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Finalists have been announced for the 2024 British Animation Awards, which will take place on March 7 at London’s BFI Southbank.

Contending for best feature film are “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” “A Cat Called Dom,” “Kensuke’s Kingdom,” “Puffin Rock and The New Friends” and “The Amazing Maurice.”

“Christopher at Sea,” “The Debutante” and “All Gucci My Broski” are nominated in the short film category.

Adjoa Andoh, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emilia Clarke, Idris Elba, Claire Foy, Tom Hollander and Hugh Laurie are among the ensemble cast members nominated for best voice performance for “Mog’s Christmas” “The Amazing Maurice” and “The Boy, the Mole, The Fox and the Horse.”

Baa also acknowledges achievement in television, with “Tweedy & Fluff,” “The Sound Collector – Harp Strings,” “The Rubbish World of Dave Spud – Moonbreaker” and “Lloyd of the Flies” nominated for best children’s series.

For best original music, composer David Arnold is nominated for “Mog’s Christmas...

London-based PR maven Matthew Freud, joined by fellow Brit and collaborator Charlie Mackesy, offered his apologies for winning the Oscar for Short Film (Animated) for The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse.

“I’ve never made a film before, so this is bewildering,” Freud said in accepting the trophy. “I know the protocol is to say ‘thank you’ a lot, but I’m British, so I’m more comfortable saying ‘sorry.’ So, I’m really sorry to all the people who should be on this stage with us,” alluding to the large crew and voice cast who teamed up for two years during Covid to make the film. Freud closed by quipping that he was “also really sorry to my children, my girlfriend and my colleagues at [PR firm] Freuds for basically being absent over the last two years.”

Related: The 2023 Oscars’ Biggest Moments, Snubs And Surprises

The Boy came...

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.

On Oscar night, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” will almost certainly win the Academy Award for feature animation. For many of those following along at home, it will look as though the director of “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape of Water” is being rewarded for some kind of secondary passion, as if del Toro had scaled Everest and then set his sights on a smaller peak on which to plant his flag. But that’s not how it happened at all.

Way back in Mexico, del Toro started his filmmaking career doing animated shorts: Obsessed with Ray Harryhausen, the amateur future auteur built rudimentary armatures, painstakingly repositioning the puppets one frame at a time. Decades later, once established in Hollywood, del Toro accepted a side gig at DreamWorks Animation, serving as a story consultant on films such as “Megamind” and “Kung Fu Panda 2” as a pretext for teaching himself the trade.

The moving Oscar-nominated animated short The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, based on the illustrated book of the same name by British artist Charlie Mackesy, wasn’t initially planned as a published work or a film but rather began as a series of drawings in early 2018 that he posted on his Instagram account (now with a 1.7 million following), featuring the four titular characters and their musings about kindness, hope, friendship and courage.

For instance, in one drawing on Instagram — which is also featured in the short — the boy asks, “What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” The horse replies, “Help.” Mackesy began to post more of his drawings and was moved by the response. “Everyone was discussing their feelings and what was difficult and what they hoped for,” the director tells THR.

This led to the publication of the book in 2019, followed by production of...

This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page.

Charlie Mackesy always thought Tom Hollander would make a great mole.

More specifically, the artist who wrote and illustrated the bestselling 2019 book “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” felt the British actor was a wonderful match to voice one of his characters in the short film adaptation he co-directed with Peter Baynton. The film, now streaming on Apple TV + has charmed audiences worldwide and is nominated for an Academy Award for animated short film.

Mackesy describes Hollander’s voice as a “velvety, rich cake-like sound” and was thrilled the British actor got involved. Notes Mackesy, “His voice is rich, and has a great range, and can move between comedy and pathos very easily. His voice is so diverse,...

“I used to lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling and see snowfall and imagine the characters in the book moving. It was a dream of mine to take them further than the static book drawings,” said writer-director Charlie Mackesy during a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees to discuss The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Based on his 2019 illustrated book, Mackesy’s animated short from Apple Original Films that’s nominated for the Best Animated Short Film Oscar, follows a boy searching for a home. Along the way, he meets three animals who are also looking for a place to belong and begin to develop a bond. The short is directed by Mackesy and Peter Baynton, with the voice talents of Jude Coward Nicoll, Gabriel Byrne, Idris Elba and Tom Hollander.

Related: Contenders Film: The Nominees – Deadline’s Full Coverage

The book became a hit,...

Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’ve reviewed every short film in each category: Animation, Documentary, and Live Action.

