Spielberg's 'War Horse' trailer (in Spanish): grazing for Oscars?

Steven Spielberg has brought his A Team together for his adaptation of the 1982 novel about World War I as seen from the perspective of a horse. And judging from a Spanish trailer that surfaced briefly online, they've brought their A game to the movie, set to open in late December.

His producing partners include his longtime collaborator Kathleen Kennedy, who did well by "Seabiscuit"; Michael Kahn is editing, and John Williams scoring; the writers who re-shaped Michael Morpurgo's novel are Richard Curtis ("The Girl in the Cafe") and Lee Hall ("Billy Elliott"); the cinematographer is Janusz Kaminski; and the cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch ("Sherlock Holmes") and Emily Watson (who hasn't been in this kind of high-profile production since "Red Dragon" ten years ago).

Speilberg will be competing against audiences' affections for the beloved book and the hit London-to-Broadway stage production (which uses complex and imposing puppets for the horse characters). But the story should be in his sweet zone -- and his poignant one.

I thought Spielberg was in terrific form with "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull": he brought a fresh, wry eye to familiar escapist material without losing the series' knockabout spirit.

In "War Horse," which pivots on the horse's friendship with the young man who trains him, I'm hoping the director shows a renewed vitality when it comes to depicting people (and animals) coming of age, as well as his talent for infusing action and fable with empathy and zest.