War Game (film)

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This article is about the 2001 film. For the 1983 film, see WarGames. For other uses, see War Game.

War Game
Produced by	Illuminated Films
Written by	Michael Foreman
Release date(s)	2001
IMDb profile

War Game is a 2001 animated short film made by the British animation company Illuminated Films, and based on the Michael Foreman novel War Game. The film included many of the same scenes listed in the book, though four new characters were created (Mum, Annie, Dad, and the singing King George). In the short, the boys (Will, Freddie, Billy, and Lacey), are out playing a game of football when they hear about England declaring war on Germany. As in All Quiet on the Western Front, the boys waste no time in enlisting in the army (at this point the singing king tells Will that he should 'play the game').

Later that night, Will and Lacey tell their parents and Annie of the great news. While Dad wishes them well, and Annie is sobbing for Lacey, Mum (voiced by Kate Winslet) tells her boys that war is not a game, and that they will be killed. After this argument, the boys leave for France, where they encounter hardships of the trenches, shooting competitions with the Germans, and bully beef.

Then on Christmas Day, a German soldier walks into no mans land and invites the English soldiers to a football match. However, the match is broken up by the commanding officers, and the soldiers return to their trenches. That evening the soldiers go over the top and are cut down by artillery and machine gun fire. Lacey, Freddy, and Billy are killed instantaneously. Will is severely wounded, and lies in a shell crater with a German soldier. They exchange photos from home, and the singing king comes back to Will telling him to play the game. Will then dies of his wounds.