Charlie Mackesy's The Boy, the Mule, the Fox and the Horse is a children's illustrated book first published in 2019. The novel examines the relationship between the four people—the boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse—mentioned in the title of Mackesy's novel. Together, they must navigate difficult terrain while learning to work together as a team despite their differences.
The Boy, the Mule, the Fox and the Horse was later adapted into an animated short film of the same name. Released in December 2022 on streaming site AppleTV+, that film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Film and likewise received positive reviews.
Reviews for the The Boy, the Mule, the Fox and the Horse short film are reflective of the reviews that the novel—which was a #1 New York Times bestseller—received. Barnes and Noble named it the best novel of the year. The New York Times wrote in their review that “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is not only a thought-provoking, discussion-worthy story, the book itself is an object of art."
