THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE 🤮

THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE is one of the dullest, pseudo-motivational, and unnecessary pieces of film I’ve ever seen, and I’m genuinely annoyed that I watched it. On top of the drab story, the animation is passé and inconsistent, with odd POV CGI shots breaking its storybook feel.

The 33-minute animated short feels like someone walked into Home Goods, picked up every mug, pillow, and inspirational poster, and then challenged themselves to make a movie using only those quotes. THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE is vaguely nostalgic and ambiguous enough in its message that it’s guaranteed to be beloved by families everywhere. Plus, it’s J.J. Abrams-produced and stars Idris Elba. There are also obvious similarities between this movie and WINNIE-THE-POOH and THE LITTLE PRINCE, but that’s only because THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE is wholly unoriginal and plays out like a charmless retelling of stories we’ve heard before.

All that being said…I don’t fault you if you find comfort or solace in this film, and I’m not being sarcastic and don’t mean to be condescending. But you are important, and you are loved, and if this movie makes you feel that way, it can’t be that bad of a film. I just wish that there was a better movie that did the same thing.

THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE is streaming on AppleTV+ and is also currently playing in select theaters as part of ShortTV’s presentation of the Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts.