Starring Alex Etel, Emily Watson, and Ben Chaplin. Rated PG. Opens Tuesday, December 25, at the Cinemark Tinseltown

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a charming movie about a shy boy who discovers an exotic sea creature. Based on the novel by Dick King-Smith, everything about Water Horse suggests the kind of old-school family movie associated with vintage Disney. Set in a small Scottish village during the Second World War, the tale is told in flashback for the benefit of modern-day tourists by an elderly man sitting in a pub (an underutilized, if much appreciated, Brian Cox). Soon we're deep into the story of young Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel). A melancholy lad who's counting the days until his beloved dad returns from military service, his life brightens considerably when he finds a mysterious egg on the beach. When the egg hatches, it reveals a strange-looking beast that Angus christens Crusoe.

Borrowing heavily from the popular myth surrounding the Loch Ness monster, director Jay Russell (My Dog Skip, Tuck Everlasting) concocts an adventure story that's pleasantly low key despite some impressive special effects. Russell moves things along at a leisurely pace, greatly aided by the engaging cinematography of Oliver Stapleton. Initially, at least, we're asked to take lingering pleasure in such small things as the wonder of a kid exploring the seashore. It's an approach that works, thanks to an appealingly understated cast.

Emily Watson is especially effective as Angus's troubled mother. And Ben Chaplin adds a sense of playful humour as a village handyman who's coerced into helping Angus when Crusoe grows to an unmanageable size. But it's Etel who carries the movie on his slight shoulders from start to finish. Thanks to his convincing performance, Water Horse is more than just another tall tale for the holidays.