The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

Like many of you I bought the book a while book, captivated by the impressive art. The art and calligraphy is signature to the book. It made the leap into animation effortlessly and captured the essence of the message contained in the book with such warmth and humanity that it made me emotional.

The story centres around a boy who is inexplicably lost in a beautiful snowy landscape. It is a metaphor I guess as we as humans can find ourselves to be lost in many different ways.

The friends that come to his aid help each other. They do not judge and lean on each other for guidance and support.

The 30 minute animation is timeless and will become a feature for Christmas scheduling for years to come. The simple beautiful story is pan generational and global.

A young boy searches for home, along the way he encounters a brave and friendly mole, a hungry and ill tempered fox, and a wise horse.

This truly was a beautiful thirty minutes, a real story of hope and optimism, it's a short film that will have a definite appeal to all viewers, young and old, there is truly something for everyone to take away from it. A definite relevance for anyone to take away from it.

It's good fun, it's adventurous, it's truly heart warming, there are many things you can take away from it, I just found it so beautifully moving, so very sweet, just lovely viewing for this time of year. Truly that good, I watched it twice.

The animation fitted perfectly, a simplicity and lack of complication that just worked, as did the soft, accompanying music. The BBC hasn't been shy with promoting it, and the lovely images have accompanied its program introductions.

Great to hear so many instantly recognisable stars, I just loved Tom Hollander's mole.

Every year we get an animated short, this is up there with the best of them, it's absolutely marvellous, 10/10.

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

Opening thoughts: 'The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse' was one of my most anticipated viewings last Christmas, and was watched with very high expectations. Actually to be honest, it was one of the few new things airing on television last Christmas that was really looked forward to. Animation and Christmas have gelled together many times over the years, with a large number of classics. The book is also beautiful, very charming, thought provoking and emotional.

Fortunately, those high expectations were not only met, they were actually exceeded in the best possible way. It couldn't have been a more perfect adaptation of the book, with it being its equal in quality and containing everything that made the book so good. It is also absolutely magical on its own merits and to me it was one of the clear highlights of the festive season. Which is saying quite a lot, seeing as for me 2022 was not one of the best years when it came to festive television.

Good things: Everything. What immediately stood out was the animation, which is absolutely exquisite and really made me wish that traditional picture book like animation was seen and utilised more these days. Loved the colours and the fluidity of the character designs, and that the backgrounds were kept simple was a wise move and matched the simplicity of the storytelling perfectly. The music is very soothing and did appreciate that it wasn't used or featured constantly and that it didn't go for large orchestral scoring or busy rhythms and instead went for the gentle, intimate approach.

Moreover, the dialogue is adapted beautifully. Admittedly, there are a lot of quotes and phrases, like the book. To me though it didn't feel too talky or rambling, remarkable as both happens a lot when anything is heavy in dialogue or phrases. Luckily, the quality of the dialogue is extremely thoughtful and profound. Loved the storytelling, it is slight and it does not go at a fast pace, but the tone of the book is gentle and fast and furious pacing would not have worked or gelled with the dialogue.

A fantastic job is done with staying true to both the detail and spirit of the book, it is a very faithful adaptation, like the book coming to life, but it did not feel overly so. Never to me did it feel sluggish or draggy, which can happen with adaptations that follow their source material very closely. Every ounce of the charm is still intact, and my heart was still warmed and touched. Especially at the end, where tissues are necessary. All four lead characters are easy to root for, Mole being my favourite, and beautifully voiced. Very nice to see a more understated side to Idris Elba.

Closing thoughts: In summary, magical. One of the easiest 10/10s given out in a long time.

10/10.

That unique style of dialog tells you right away that this 34 minute animated treat is an "existential" short subject from the BBC, and quite mesmerizing. The first task of the reviewer is to categorize the film to assist potential viewers, but I am coming up blank. In my over 2000 reviews here, I have never encountered a single story that sets out to deliver so much ... and succeeds. It is an adventure, it is a drama, it is a fable, it is animation for kids, it is animation for adults, and it is also a morality tale. It is an unforgettable half hour. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

A beautiful experience - I nearly cried.

The animation was first class and the dialogue was very moving.

The characters voices were so suited to each other. I would watch this and would re watch this particularly with my grand sons who unfortunately live far far away.

The mole is obsessed with CAKE and is to me just like 'The Wind in the Willows'.

To me this is a faithful rendering of the book and has brought great pleasure in these troubled times. It is good that such joy is brought by the skill of the author and the animators.

I look forward to seeing this again and again in my remaining years.