BGN interviews writer/director Ashley Avis for Black Beauty.
In this timeless reimagining of Anna Sewell’s classic novel, we follow the life of Black Beauty— a wild horse born free in the American West, voiced by Kate Winslet. Beauty’s world is turned upside down when she and her family are cruelly rounded up and taken away from their home. Beauty is sent to live in a dusty corral which she fears she may never escape. Beauty’s fortunes are destined to turn, however.
When the quiet, gentle horse whisperer John Manly arrives from New York to adopt a mustang, he notices Beauty’s fiery spirit. Adopting her for his training program at Birtwick Stables, John is unsure if Beauty can ever be tamed. She is heartbroken and angry over the loss of all she’s ever known, and does not trust the presence of humans. Soon, John’s world is upended when his niece, seventeen-year-old Jo Green (MacKenzie Foy), shows up on his doorstep. Similar to Beauty, Jo has just lost her parents, and her spirit is close to breaking. It is through the profound connection between Beauty and Jo that both girl and horse begin to heal. The two forge an unbreakable bond that will last for both of their lives — even when Beauty’s journey takes her away from Jo, on a series of adventures with different owners. Through the seasons of her life, Beauty learns more about love, loss, heartbreak, joy, and the extraordinary power of friendship. The events, locations, and beloved characters of the film parallel the original tale while bringing Black Beauty into today’s light, as we follow literature’s most iconic horse on her quest to be reunited with the girl she loves.
Interviewer: Jeandra LeBeauf
Video Editor: Jamie Broadnax
Black Beauty premieres Friday, November 27 on Disney+.