The Water Horse (2007)

A lonely boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend.

Director:

Jay Russell

Writers:

Robert Nelson Jacobs (screenplay), Dick King-Smith (book)

Stars:

Emily Watson, David Morrissey, Alex Etel

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Allpress	...	Jock McGowan
Geraldine Brophy	...	Gracie
Eddie Campbell	...	Hughie (as Edward Campbell)
Ben Chaplin	...	Lewis Mowbray
Peter Corrigan	...	Jimmy's Buddy #1
Brian Cox	...	Old Angus
Carl Dixon	...	Gunner Corbin
Alex Etel	...	Angus MacMorrow
Nathan Christopher Haase	...	Male Tourist
Craig Hall	...	Charlie MacMorrow
Ian Harcourt	...	Jimmy McGarry
Rex Hurst	...	Jimmy's Buddy #2
William Johnson	...	Clyde
Megan Katherine	...	Female Tourist
Elliot Lawless	...	Beach Kid

Storyline

A boy finds an interesting egg. His curiosity leads him to protect it and want to figure out what will come out of it. He didn't realize that it would turn into something magical. The boy and the Water horse grow a strong relationship together in this wonderful story.

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Plot Keywords:

scottish highlands | bathtub | war widow | single mother | scotland | 

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Taglines:

How Do You Keep A Secret This Big?

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some action/peril, mild language and brief smoking

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emily Watson later appeared in the similarly titled War Horse (2011). In both movies she plays the mother of the lad who cares for the titular animal. Both are set during a World War - Water Horse during the Second, and War Horse during the First.

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Goofs

When the fisherman hooks Crusoe, Crusoe pulls his boat along. The fisherman wasn't fastened in, so he should have been pulled overboard.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Female Tourist: What is that?
Male Tourist: It's a famous picture of the monster. But it's fake.
Female Tourist: How do you know it's fake? It looks real.
Old Angus: Oh, it's fake alright.
Male Tourist: Of course it's fake. Everyone knows that.
Old Angus: We'd know, son. There's more to that photo than meets the eye.
Male Tourist: Oh ho, really.
Old Angus: Well, if you'd like to know the real truth.
Female Tourist: Yeah, I wanna know. Come on, it'll be fun.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The logos of Revolution Studios, Walden Media and Beacon Pictures that financed the film are shown at the end of the movie, while the logo of distributor Columbia Pictures is shown at the beginning.

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #40.11 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Back Where You Belong (Theme from The Water Horse)
Produced by Daniel Lanois
Written and Performed by Sinéad O'Connor

User Reviews

Legend Of The Water Horse

There has been an overloaded release of fantasy films since the success of the 'Harry Potter' and 'Lord of the Rings' series. While some manage to gain some recognition, others vanish without a trace. 'The Water Horse' is an amusing fantasy-like film for the whole family. It does fall on the lines of Guillermo Del Toro's 'El Laberinto De Fauno' but much less violence. Set in Ireland during the Second World War it tells the story of a bonding between a boy and a water horse. The story isn't anything new but that doesn't stop the film from being charming and likable because it has heart. The use of the mesmerizing landscape is both refreshing and breathtaking. The cinematography is good. Director Russell does a fine job by mingling the subplots well enough with the main story. The music is great but the use of it is arguably a bit clichéd. The CGI is not of the highest quality but Crusoe is lively enough to compensate. Young Alex Etel is brilliant as Angus and Brian Cox does well as the older Angus. Emily Watson is fabulous. Ben Chaplin and David Morissey are wonderful too. To sum it up further, 'The Water Horse' is a nice enough movie that both children and adults can enjoy.

Details

Country:

New Zealand UK Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Water Horse

Filming Locations:

Ardkinglas House, Cairndow, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,186,054, 30 December 2007

Gross USA:

$40,946,255

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$103,967,384

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Studios, Walden Media, Beacon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX DTS-ES SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1