Animation

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse | UK | 35 minutes

You can’t go wrong with a children’s story contending you are worthy of life just the way you are. It’s the sort of heavy subject matter that could very quickly move towards suicidal ideation, so you do have to applaud Charlie Mackesy for approaching from a place of compassion, empathy, and––most of all––youth. So when Boy (Jude Coward Nicoll) suddenly finds himself unable to control his tears after an error in judgment that leaves no one the worse for wear, all he needs is a gentle reminder from his new friends that crying is a strength rather than weakness. Those tears are necessary and meaningful. They should be felt, understood, accepted.

There are many...

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” harks back to an era of gentle storytelling and hand-drawn animation but its inception, by British illustrator Charlie Mackesy, was entirely modern: blossoming from social media to print to streaming.

The book of the same name — based on Mackesy’s WhatsApp and Instagram illustrations — did gangbusters, selling over 250,000 copies in the U.S. when first published in 2019 and topping bestseller lists on both sides of the pond. Now the half-hour animated adaptation has been nominated for an Oscar for best animated short.

“It was kind of unintentional,” Mackesy said of the project’s beginnings when he spoke to Variety on Wednesday, one day after the Oscar nomination were unveiled. “Very intentional, but unintentional in terms of what it should become. The real intention lay with each drawing in each [WhatsApp] conversation, that was very intentional. But that was kind of it.”

Mackesy...

Now that the nominations for the 95th Annual Academy Awards have been released, Oscar season is in full effect. While most awards coverage usually revolves around the top honors, it's critical to remember that categories like Best Animated Short often don't get as much chatter, which is a shame given everything that happened last year. In a truly baffling move to cut down the runtime of the ceremony, the Academy pre-taped the award, along with 7 other categories, earlier in the day and then presented edited clips of the acceptance speeches.

The kicker is that in doing this, it did absolutely nothing to shorten the program, as the ceremony ran nearly 20 minutes longer. Thankfully, this year will see the previously shafted categories presented in full during the live ceremony, especially after a wave of criticism for the boneheaded move. The fresh batch of nominees for Best Animated Short include "The Boy,...

“It’s a strange combination of feeling shocked and grateful,” says Charlie Mackesy, whose film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” has been shortlisted Best Animated Short at the 95th Oscars. “If I could have played this video to me three years ago, I would have been overwhelmed. I never dreamt we would make a book, let alone a film. It’s an honor and a shock.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

“Having always felt very alien to the human race and always feeling a bit strange, my discovery is that we have so much more in common than we think,” he says. “So much of us is beautiful and sharable. It was a journey of acceptance and love. If you accept yourself you can accept others and if you are accepted you can learn to accept yourself. The boy’s discovery that he’s alone,...

"Nothing beats kindness, it sits quietly beyond all things."

This is just one of the many messages about loving others and yourself that is outlined in this gentle family animation from Peter Baynton and Charlie Mackesy, which has made the Oscar short animation shortlist. Based on Mackesy's book - co-scripted with Jon Croker (Paddington 2) -  this tale of a little lost boy (voiced by Jude Coward Nicoll) and the cake-loving mole (voiced by Tom Hollander) he goes on an adventure with is as soft as the snowy landscape they find themselves in.

As they start to follow the river and aim to find a home, they will encounter a fox (voiced by Idris Elba) who initially spells danger and a horse (voiced by Gabriel Byrne), who has a surprising secret.

Baynton's previous work, including Save Our Bacon and Over The Hill, has had quite a bit of edge to it,...

Let’s be honest, it’s a little harder than usual to get into the festive spirit. Times are tough. Good news feels tricky to find. Getting warm and cosy costs a lot. Nurses, rail workers and Royal Mail staff are being forced to strike. Prices are (still) rising, and the need to pinch pennies for presents is more anxiety-inducing than ever. Enter the BBC’s adaptation of Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. This tale of love and hope is half an hour of unmitigated joy.

With Mackesy’s sketched animation, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was one for the kids. But bundled within the snowy scenes are messages for all ages. “You fell, but I’ve got you,” the Horse tells the Boy at one point. If you’re already familiar with the book, this understated adaptation brings the tale...

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Charlie Mackesy remembers the first thing producer Cara Speller said to him when they met about turning Mackesy’s bestseller “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse” into an animated short: “I wonder how they move?” “It was an intimate, child-like question and I found it very compelling,” Mackesy told IndieWire in a recent interview.

It wouldn’t be the first time a larger story sprung from the artist, illustrator, and cartoonist’s lovely drawings of kindness and hope. The characters who populate “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” began appearing in posts on Mackesy’s Instagram in 2018; one sketch, in which the horse tells the boy that the bravest thing he ever said was “Help,” became a viral sensation. That led to a deal with Ebury Press and a picture book depicting a chance encounter between the titular characters.

After turning down several proposals to adapt the story,...

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is an animated short film directed by Peter Baynton and Charlie Mackesy, starring Jude Coward Nicoll, Tom Hollander, Idris Elba and Gabriel Byrne. The film is based on based on the internationally bestselling book of the same name by celebrated author Charlie Mackesy.

