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REVIEW: While Apple TV+ might not have been able to emulate 2022’s Coda success at this week’s Academy Awards, it didn’t go home empty-handed.
An adaptation of British artist and author Charlie Mackesy’s popular 2019 book of the same name, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse took out the Oscar for Best Animated Short – and deservedly so.
This gorgeous-looking BBC co-production (which debuted on the streaming service on Christmas Day) is one of the most heart-melting, tear-inducing, uplifting half-hours you’ll experience in 2023.
Featuring the celebrity voices of Tom Hollander (Rev), Idris Elba (Luther) and Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects), as well as newcomer Jude Coward Nicholl, screenwriter Jon Croker (whose previous credits include the much-loved Paddington 2) and directors Mackesy and Peter Baynton have crafted a simple story that will resonate with viewers of all ages.
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With its memorable visuals and haunting dialogue, it feels destined to become a UK festive staple alongside the 1982 animated version of Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman and THAT Lily Allen-backed John Lewis Christmas advert from 2013.
However, this offers entrancing, emotive viewing all year round, its evocative mix of pen and ink characters and watercolour-inspired backgrounds (designed to match the look of the book) drawing the viewer into the snow-filled setting from the get-go.
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There’s a simple message at the heart of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.
Opening on a lone figure amidst the starkly white landscape, its unexpected encounter with a mole (Hollander) leads to revelation that a young boy (Coward Nicholl) is lost.
“An old mole once told me, ‘follow the river and it will take you home’,” the small-mammal tells his new, young human companion. “But, I can’t see a river?” the child frets.
Eager to assist, the mole offers to join him on the journey over the hill to where he believes the body of water lies, not even minding an accident that results him being covered in snow. “I was feeling a bit warm actually,” he grins, eager to not upset his clearly fearful charge any further.
Aiming to solidify their growing rapport, the mole asks: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“Kind.”
“Nothing beats kindness, it sits quietly beyond all things,” the mole adds, without missing a beat.
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An adaptation of British artist and author Charlie Mackesy’s popular 2019 book of the same name, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse took out the Oscar for Best Animated Short – and deservedly so.
As the conversation turns to the oddness of “only being able to see our outsides – and yet nearly everything happens on our insides” and the mole’s obsession with all things cake-related, the pair suddenly realise that night is falling.
Abandoning their quest for the evening, they take shelter in a tree, musing about how much better life would be if everyone “listened less to their fears – and more to their dreams”. It’s at that point they narrowly avoid the attentions of a fox (Elba), only to hear plaintive cries just minutes later.
Bravely investigating the source, the mole discovers it’s the same fox – caught in a snare. While the predator threatens them with what he’d do to them if he wasn’t trapped, the mole simply ignores this and sets about freeing him – much to the shock of the fox. As the latter races off to hunt another day, mole reminds his homo sapien pal that “one of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things”.
However, even more danger lies in wait, when the next morning dawns.
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For at least one generation, this will evoke memories of the E.H. Shepard-illustrated, rather than Disney-animated, Winnie the Pooh, for another Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s gorgeous Gruffalo.
While certainly not without incident, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is far more about the sentiments expressed and the journey – than any real driving narrative.
This is a mostly gentle story where “lemon drizzle” is an exclamation, reminders are offered to those watching that “tears fall for a reason – and they’re you’re strength, not your weakness” and that “asking for help isn’t giving up – it’s refusing to give up” and that assures everyone in its closing credits that “no cakes were harmed in the making of this film”.
For at least one generation, this will evoke memories of the E.H. Shepard-illustrated, rather than Disney-animated, Winnie the Pooh. For another, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s gorgeous Gruffalo.
Carve out 33-minutes sometime soon, gather the whānau together and treat yourself to this thought-provoking tale that feels sure to become a timeless classic.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is now available to stream on Apple TV+.
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