Into the West (1993) is a beautiful adventure fairy tale of 2 boys- Ossie and Tito- and their magical white horse called Tír na nÓg (meaning “Land of Eternal Youth” in Irish). Their mother died in childbirth, and so the boys live with their father Papa Riley (excellently played by Gabriel Byrne) in the gritty projects of Dublin. One day, a mysterious white stallion follows their grandfather back to Dublin and bonds with the boys, who then bring it back into their apartment.
After a greedy policeman responds to a call complaining about the horse, he ends up selling the horse to a wealthy businessman. The farfetched, but exciting adventure has them stealing back the horse, and escaping the authorities from Dublin as they rescue their beloved horse and live their childhood dream of being cowboys.
Into the West has won numerous awards, such as Best Film, Best European Film, and Outstanding Family Foreign Film, and was released in the US in 2001 by Walt Disney Video. I highly recommend this film for families to view together: the heart-warming story of the love between the brothers and their horse, and the picturesque scenery of Ireland make it the perfect flick for family movie night. It would probably be enjoyed most by children ages 8 and above, though being animal-lovers, my 6 and 7 year old loved it.
[…] the West is a beautiful adventure fairy tale of 2 boys- Ossie and Tito- and their magical white horse called Tír na nÓg (meaning “Land of […]