The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: The Animated Story: Inspiring Conversations on Hope, Love and Personal Growth

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Charlie Mackesy, the New York Times bestselling author of the internationally beloved, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse, comes the Academy Award ® winning film adaption—now streaming on Apple TV+. A journey, in search of home... This edition of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse , a truly inspirational book, celebrates the work of more than a 100 animators across two years of production–with Charlie Mackesy’s distinctive illustrations brought to life in full color in this beautiful art of animation book with hand-drawn traditional animation and accompanying hand-written script. “I made a film with some friends about a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse—their journey together and the boy’s search for home. I hope this book gives you courage and makes you feel loved.” Love Charlie x Academy Award Winner: Go behind the scenes of the beloved, Oscar-winning animated short film, a story that has captured the hearts of millions. Hand-Drawn Animation: Discover the incredible artistry of over 100 animators who brought Charlie Mackesy’s iconic illustrations to life with breathtaking, traditional animation techniques. A Book About Friendship: Follow the unforgettable journey of a boy, a mole, a fox, and a horse as they learn the meaning of kindness, empathy, and belonging together. Finding Hope and Courage: A companion for all ages, this beautiful book is a reminder, in the author’s own words, that you are loved and have the strength to carry on. Review: Lovely, Heartfelt, and Inspiring for All Ages - This edition of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox & the Horse is beautiful and meaningful from the very first page. Whether you’re looking for a thoughtful gift or a book to revisit again and again, this one delivers. 🔹 Beautiful Illustrations & Heartfelt Messages The artwork is warm and expressive — each illustration captures emotion and simplicity in a way that stays with you. The text is gentle yet profound, offering wisdom, hope, and kindness. It’s the sort of book that appeals to children and adults alike. 🔹 Friendly and Encouraging Tone The language is accessible and full of compassion. It’s a reminder of what matters: connection, courage, kindness. Good for reading aloud, for quiet reflection, or as a comforting bedside story. 🔹 Excellent Gift Potential The production feels premium: sturdy hardcover, clean layout, and a timeless design. It sits nicely on a coffee table or shelf, and it's one of those books people actually pick up, not just display. ✅ Pros: Gorgeous artwork and meaningful story Suitable for kids and adults — versatile High-quality production and feel Uplifting, gentle, and memorable ❌ Cons: None — this is exactly what I’d hope for Overall: A beautifully crafted book that brings joy, reflection, and warmth. Whether as a gift or your own keepsake, this deserves all 5 stars. Review: GREAT FULLY COLORED AND ILLUSTRATED LIKE THE MOVIE/DVD - I first saw the black and white sketch version of this book at Walmart but found the full color version (which was made from the animated story put out by Apple TV) on desertcart so I bought it on desertcart. I saw snippets of the movie on YouTube when I tried to look up the book online. The animated version is so beautiful and amazing, so simple and breathtaking in its loveliness. I searched and got the animated version on DVD. Book Content, Style, and Design: None of the artist's gesture drawings are missing in the book and animated version. The lines of the form vibrate with life as one would find in a loose gesture drawing, the kind the studios look for in assessing the adept skills of a figure or animation artist. This book captures the same essence of the animation with all the colors and vibrancy found in the film version. One caveat however, is that the book version is much more saturated darker in the value key. It seems darker and "richer" in the saturation of color and misses some of the softer more delicate nuances found in the animated film version. Perhaps because of the lack of audio dialogue and actual movement, the publishers decided to go with higher contrast and stronger colors and values. Also, many of the images are cut in half in closeups. Perhaps a landscape style book would have worked better instead of a square version since the animation version was wide screen (1:85:1) DVD screen format. It still reads perfectly well although there are a few spots I would have inserted some pages to make the story hitch together in continuity better. The text is very unique in a brushpen style and the story does not narrate. What you get is mostly the quotes in the conversation with the pictures telling the narrative. If you see the animated film, you will make sense of the story flow in the book. It gets five stars for what it is. The book is strong and nicely bound and the pages are flat with an eggshell finish to them. The illustrations appear to be in watercolor style, perhaps a mixed media of guasch or acrylic. Lovely from cover to cover. The story is tight and without elaboration, making it a wonderful dose of love for both adult and children. Note: YouTube has a snippet scene of the Mole finally getting a piece of cake from the boy who comes running out to reward his faithful friend. It appears (in this scene) that the boy found his home and comes to meet the mole wearing a neck wrap around his neck. Do I viously he was able to find warm clothes. The mole devours the chocolate cake and is satisfied. The book, along with the DVD, miss this entire scene. Apple TV shows the movie running time is 34 minutes but the DVD version runs for 32 minutes (stated in the DVD cover). This book follows the DVD version and leaves this scene out entirely. Of course, this book made me weep and remember the lovely things in my own life and the years of love and bonding I had with my own horse, my dog, and even my pet rat. All of God's creatures have ministered to me in one way or another about His love and this book is a reminder of that. It's a good book to read and remind ourselves to slow down to the speed of life and be anchored in what is important.