The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep 2-Disc Special Edition is a precious family film that is destined to join the ranks of family favorites like E.T. and Pete's Dragon. It begins in modern day times with a young couple traveling to Scotland. They happen upon an old man in a tavern who begins to weave a tale of a mythical creature that once inhabited the loch. He speaks of a young boy named Angus (Alex Etel), who lived in this area with his family during the tumultuous times of World War II. He lives on the grounds of a stately old manor with his lovely mother, Anne (Emily Watson), the housekeeper for the manor, and his older sister, Kirstie (Priyanka Xi). Angus spends his days exploring the tide pools of the Loch Ness and marking the days until his father's tour of duty ends, although his father was actually killed a year before, but Angus refuses to believe it. One day, he finds a strange, oblong rock and brings it home, keeping it hidden in his father's workshop. He tinkers with it a bit, but has to go back home. When he returns, he finds the rock broken and a strange creature running about, wreaking havoc. He names the little guy Crusoe, after his favorite novel.

Not long after, a troop of military men show up at the door of the manor, led by Captain Thomas Hamilton (David Morrissey). It seems the owner of the manor, an old school chum of Hamilton's, has given permission for the men to stay at the manor under the premise that the Loch is in danger from German U-boats. As the story progresses, however, it seems more likely that Capt. Hamilton is merely a rich boy and his post was selected because of its distance from any dangerous fighting. Add to that the fact that a workman named Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin) has shown up to take over his father's duties and has set up in his father's shop where Crusoe is hidden, and Angus reads it all as a recipe for disaster.

Angus soon finds that Crusoe has the appetite of a horse when he leaves a garbage can full of vegetable waste and Crusoe eats it all, growing ten times his size in one day! He also needs to be in water and when Angus fills the empty garbage can with water, Crusoe playfully frolics in the water. Angus admires his agility because he has both a great fear and curiosity with the water, but his fear has always overridden his interest. Soon, he has to reveal Crusoe to both Kirstie and Lewis in order to keep him hidden. There are many funny moments involving Crusoe, the servicemen and mainly, the cranky military cook's Bulldog.

Eventually, Lewis convinces Angus that Crusoe is a fabled Water Horse and he needs to be in the loch to remain safe. Although this sounded like a good idea, it quickly turns bad when Captain Hamilton decides to test out his missiles in the loch to prepare for a possible attack by the Germans. The bombs don't injure Crusoe, but they frighten him and make him very angry towards humans. Things get explosive when he wages an attack on some of Captain Hamilton's men. It soon becomes clear that Angus must convince Crusoe to go far out into the loch for his own safety and to save Crusoe, the pair takes a harrowing trip through the waters of the loch.

By Crusoe entering Angus' life, he learns to love the water and to deal with the emotions he has been fighting regarding his father's death. In befriending both Lewis and Crusoe, Angus comes out of his shell and is once again able to laugh and be a child.

Watching the CG-created Crusoe interact with Angus is a true delight, because he looks so realistic. WETA (of Lord of the Rings fame) did the special effects and character creation and they did an amazing job. In viewing the numerous featurettes that cover everything from the legend of the Water Horse, to the special effects, to working with the story, actors and sets, you'll learn a great deal about the challenges that faced the crew, especially dealing with so many water-focused scenes. You'll also have deleted scenes to view, but I didn't really find that these added too much to the actual film and were best left on the cutting room floor.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a delight for both young and old. Geck0 had decided to skip it because he thought it would be Free Willy, but with the Loch Ness monster. But after watching 5 minutes of the film, he was drawn in with the rest of us and watched the whole thing and loved it too. This is a movie kids will want to see over and over, so if you have interest in the making-of and the legend of the Loch Ness monster, you may want to pick up the 2-Disc Special Edition since it contains those goodies. Highly recommended.