Teacher Guide
Learning goals, teaching notes, and answer keys.
View Teacher NotesPaper & online answer keysWar Horse Movie Guide
Explore the costs of war through Joey’s journey. Choose the format that fits your classroom.
About the Film
When Joey is sold to the British cavalry, his bond with Albert is tested by World War I. The story follows the horse through the lives of soldiers and civilians on opposing sides of the conflict.
Movie at a Glance
- Release year
- 2011
- Genre
- War drama · Historical fiction
- U.S. rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 146 minutes
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Screenplay
- Lee Hall & Richard Curtis
- Based on
- Michael Morpurgo’s novel and Nick Stafford’s stage play
- Music
- John Williams
- Featured cast
- Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis & Niels Arestrup
- Historical setting
- England and France, before and during World War I (1914–1918)
Film details: Amblin · AFI Catalog
Content to Preview
Some scenes may be distressing, especially for students sensitive to animal suffering or wartime loss.
- Battle violence: gunfire, explosions, soldiers killed, and bodies on the battlefield; limited bloody injury detail.
- Animal suffering: horses injured or killed, collapse from exhaustion, and a prolonged barbed-wire entanglement.
- Other considerations: threats with weapons, mild profanity and sexual references, and adult smoking and drinking.
Preview your edition, follow school viewing policies, and offer an alternative assignment where appropriate. Suggested grades 7–12 are Teach Arcade’s classroom recommendation.
Classroom Connections
Connect World History with English language arts through character, perspective, theme, and comparisons between fiction and historical sources.