Spirit and Rain

This is a pencil test that has been elsewhere on the internet. I thought I would put it here too. I animated this little section after Spirit sees Rain on the river bank to where the shot dissolves and Matt Damon's voice over starts.

[TheAngryFoxy]

me as a kid: crying over this scene
me as an adult: crying over this scene

[butternutsquash]

I can hear him neighing "JaAaMes BaXtEr"

[MrBump]

*Looks at my crayon horse drawing hanging up on my mom's fridge*

Yeah, I'm about as good as this guy 😎

[ohwow]

This scene was really sad. Spirit is such an underrated movie.

[NotNaudiz]

Title: Spirit and Rain
Thumbnail: clearly one of the more depressing scenes in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron
Me: yeah, seems like a good day to cry.

[kappabird]

I remember watching this as a kid, so much emotion, genuinely hurt
You’re amazing

[randomfluffkingt.]

Hey James, I just wanted to say that you inspire me and thousands of other people. Thanks for being someone who we can look up too. Your animations are always so smooth, and I just absolutely love everything about them. Keep up the amazing work!

[frickinfrick]

I watched this movie on VHS almost every day as a kid, I was obsessed. I recently revisited it as an adult and I’m just blown away with how beautiful the horse animation is. Thanks for making my childhood and also making incredible art.

[daenite]

Me: *literally struggling to finish drawing a horse*

James Baxter at the exact same time:

[beefrogthedestroyer]

Thank you for being such a big part of my childhood. Even as a kid this scene broke my heart. The way their emotion is portrayed through the way they move and their expressions shows true mastery of animation.

[brelonwy]

There's so much raw emotion here, so much is being told despite their being no words and them being horses. You my friend, have mastered the art of "show, don't tell"

[NatYourAverageNerd]

I can hear the music even without having an audio in this clip. This scene was one of the most moving parts of the film and continues to make me cry to this day whenever I watch it. Spirit's expressions as he fears losing Rain are masterfully executed here.

[pandapanda]

Spirit is my childhood movie

Out of every single one I've ever seen as a child

This is the one.

[clydesdale]

This was my favorite scene in Spirit. The way Spirit just flops down next to Rain hits me every time. It looks so real, moves just like a real horse. And I can FEEL the way their faces press against eachother. Even as a little kid watching this movie (over and over) I always tried to replicate this scene in my drawings. I'm an animation student now looking to make a short animation about horses as my big project. Watching the bare bones of this scene and discovering it's animator is a good return to my roots ❤ :)

[avabeyva]

I remember nearly balling my eyes out while watching this film from my teachers Box-TV vhs set within my 2nd Grade class. I'm a highschool junior now and the emotions still hit as hard. I'm not surprised Baxter was involved in this film with how raw and emotional the framework is!

[derpwithit]

This scene has more emotion in 17 seconds then the entirety of the live action Mulan

[CaiCanMake]

this movie was my favorite growing up! every one has that one movie from their childhood that they always watched when they were sick, or when they were feeling sad; Spirit was it for me. This movie means so much to me, it's what made me want to learn to draw in the first place. I remember watching some of the extras for "how to draw spirit", and deciding right then and there that I wanted to be an artist. Now, 21 years old and I'm studying interior design with a minor in studio art, I'm finally fulfilling that childhood dream. So, from the deepest depths of my heart; thank you.

[jessicapena]

Yesss I loved this movie as a kid. Thank you for making this a big part of my childhood!

[SweetDreamsHalo]

I didn't realize you animated literally everything that made my childhood. Thank you so much, man.

[pixelatra_]

This is my favourite movie. Thank you James for reminding me of this beautiful scene.