Joey is Seabiscuit
Disney
“Seabiscuit,” also produced by Kennedy, was a 2003 film directed by Gary Ross (“The Hunger Games,” “Free State of Jones”) that was one of many films nominated for Academy Awards that year to be locked out by the clean sweep of “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.” Out of seven nominations, “Seabiscuit” won zero. Because of the overwhelming amount of horse action in that film, however, the animal wrangling department was among the film’s biggest. She recalled the enormous “Seabiscuit” animal department with clarity:
“That was one of the biggest departments on the film, with 200 to 300 people. You’d sometimes have as many as 180 to 280 horses in a scene. You’d have groomers and drivers to haul the horses and the feed, people to set up portable barns, vets and everyone else who handled the tack and the horses’ makeup.”
Kennedy, having already worked with such a large wrangling division, was able to parlay her connections directly into Spielberg’s film, accessing many of the same horses for horse auditions. As it turns out, the horses for “Seabiscuit” were bought for use in the film and then sold off to trainers. One of the trainers, however, still had one of the Seabiscuit horse actors, and that horse was good enough. Kennedy and the trainer reunited, and Joey was cast.
“We had bought horses for ‘Seabiscuit,’ then we sold them — and Bobby Lovgren, our lead trainer [on ‘War Horse’], bought Finder. He turned out to be one of the best horses Bobby had ever worked with, so he brought Finder with him to England.”
Finder’s keepers
Disney
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joey was played by a total of 14 horses, with the above-mentioned Finder being the most visible. It’s rare for a production of this size to rely on a single animal, especially when the horse in question plays such a large role.
Finder, previously known as Finders Key, once enjoyed an extensive write-up in The New York Times, which described the horse’s failed career as a racer prior to becoming a Hollywood star. Finders Key’s original owner, Curly Ortiz, was even quoted in the Times as saying that the horse was “not a gem in any sense.” It appears that horses, no matter what their breeding or training, possess unique talents all their own. Finders Key may not have been a good racehorse — his 2002 racing form gives him very bad odds — but took very well to the camera. In “War Horse,” Finder (a new name for the screen) not only played Joey, but Joey’s mother in an early birth scene. In addition to starring in “Seabiscuit” and “War Horse,” Finder also appeared in Martin Campbell’s “The Legend of Zorro,” Tarsem’s kooky fable “Mirror Mirror,” and the 2010 Tony Scott film “Unstoppable.” He was also in an episode of “CSI: Miami.”
It seems Finder [puts on shades] is a horse of a different color. [The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” plays]
Steven Spielberg Had Some Convenient Help Casting The Titular Role For War Horse
Disney
By Witney Seibold/Aug. 6, 2022 10:00 pm EST
Casting Joey, it turns out, was a piece of cake for Spielberg, as producer Kathleen Kennedy — as she explained in a 2011 interview with the Hollywood Reporter — had already worked on the 2003 film “Seabiscuit.” Joey and Seabiscuit were one and the same.
Joey is Seabiscuit
“Seabiscuit,” also produced by Kennedy, was a 2003 film directed by Gary Ross (“The Hunger Games,” “Free State of Jones”) that was one of many films nominated for Academy Awards that year to be locked out by the clean sweep of “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.” Out of seven nominations, “Seabiscuit” won zero. Because of the overwhelming amount of horse action in that film, however, the animal wrangling department was among the film’s biggest. She recalled the enormous “Seabiscuit” animal department with clarity:
“That was one of the biggest departments on the film, with 200 to 300 people. You’d sometimes have as many as 180 to 280 horses in a scene. You’d have groomers and drivers to haul the horses and the feed, people to set up portable barns, vets and everyone else who handled the tack and the horses’ makeup.”
Kennedy, having already worked with such a large wrangling division, was able to parlay her connections directly into Spielberg’s film, accessing many of the same horses for horse auditions. As it turns out, the horses for “Seabiscuit” were bought for use in the film and then sold off to trainers. One of the trainers, however, still had one of the Seabiscuit horse actors, and that horse was good enough. Kennedy and the trainer reunited, and Joey was cast.
“We had bought horses for ‘Seabiscuit,’ then we sold them — and Bobby Lovgren, our lead trainer [on ‘War Horse’], bought Finder. He turned out to be one of the best horses Bobby had ever worked with, so he brought Finder with him to England.”
Kennedy, having already worked with such a large wrangling division, was able to parlay her connections directly into Spielberg’s film, accessing many of the same horses for horse auditions. As it turns out, the horses for “Seabiscuit” were bought for use in the film and then sold off to trainers. One of the trainers, however, still had one of the Seabiscuit horse actors, and that horse was good enough. Kennedy and the trainer reunited, and Joey was cast.
“That was one of the biggest departments on the film, with 200 to 300 people. You’d sometimes have as many as 180 to 280 horses in a scene. You’d have groomers and drivers to haul the horses and the feed, people to set up portable barns, vets and everyone else who handled the tack and the horses’ makeup.”
“We had bought horses for ‘Seabiscuit,’ then we sold them — and Bobby Lovgren, our lead trainer [on ‘War Horse’], bought Finder. He turned out to be one of the best horses Bobby had ever worked with, so he brought Finder with him to England.”
Finder’s keepers
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joey was played by a total of 14 horses, with the above-mentioned Finder being the most visible. It’s rare for a production of this size to rely on a single animal, especially when the horse in question plays such a large role.
Finder, previously known as Finders Key, once enjoyed an extensive write-up in The New York Times, which described the horse’s failed career as a racer prior to becoming a Hollywood star. Finders Key’s original owner, Curly Ortiz, was even quoted in the Times as saying that the horse was “not a gem in any sense.” It appears that horses, no matter what their breeding or training, possess unique talents all their own. Finders Key may not have been a good racehorse — his 2002 racing form gives him very bad odds — but took very well to the camera. In “War Horse,” Finder (a new name for the screen) not only played Joey, but Joey’s mother in an early birth scene. In addition to starring in “Seabiscuit” and “War Horse,” Finder also appeared in Martin Campbell’s “The Legend of Zorro,” Tarsem’s kooky fable “Mirror Mirror,” and the 2010 Tony Scott film “Unstoppable.” He was also in an episode of “CSI: Miami.”
It seems Finder [puts on shades] is a horse of a different color. [The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” plays]
Finder, previously known as Finders Key, once enjoyed an extensive write-up in The New York Times, which described the horse’s failed career as a racer prior to becoming a Hollywood star. Finders Key’s original owner, Curly Ortiz, was even quoted in the Times as saying that the horse was “not a gem in any sense.” It appears that horses, no matter what their breeding or training, possess unique talents all their own. Finders Key may not have been a good racehorse — his 2002 racing form gives him very bad odds — but took very well to the camera.
In “War Horse,” Finder (a new name for the screen) not only played Joey, but Joey’s mother in an early birth scene. In addition to starring in “Seabiscuit” and “War Horse,” Finder also appeared in Martin Campbell’s “The Legend of Zorro,” Tarsem’s kooky fable “Mirror Mirror,” and the 2010 Tony Scott film “Unstoppable.” He was also in an episode of “CSI: Miami.”
It seems Finder [puts on shades] is a horse of a different color. [The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” plays]
