While it shows the different treatment of horses, it doesn’t really hold up. We also lose all animal narration in this story, making Beauty a side character to a story about themself. There’s also some talk of Beauty being a wild horse and a Stallion, which isn’t true and also very strange. However, the bad treatment isn’t even realistic and the whole family seems like overacting. Instead of being on an English farm in the 1800s, they’re on a modern farm in New York that goes bankrupt and they have to lease out Black Beauty to a rich family which is where she gets her bad treatment in this story. Basically, it is a weird combination of every horse movie and it’s set in the modern day which makes it weird. It’s absolutely nothing like Anna Sewell’s book and you will be bitterly disappointed.

Black Beauty 2020ĭO NOT WATCH THIS VERSION.

We also discussed this version on the Barely Bookish podcast. So, if you’re wanting to watch one of the adaptations, I recommend this one.

This is truly the best retelling of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell as it’s the closest movie to the actual book. It is super easy to read since it’s one of the many classic stories geared toward children, however, it doesn’t talk down to you which can be the case with other children’s stories. I love that this book raised so much awareness for animal welfare by showing Beauty’s life story. So, make sure to give it a listen as we deep-dive into this story. Nova and I discuss this timeless classic over on the Barely Bookish podcast. Black Beauty on the Barely Bookish Podcast Honestly, this is such a beautiful story and is well worth the read, even today.

This book really pushed for the better treatment of horses and was used by animal rights activists to push for better laws around carriage horses. But bravely, despite his struggles, Black Beauty narrates his experiences, allowing us to look through his eyes and appreciate the beauty, intelligence, and emotions of all horses. While starting off life happy, he inevitably encounters mistreatment and cruelty, the harsh reality for many horses during this difficult time. For horses like Black Beauty, it was even harder. Meet Black Beauty, the hero of our story! Life was far from easy during the Victorian era.

Black beauty classic book