The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jay Russell |
| Produced by | Jay Russell Douglas Rae Robert Bernstein Barrie M. Osborne |
| Screenplay by | Robert Nelson Jacobs |
| Starring | Emily Watson Alex Etel Ben Chaplin David Morrissey Brian Cox |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
| Cinematography | Oliver Stapleton |
| Editing by | Mark Warner |
| Studio | Columbia Pictures Revolution Studios Walden Media Ecosse Films Beacon Pictures |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| Release date(s) | 25 December 2007 (United States) 8 February 2008 (United Kingdom) |
| Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States United Kingdom New Zealand |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million |
| Money made | $104 million |
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a fantasy film from 2007. It was directed by Jay Russell and written by Robert Nelson Jacobs. The movie is based on the children's book The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith.
The story is about a young boy named Angus who finds a mysterious egg. He takes care of the creature that hatches from it. This creature is a "water horse", which later becomes the famous Loch Ness Monster. The film stars Alex Etel as Angus, along with Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, and David Morrissey.
The movie was made by Revolution Studios and Walden Media, working with Beacon Pictures. Columbia Pictures distributed it. Amazing Visual effects were created by companies in New Zealand, called Weta Digital and Weta Workshop. The Water Horse was first shown in the United States on December 25, 2007. It came out in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2008.
Contents
The Story of the Water Horse
The film begins in modern-day Scotland. An old man tells two American tourists a story. They had asked him about the Loch Ness Monster after seeing a famous old photo. He explains why that photo is not real.
Angus and Crusoe
The main story takes us back to 1942, during World War II. A boy named Angus MacMorrow lives in a big house near Loch Ness. He lives with his mother, Anne, and his sister, Kirstie. A new handyman, Lewis Mowbray, comes to work there. Angus's father was a sailor in the Royal Navy. He has been missing since his ship sank a year ago in the war. Angus finds it hard to believe his father won't come home.
One day, Angus is collecting seashells on the beach. He finds a large, strange egg in the sand. An unknown creature hatches from it! Angus names the creature 'Crusoe', like Robinson Crusoe. He decides to keep Crusoe a secret at first. Later, he tells his sister and Lewis about his new friend. Lewis explains that Crusoe is a "Water Horse". These creatures are genderless and lay one egg before they die.
Trouble at the Loch
Soon, Royal Air Force troops arrive at the house. They are led by Captain Thomas Hamilton, a friend of the family. They set up an artillery battery near the lake. This is to defend against German U-boats. The troops also set up camp on the grounds. Meanwhile, Crusoe has grown very big. Lewis decides they must release Crusoe into the loch.
Captain Hamilton thinks Lewis is a bad influence on Angus. Angus's mother lets the Captain teach Angus some discipline. After some training, Angus escapes. He goes back to the lake and finds a full-grown Crusoe. Crusoe lets Angus ride on its back. At first, Angus is scared when Crusoe dives underwater. But soon, he starts to enjoy it and overcomes his fear of the water.
A Close Call
The next day, Captain Hamilton takes the MacMorrow family to a hill. It overlooks Loch Ness. During a firing practice, an exploding shell almost hits Crusoe! Angus quickly stops the practice to save Crusoe. This makes Captain Hamilton very angry. Angus's mother is also upset because she doesn't know about Water Horses. She doesn't believe Angus. As punishment, Angus has to stay in his room every night for a month.
Two fishermen had seen Crusoe. They try to take a photo of the creature to become famous. But they can't photograph the real Crusoe because of the loud firing. So, they create a fake monster. This fake photo becomes the famous "Surgeon's Photo" of the Loch Ness Monster. Some soldiers see the photo and decide to hunt the creature.
Crusoe's Escape
Angus sneaks out of his room with his sister's help. He goes to the lake and calls for Crusoe. Crusoe rises from the water, still scared from the earlier explosions. It almost bites Angus's hand before sinking back down. Captain Hamilton's dog, Churchill, smells Crusoe. He alerts the soldiers to its presence. Crusoe then surprises the soldiers, flipping their boat over. One soldier sends an SOS message to Hamilton. Hamilton thinks the Germans are attacking.
