,’ ‘Riding Free: Pony Tales,’ ‘Riding Free: Riding Academy,’ and both specials can only be streamed on Netflix. ‘Spirit Untamed’ can only be rented from the Apple TV store, while ‘Spirit & Friends’ can only be streamed at Peacock.
Will there be more ‘Spirit’ movies or shows?
We can’t say anything regarding movies, but more episodes of ‘Spirit’ spinoffs will surely be released either on shorts form or as full-fledgeded episodes, that remains to be seen. We will updated this when we have more info.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!
