The narrative, however, moves at a pace much closer to a trot than a gallop, as the horse is caught and turned over to trainer John Manly (“Game of Thrones’” Iain Glen), a taciturn fellow who soon receives another new arrival: His recently orphaned teenage niece, Jo (Mackenzie Foy).īoth outsiders, the bond between the girl and the horse as executed here by writer-director Ashley Avis brings to mind “The Black Stallion,” including a shot of the two running along the beach that seems like an homage to it. Previously adapted in 19, Anna Sewell’s book has become a children’s literary classic, and the central girl-and-her-horse story dovetails with the brand for Disney+ – another entry for the kid-and-animal live-action bin, dating back to “Old Yeller.” Small wonder the streaming service acquired the completed film, which would have been a tough sell theatrically.
“A mustang’s spirit can never be broken,” the wild horse of the title, whose thoughts are voiced by Kate Winslet, says at the outset, a statement that will be tested over the course of the movie. The movie delivers a more pointed animal-rights message, but while its equine star fares well enough, the two-footed characters never really get out of the starting gate. “Black Beauty” gives the original Victorian novel a significant makeover, a contemporary remake that relocates the story to the American West.
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