War Horse

War Horse (2011)

Name: War Horse
Genre: drama film, war film
Released: 2011
Duration: 146 min
Cast: Anian Zollner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Celine Buckens, David Kross, David Thewlis

A young farm boy and his horse are separated by the First World War and the horse crosses the front lines.

Details: 146 min · drama film · war film
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Format: Live-action
Country: United States
Animals: Horses & ponies

PetActing ratings

4/5 Paw Score

A sweeping epic from a horse's point of view.

Does the animal die?

Reveal answer (spoilers)

Yes, an animal dies.

A second horse dies during the war; the main horse survives to return home.

Is an animal hurt or in danger?

Intense: animals in serious danger or distress

War scenes, barbed wire and cavalry charges.

Real animals or CGI?

Real animals

Real horses, with some digital effects.

On-set animal welfare

Not publicly documented.

Tearjerker level

💧💧💧💧 4/5

Emotional, especially at the reunion.

Kid-friendliness (animal scenes)

Ages 10+

War peril and animal suffering are intense.

Breed / species accuracy

Not applicable

Breed accuracy not assessed in this draft.

Animal cast

Animals featured: horse, military animals, horses.

Where to watch

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Sources

title, release year, runtime, genres, directors, countries, identifiers: www.wikidata.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
cast: www.wikidata.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
animals in the film: www.wikidata.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
animals in the film: en.wikipedia.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
animals in the film: en.wikipedia.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)

Facts last checked 2026-10-24. Ratings are PetActing's own opinion, never copied from other sites.