The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022)

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Review

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is a 2022 animated short film directed by Charlie Mackesy. It is such a sweet movie.

Based on a titular book, the film revolves around the characters developing companionship between them in the wilderness on a spring day and explores the themes of humanity, empathy and kindness. This is one of those timeless movies with the potential to be the next holiday tradition viewing. It is not for everybody – certainly not for those cynical bores among us – but for everybody who has a heart and imagination, it is bound to be an utter delight.

The movie’s plot is this boy’s quest to find a home, which eventually leads to his realization that he already has a home with these wild animals and that home is not a place, but the closest people around you. I fully predicted this twist, but nonetheless it was still extremely powerful and it almost made me cry. There are so many precious messages that this film teaches children and even us adults (many of these messages will fly over the heads of the young ones). One is that we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves while the other is that crying is the sign of strength and not weakness.

These are all wonderful messages, but I just wish that how they were delivered wasn’t so earnest and almost emotionally manipulative. At times the film genuinely resembled an animated version of a therapy session, which was certainly overwhelming to experience. But still, it undeniably has a huge heart and I was deeply touched by it. The characters could have been a tad better developed, but the boy is still very endearing, the horse is very majestic (the wings twist was superb) and the fox was quite memorable and mysterious. The standout is clearly the mole whose cake obsession was hilarious and whose little walks were hugely adorable.

That brings me to the animation. The movie features such old-fashioned style that resembles the illustrations from postcards, especially those of the holiday variety. The snowy landscapes were stunning to behold. It resembled a book coming to life while also being clearly inspired by the illustrations from ‘The Little Prince’ and the animation from ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’. The score is also enchanting in its uplifting quality while the directing and editing are top-notch too. The voice acting is incredible with the highlight being Tom Hollander as the wise, cute mole.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is somewhat manipulative in its delivery, but it’s still a highly touching, beautiful film that teaches us some valuable messages while also delivering splendid animation and a beautiful score. It’s an instant holiday classic.

My Rating – 4.5