Cast and Filmmakers of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

DVD Release date: November 19, 2002

Home Video label: DreamWorks Home Entertainment

Matt Damon

James Cromwell

Daniel Studi

Kelly Asbury — Director

Kelly Asbury, a 19-year veteran in animation, made his directorial debut with Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. He served as a story supervisor on DreamWorks’ first traditionally animated feature The Prince of Egypt, along with Lorna Cook. Asbury was also a story artist on the animated hits Shrek and Chicken Run. Asbury began his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1983, where he remained for the next 12 years. While at Disney, he worked as a storyboard artist on such films as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story and James and the Giant Peach. He served as an art director on the Roger Rabbit short Roller Coaster Rabbit and as an assistant art director on Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. In addition to film work, Asbury wrote and illustrated a number of published children’s books, including the Halloween-themed titles “Witch Dot”, “Frankensquare” and “Candy Corn”, which hit stores in Fall 2001. He also wrote and illustrated the children’s books “Where Is Snowy’s Nose?”, “Rusty’s Red Vacation”, “Bonnie’s Blue House” and “Yolanda’s Yellow School” and provided the artwork for the books “Turkey Time” and “Thanksgiving Parade”. Due out in Fall 2002, his newest book, “Dummy Days: America’s Favorite Ventriloquists From Radio and Early TV”, is a vintage photo-filled volume targeted for adults, which features commentary from film critic and entertainment historian Leonard Maltin.

Lorna Cook

Mireille Soria — Producer

Mireille Soria counts Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron as her first producing credit for an animated feature, though she has an extensive background in live-action film and television. Prior to taking the producing reins for Spirit, she had a producing deal at Fox Family Pictures, where she produced the romantic Cinderella story Ever After, starring Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston. Soria also executive produced the Disney Channel horror comedy Under Wraps. She had previously held the post of vice president of production for Walt Disney Pictures from 1990 to 1995. During her tenure, she oversaw the development and production of such projects as The Mighty Ducks and its two sequels, Cool Runnings and 1994’s live-action version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Soria had come to Disney from the Steve Tisch Company, where she was a vice president, and also produced several projects. Her producing credits there included the pilot and 13 episodes of the series Dirty Dancing, the telefilms Victim of Love and Out on the Edge and the OBS Afterschool Special Lies of the Heart. She also developed a number of feature film and cable and network television projects. Soria began her career in 1982 as manager of dramatic series development at ABC. Two years later, she joined Columbia Pictures Television as director of current programs. In 1985, she returned to ABC as director of dramatic series development and was responsible for developing the groundbreaking series thirtysomething. Soria is producing DreamWorks’ next traditionally animated feature Sinbad.

Jeffrey Katzenberg

John Fusco

Hans Zimmer

Bryan Adams

Kathy Altieri — Production Designer

Kathy Altieri joined the DreamWorks animation team in 1994. Her first project for the studio was The Prince of Egypt, on which she served as an art director. Her previous animation credits include work as a background supervisor on Aladdin, the featurette The Prince and the Pauper and the Roger Rabbit short Tummy Trouble. She was also a background painter for such animated successes as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and another Roger Rabbit short Roller Coaster Rabbit. Altieri attended the University of California, Los Angeles as an Art major and also studied at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design for three years.

Nick Fletcher

James Baxter

Fabio Lignini

William Salazar

Pres Romanillos

Dr. Deb Bennett — Horse Consultant

Dr. Deb Bennett is a renowned horse expert, with a Ph.D. in vertebrate paleontology and a strong interest in the anatomy and biomechanics of fossil animals, especially horses. Her research interests also include the history of domestication and bloodlines of individual horse breeds. She is Director of the Equine Studies Institute, a seminar colloquium whose focus is higher education in horsemanship.

Dr. Stuart Sumida — Horse Consultant

Dr. Stuart Sumida is a paleontologist and Professor at California State University San Bernardino. He has worked on more than 20 animated and live-action films as an anatomical consultant. He specializes in vertebrate paleontology and anatomy, focusing on the comparative anatomy and biomechanics of vertebrates. Sumida holds a Ph.D. from UCLA. Before coming to CSU San Bernardino, he taught in the Department of Anatomy and at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.