John Williams composed and conducted the film's musical score, the second score composed the same year by Williams for Spielberg after The Adventures of Tintin. [106] Williams took inspiration by visiting a horse farm in California and observing horses and their behavior, saying that "I got in the habit of watching the horses in the morning, and I began to see how they connect to each other and how they became curious about me. That's when I really began to get the sense that horses are very special creatures. They have been magnificent and trusted friends for such a long time and have done so much for us with such grace." [107] Solon, Olivia. "Inside the animatronic 'War Horse' used in grisly trench scenes". Wired UK. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014 . Retrieved 21 December 2014. Schaefer, Stephen (30 December 2011). "Spielberg on 'War Horse' ". Boston Herald. Boston, US. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012 . Retrieved 5 January 2012. His first book was published in 1975 and he has since published over 100 titles. His books have been translated into over twenty languages. Michael's books have also been adapted for film and the stage, including most recently the National Theatre's enormously successful production of War Horse. Ford, Allan (27 November 2011). "Seven WAR HORSE TV Spots". Hollywood News.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011 . Retrieved 28 November 2011.

When I wrote War Horse, people thought young people weren’t interested in history, and they weren’t interested in the First World War; that it was all a bit passé. This was at the time of the Cold War, when not much was being written about war. It was something that people, in a way, could forget about. By 1918, Albert has enlisted and is fighting alongside Andrew in the Second Battle of the Somme. After a British charge into no man's land, Albert and Andrew make it across to the German trench, where a gas bomb explodes. Andrew is killed while Albert survives, temporarily blinded. War Horse filming". YouTube. 23 October 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015 . Retrieved 27 February 2011. Plumb, Ali (14 August 2011). "Spielberg Introduces New War Horse Clip". Empire. Archived from the original on 25 October 2011 . Retrieved 19 August 2011.Vary, Adam B. (1 December 2011). " 'War Horse' TV spot: The cast sells Spielberg's 'emotional journey' ". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011 . Retrieved 2 December 2011. War Horse is a British war novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by Kaye & Ward in 1982. The story recounts the experiences of Joey, a horse bought by the Army for service in World War I in France and the attempts of 15-year-old Albert, his previous owner, to bring him safely home. It formed the basis of both an award-winning play (2007) and an acclaimed film adaptation (2011) by Steven Spielberg. The novel is often considered one of Morpurgo's best works, and its success spawned a sequel titled Farm Boy, which was published in October 1997.

Marino, Joe (26 November 2011). "War Horse: film review". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011 . Retrieved 27 November 2011. Brooke, Simon (29 January 2010). "My perfect weekend: Michael Morpurgo". The Daily Telegraph. London. War Horse made several critics' lists of the best films of 2011. Richard Corliss of Time named it the fifth best film of 2011, saying. "Boldly emotional, nakedly heartfelt, War Horse will leave only the stoniest hearts untouched". [150] David Chen of /Film selected War Horse as 2011's best film. [151] AwardsBefore the Steven Spielberg film, before the National Theatre production, there was the classic children’s novel… War Horse: A Man's Play". Blokely. 3 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012 . Retrieved 1 July 2011.