The movie premieres globally on December 25, on Apple TV+.

Premise

The story of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse, as they create an unexpected friendship and travel together in the boy’s search for home.

"We're on a quest for cake!" Apple TV+ has debuted the official trailer for The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, an animated short film adapted from the book of the same name by Charlie Mackesy. The story comes to life in this beautifully animated film from NoneMore and Bad Robot Productions. Follow the unlikely bond between four friends as they explore the meaning of kindness, courage and hope. The short features the voice talents of Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne, Tom Hollander, and newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll. The poignant journey follows the unlikely friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox, and a horse traveling together in the boy’s search for home. The film features Mackesy's distinctive illustrations brought to life in full color with beautiful hand-drawn animation. Presented in partnership with the BBC, who will premiere The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse in the UK,...

Apple TV+ released the trailer for its upcoming animated short “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse,” an adaptation of the 2019 bestseller from Charlie Mackesy, which won the Book of the Year award from British chain Waterstones. Its debut on December 25 positions it well for nominations in the Best Animated Short Oscar race.

The children’s fable was produced by J.J. Abrams and Cara Speller, a producer on “Ant-Man” and “Rocket & Groot” animated series, as well as “Love, Death, & Robots.” Woody Harrelson is an executive producer.

The voice cast includes Jude Coward Nicoll (the boy), Tom Hollander (the mole), Idris Elba (the fox), and Gabriel Byrne (the horse). Peter Baynton, whose work in visual effects includes the beloved “Paddington 2,” is the co-director alongside Mackesy. Jon Croker, credited with “additional material” for “Paddington 2,” plus a co-writing credit on the quite good Netflix horror pic “No One Gets Out Alive,...

Author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy didn’t necessarily set out to write a book, let alone a best-seller that has affected the lives of countless people around the world.

“It was a series of drawings that I posted on Instagram, really,” Mackesy, the author behind “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse,” tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. Mackesy started by posting drawings of a boy and a mole, and their imagined conversations prioritized values like kindness, empathy, and forgiveness. After he added a horse to the mix, Mackesy wrote an interaction that spawned a movement: “What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” the boy asks the horse in Mackesy’s book. “Help,” says the horse in response.

“I think that was the first time I was really shocked by the response worldwide from hospitals and schools, and even the army in Australia, and Canada,...

Apple Original Films has acquired international rights for the animated short film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.”

After becoming the first streaming service to win the Academy Award for best picture for “Coda,” the streaming platform has its eyes set on animated shorts.

Based on the internationally bestselling book of the same name by celebrated author Charlie Mackesy, the film will be coming to Apple TV+ on Dec. 25. The BBC will premiere the film on BBC One and Player for viewers in the U.K. Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne and Jude Coward Nicoll comprise the voice cast.

The story follows the unlikely friendship of a boy, a mole (Hollander), a fox (Elba) and a horse (Bryne) traveling together in the boy’s search for home.

“The journey of making the film of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse with my incredibly...

J.J. Abrams Behind BBC Christmas Adaptation; Idris Elba, Tom Hollander Aboard

J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions is adapting international bestseller The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse for the BBC this Christmas, with Idris Elba, Tom Hollander, Gabriel Byrne and newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll boarding. The heartfelt journey told in the novel by Charlie Mackesy will be reimagined in full color with hand-drawn traditional animation, as Abrams combines with Cara Speller of NoneMore Productions for the adaptation. Hollander will play the mole, Elba the fox, Byrne the horse and Coward Nicoll will lead as ‘the boy’. Mackesy is co-directing with Peter Baynton, co-adapting with Jon Croker and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s sister Isobel Waller-Bridge is composing the original score. “Charlie Mackesy’s heart-warming and inspirational story brought to life through NoneMore Productions’ and Bad Robot Productions’ beautiful animation, is about the importance of love, kindness and friendship,” said...

Korean Movies Upcoming

Cj Enm Hong Kong has secured the first and exclusive Pay TV, pay-per-view, video-on-demand and over-the-top (Ott) rights in key Southeast Asia markets to a slate of current and upcoming South Korean films. These are to play on the tvN Movies channel in Southeast Asia. Titles include: “The Roundup” (a.k.a. “The Outlaws 2”), which is currently on release and approaching the 100 million landmark; “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One,” which also opened in first place at the theatrical box office; Cj’s own “Decision to Leave,” which earned Park Chan-wook the best director award at Cannes; disaster-action film, “Emergency Declaration,” which played at Cannes last year and will have an August release in Korea; Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin-starring “Confidential Assignment 2”; Don Lee-starring comedy drama “Men of Plastic,” action thriller movie Decibel, from Megabox Plus M; “A Man of Reason” (formerly “The Protector”) directed...