The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse has built a real following in Australia on Apple TV and Apple TV Amazon Channel, and in the US on Apple TV and Apple TV Amazon Channel among viewers who do not usually seek out animation. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. A harder one to justify skipping than to start. Put it on tonight on Apple TV and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is worth clearing space for. The look of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse gets people in the door, but the writing is what keeps them there. The unlikely friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse traveling together in the boy's search for home. Jude Coward Nicoll and Tom Hollander lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2022. The animation style is distinctive enough to be immediately recognisable, but it is the writing underneath that keeps viewers coming back for more. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Genuinely enjoyable for a wide range of viewers, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse treats animation as a delivery mechanism, not a limitation. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Jude Coward Nicoll's voice work is a big part of what makes it distinctive. If you have been sleeping on it because of the format, the format is not the thing here.