Peacock Just Dropped the Jake Gyllenhaal and Isabela Merced Adventure Fans Can’t Agree On

Universal and DreamWorks Animation's 2021 animated adventure, 'Spirit Untamed', has found a new spot to graze: it's now streaming over on Peacock. If you skipped its release, or just want to see what the buzz (and occasional side-eye) was about, here’s your window.

From Theaters to Streaming — And a Mixed Reception

'Spirit Untamed' arrived with plenty of star power, but let's be honest, it hit the scene with a thud at the box office. We're talking roughly $42 million in ticket sales worldwide, on a reported budget of about $30 million. Not a disaster, but no one was popping champagne at Universal HQ either.

Critics weren't wild about it, but regular viewers came in swinging. While critics landed on the negative side, audience surveys (hello, Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter) gave it a huge 95% approval. Go figure.

A Who's Who of Voice Talent

• Isabela Merced takes the lead as Lucky, our main character
• Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jim Prescott, Lucky's dad (yes, Gyllenhaal in animation mode)
• Marsai Martin is Pru, the loyal friend
• Mckenna Grace handles Abigail, another sidekick
• Walton Goggins brings the villainy as Hendricks
• Julianne Moore voices Aunt Cora
• Eiza González plays Milagro, Lucky's late mother
• Andre Braugher stands in as Al Granger

Directors Elaine Bogan and Ennio Torresan were at the helm, with a script from Aury Wallington and Kristin Hahn. If the premise feels familiar, that's because the film is both a loose reboot of the acclaimed 2002 flick 'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron' and borrows characters from the Netflix show 'Spirit Riding Free.' So yes, this is the third lap around the track for this horse universe.

Plot: Family Drama, Wild Horses, and an Overworked Aunt

So what happens? Here’s the gist, once you cut through the studio blurb:

Lucky Prescott barely got to know her mother, Milagro, a legendary horse-riding stunt performer from a frontier town called Miradero. Since Milagro's death, Lucky's been living under her Aunt Cora's watchful eye in some East Coast city, ending up in trouble a bit more often than is ideal. One escapade too many, and Cora drags Lucky back to Miradero to reunite with her dad.

At first, Lucky pretty much hates the slow country life. That all changes when she bonds with Spirit, a wild mustang that's every bit as stubborn as she is. Throw in a couple of new friends who ride horses; enter a cartoonishly evil wrangler (Walton Goggins, having a blast) plotting to capture Spirit and his herd, and we've got an adventure plot in motion.

Lucky gets the squad together for a rescue mission, finding herself, discovering a connection to her Mexican heritage, and basically checking every box from family drama to big sweeping action setpieces.

The Studios’ Gamble: Did it Pay Off?

For DreamWorks, this was—let’s say—a strategic bet on a franchise they already know plays well with younger audiences on streaming (thanks to 'Spirit Riding Free'). As for the adults in the theater, most probably checked their watches. But if you’ve got kids, or just want colorful animated horses and a genuinely impressive voice cast, you can now catch it on Peacock and see where you land on the 'love it or hate it' spectrum.