At the loch, Angus tries to calm Crusoe. Crusoe is attacking one of the soldiers, Strunk. Angus wades into the lake, slips, and starts to sink. Crusoe rescues Angus from the water. When his mother arrives, she finally sees Crusoe and believes Angus. The nearby artillery battery starts firing at Crusoe. They mistake it for a German U-Boat. Angus, Hamilton, Anne, and Lewis work together. They lead Crusoe to safety through a net, and Crusoe escapes into the sea.
Moving On
At sunrise, Angus finally accepts that his father has passed away. They watch Crusoe swim away. It is suggested that Anne is also ready to move on, as she has fallen in love with Lewis. Over the years, many people claim to see the Loch Ness Monster. Angus never sees Crusoe again, but others say Crusoe returns, looking for Angus.
The story ends with the tourists thanking the old storyteller. They ask his name, and he reveals he is Angus MacMorrow. Outside the pub, a mother calls to her son, William. He is walking on the beach and spots a large 'rock'. It has a shiny blue shell, just like Crusoe's egg. This hints that Crusoe left an egg behind, and a new Water Horse will be born.
Characters in the Film
- Alex Etel plays Angus MacMorrow.
- Brian Cox plays the older Angus MacMorrow.
- Louis Owen Collins plays the very young Angus MacMorrow.
- Emily Watson plays Anne MacMorrow, Angus's mother.
- Ben Chaplin plays Lewis Mowbray, the handyman.
- David Morrissey plays Captain Thomas Hamilton.
- Priyanka Xi plays Kirstie MacMorrow, Angus's sister.
- Marshall Napier plays Sgt. Strunk.
- Joel Tobeck plays Sgt. Walker.
- Erroll Shand plays Lt. Wormsley.
- Craig Hall plays Charles MacMorrow, Angus's father.
- Geraldine Brophy plays Gracie.
Music in the Film
The music for the movie was created by James Newton Howard. The singer Sinéad O'Connor also contributed a song called "Back Where You Belong" to the soundtrack.
Fun Facts About the Film
The movie takes some creative liberties with how things are in real life.
- The film shows Eilean Donan Castle at the start. This castle is on the west coast of Scotland. It is about 35 miles (56 km) west of Loch Ness.
- A shot shows Urquhart Castle, which is on Loch Ness. But it also shows large islands in the loch. In reality, Loch Ness does not have such big islands.
- The film shows Loch Ness connecting directly to the sea. It has a wide channel between high cliffs. This would make it a saltwater loch. But Loch Ness is actually a freshwater loch. Its surface is about 80 feet (24 meters) above sea level. It connects to the sea (about 5 miles or 8 km north) by a shallow river called the River Ness. This river flows through the city of Inverness. So, anti-submarine nets would not have been needed on Loch Ness. Submarines could not navigate the river.
- In the underwater scenes, the loch's water looks very clear. In real life, Loch Ness has very murky water. You can usually see less than 5 meters (16 feet).
The film also has some small differences in time:
- The "Surgeon's Photograph" of the monster is shown being created in the film's story. However, this photo was actually published in 1934. In the movie, the "Surgeon" cannot get a photo of the real monster. So, he makes a fake one for the picture.
- Angus has a toy ship that is clearly the SS United States. But this real ship was not built until 1952.
Movie Success
The film did quite well at the box office. It earned about $9 million during its first weekend. By October 2010, the movie had made over $103 million worldwide. About $40.4 million came from the United States. Another $62.1 million came from other countries.
Home Video Release
The Water Horse was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 8, 2008. In its first weekend, 646,841 copies were sold. This brought in over $12.6 million. By 2012, more than 1.6 million copies had been sold. This earned over $30.5 million in total.
See also
In Spanish: The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep para niños
