Black Beauty is a 2020 adventure drama family film written, edited and directed by Ashley Avis and based on the 1877 novel of the same name by Anna Sewell.

In the film, Black Beauty is portrayed as a mare instead of a stallion and is brought to Birtwick Park where she forges a bond with a spirited teenager that carries through different chapters, challenges and adventures.

The film's distribution rights were acquired by Walt Disney Studios and was released on the company's streaming service Disney+ on November 27, 2020.

The upperclass Winthorp family who are migrants from England arrive to purchase horses for their estate with the daughter Georgina immediately choosing Beauty to be leased.

At the Earlshall estate, Beauty learns that her friend Ginger was purchased for the Winthorp's son George, who unlike Georgina, is kind and takes an interest in Jo.

Jo reveals that she has rebuilt Birtwick and works with John and George, now her husband, to rehabilitate horses; she even finds that Merrylegs was also recovered.

It was announced in May 2019 that a new movie adaptation of Anna Sewell's 1877 novel Black Beauty was in development with Ashley Avis writing, editing and directing the film.

Director Ashley Avis specifically mentioned using this location for key drone shots and stunt scenes, highlighting the beauty and ethereal quality of the beach at Springfontein.

The website's critics consensus reads: "Unable to rein in the complexities of its source material, Black Beauty struggles to gallop out of the paddock.

"[10] Amy Amatangelo of Paste rated the film 7.8 out of 10, saying, "The movie looks stunning with sweeping landscapes and gorgeous shots of Beauty in action, as South Africa makes a lovely stand-in for both the American West and New York.

"[11] Jennifer Green of Common Sense Media rated the movie 3 out of 5 stars, praised the depiction of positive messages and role models, writing, "Black Beauty is emotionally taxing, with the central horse suffering abuse, loss, and danger.

- That said, the film, told mostly from the horse's perspective, ultimately shows a clear respect and admiration for the animals, and it conveys positive messages of loyalty, family, perseverance, resilience.

"[12] Kayti Burt of Den of Geek rated the movie 2.5 out of 5 stars, praised Ashley Avis' direction, writing, "Ashley Avis hits all the plot points and throws in some fantastically pretty shots in the process, yet there is a lack of texture (both visually and narratively) that keeps this film from graduating from serviceable horse-girl film to something greater both within and outside the limits of Horse Girl Canon" and that the movie "lacks the thematic ambition of its source material, but is a serviceable addition to Horse Girl Canon.

"[13] Sara Stewart of the New York Post rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing, "One of the purposes of the book was to shine a line on animal cruelty, which is admirable — but Black Beauty veers so often into the dark and the sad I question how much appeal it'll really have for the younger set.

"[14] Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com rated the movie 2 out of 4 stars, claiming, "Avis' film clearly adores its four-legged subjects.

Through David Procter's cinematography, she recreates the look and feel of one of Disney's nature documentaries for the first moments of Black Beauty's life.