The Young Black Stallion Details

National Velvet meets Hidalgo in this belated prequel to 1979's The Black Stallion. Shot for presentation in IMAX theatres, the 45-minute drama follows Arab girl Neera (Biana G Tamimi) as she secretly trains a wild colt in preparation for a hazardous desert race. In the process, the film shows why IMAX's super-sized screen system is better suited to “educational” shorts as opposed to full-blown drama. It looks great, with the desert locations and overhead race shots especially stunning, but the short running time — optimal for IMAX — affords director Simon Wincer precious little opportunity for development of character or plot. Young Black Stallion may be fine for kids with a passion for horses, but accompanying adults could find it drifts past with precious little registering, except for the scenery.

A prequel, made to be shown in the ungainly Imax format, of the beginning of the story that was continued in the successful The Black Stallion (qv), made in 1980. This isn't in the same class, and seems even more outmoded.