The first trailer for Steven Spielberg's upcoming period drama War Horse has gone online. The film, based on the bestselling 1982 children's novel and its stage adaptation, centers on the relationship of a young boy (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse in the midst of World War I.
Set in rural England, Albert (Irvine) and his horse Joey become separated during the war. The horse parttakes on an extraordinary journey through the battlefields while Albert embarks on a dangerous effort to find him. Benedict Cumberbatch (Atonement), Emily Watson (Punch Drunk Love), Peter Mullan (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and Tom Hiddleston (Thor) all have supporting roles in the film. Three longtime Spielberg collaborators, composer John Williams, editor Michael Kahn and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski will also receive credits.
From the trailer, War Horse looks like Spielberg's counter-weight to the CGI dependent The Adventures of Tin Tin: Secret of the Unicorn, which hits theaters a week earlier. The film will be part of Dreamworks and Disney's deal to distribute films through the Touchstone banner.
War Horse will have a wide U.S. release on December 28, 2011.
Update: Dreamworks has just released a longer War Horse trailer (viewable below) which gives a better sense of the WWI milieu and how it will factor into the main story.