Apple took home its first animated short Oscar for “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” a magical fable featuring a star-studded voice cast and luxurious hand-drawn animation.
The film won at the 95th Academy Awards over the category’s other nominees: Pamela Ribon and Sara Gunnarsdóttir’s buzzy “My Year of Dicks”; “The Flying Sailor” from Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby; “Ice Merchants” from João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano; and Lachlan Pendragon’s “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It.”
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” is based on the book of the same name by British artist and author Charlie Mackesy. Apple Original Films acquired the film last year and it debuted on Apple TV+ on Christmas Day 2022. The film was presented in partnership with the BBC, which made it available on broadcast and streaming in the U.K.
Apple CEO Tim Cook congratulated the team behind “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” in a tweet, adding, “Your beautiful short tells an enduring story about the meaning of kindness, acceptance and hope.”
It was Apple’s only win at this year’s Oscars, after the tech giant received just one other nomination, for Brian Tyree Henry for supporting actor in Apple TV+ drama “Causeway.” At the 2022 Oscars, Apple made history by becoming the first streaming service to win the best picture prize for “CODA,” along with wins for Troy Kotsur for supporting actor and director Siân Heder for adapted screenplay.
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” follows the magical and dreamlike friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse travelling together in the boy’s search for home. Apple billed it as a “story of kindness, friendship, courage and hope for viewers of all ages.”
The film stars Tom Hollander as The Mole, Idris Elba as The Fox, Gabriel Byrne as The Horse and newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll as The Boy. The 2019 book, which was based on illustrations Mackesy shared on Instagram, has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide since it was first published.
