bond between albert, an idealistic farm boy, and his beloved colt, joey. >> england is at war. we are at war. >> reporter: but when world war i intervenes and joey is sold into the service of the british army, both man and horse must go fearlessly into battle. >> what is it? >> it's a horse, if i'm wandering about in new man's land. >> what kind of a horse? >> reporter: it's a subject, spielberg says, that's near and dear to his heart. >> my daughter is a hunter-jumper. and my wife was dressage, and still dabbles in horses. that was another thing that we really invited me into this process. >> reporter: i know the story, in the book, is told through joey's eyes. unless you want to make mr. ed the movie. like old wilber. >> i know him. >> sing me to sleep, wilber. >> what a night. >> reporter: that wouldn't have worked, right? >> i didn't do the wilber version of this. >> reporter: nor did he want to reproduce the full-sized puppets that had been used in the tony award-winning play. instead, spielberg let the epic ride on the expressions of his equine star. >> i realized the hor