Story
In the midst of World War II, a lonely boy named Angus (Alex Etel) finds a mysterious egg in a tide pool near a loch. The egg hatches. With the help of his sister Kirstie (Priyanka Xi) and the new handyman, Lewis (Ben Chaplin), Angus attempts to keep the rapidly growing water horse a secret from his mother (Emily Watson), and nosy, fortune-seeking locals. This proves easier said than done, especially when Captain Hamilton (Davis Morrissey) and his regiments move in and set up camp downstairs.
The navy prepares for possible submarine attacks on the loch. The water horse is now named Crusoe and has completely outgrown the bathtub. Angus must entrust him to the loch. Things take a turn for the worse when the soldiers test torpedoes in the lake. The once tame and peaceful water horse, afraid for his life, turns violent and wild. The attack that the Captain has long feared comes not from the German forces, but from a fabled creature that very few believe even exist.
While Angus’s life hangs in the balance, the tables turn. With a little faith and friendship, insurmountable obstacles are overcome and natural order restored.
Themes
War; death of a parent; animal distress
Violence
There is some violence in this movie including:
- Descriptions of front line fighting are heard on the radio.
- A bulldog tries to attack a baby Crusoe.
- A soldier kills a deer and laughs at the look on Angus’ face as he leans over the dead animal with a bloody knife in his hands.
- Lewis explains how he got his war-related scars.
- The soldiers fire torpedoes into the loch.
- Crusoe, scared by the torpedoes, attempts to attack Angus.
- We are lead to believe that Crusoe has eaten the bulldog.
- Crusoe attacks the boatload of soldiers that were shooting at him. He grabs one of the men in his teeth and begins thrashing him about while the terrified soldier screams for his life.
- A soldier attempts to fire at Crusoe while Angus is in the way. Lewis tries to stop him and is knocked unconscious by the butt of the soldier’s gun.
- Soldiers repeatedly fire at Crusoe, while Angus is riding him, with machine guns and torpedoes. Some they are able to dodge, others appear to hit them as Crusoe rears and roars in fear and pain.
- When Crusoe attempts to jump a net, he gets caught and his weight brings a heavy, metal, structure crashing down on a group of soldiers.
Sexual references
In discussing the gender of Crusoe, Lewis explains how a water horse is both male and female hile it does lay an egg, its body acts as both mother and father, even though the adult will die before the egg hatches.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
- There is frequent use of alcohol: soldiers drinking in a local tavern, villagers using hip flasks, drinking champagne at a dinner party, etc.
- Lewis and many of the soldiers are seen smoking.
Nudity and sexual activity
An army cook and a kitchen hand are seen drinking wine while preparing dinner. They both begin dancing and wind up in a passionate embrace while the children watch, horrified.
Product placement
None
Coarse language
This movie contains some infrequent name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a family drama, best suited to older children and adults. It features beautiful scenery and great computer-animated graphics, but it is also somewhat dark and heavy. The movie is broken up by a present-day storyteller recounting the story to two young tourists. It also has Angus’s flashbacks to conversations he had with his dad. Younger children might be both confused and bored by these changes in context and dialogue.
The main messages from this movie are to believe in the magic of childhood and that everything becomes possible when we face the things we fear most. You might like to talk to your children about values such as friendship, faithfulness, compassion and courage.
You could also discuss the real-life effects of behaviour such as blindly following orders, acting out of fear and trying to attack what we do not understand.