Matthew Freud and Charlie Mackesy win Best Animated Short Film Oscar for ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse’

Apple CEO Tim Cook congratulated the team behind the film in a tweet
Matthew Freud (L) and Charlie Mackesy (R) seen backstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards 2023 (Richard Harbaugh/Getty Images)
Matthew Freud (L) and Charlie Mackesy (R) seen backstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards 2023 (Richard Harbaugh/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matthew Freud, head of Freud Communications, joined British artist Charlie Mackesy on stage at the 95th Academy Awards to accept the award for Best Animated Short Film for 'The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse.' "I've never made a film before, so this is bewildering," Freud said as he accepted the award. "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," referring to the crew and voice actors who worked together for two years during the pandemic to make the film.

Freud concluded by saying 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." 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse is a 2019 picture book by Charlie Mackesy that was later adapted into a short film. It follows the developing friendship between the four protagonists of the title.

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An unlikely bond between four creatures

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (Short 2022) - (IMDb)
A still from 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' (IMDb)

The film touches the viewer's heart and shows a true definition of friendship, kindness, life and hope. The hand-animated film tells the wonderful story of four animals traveling through snowy landscapes, learning and unlearning about life from each other. Voice actors for the characters include some of the industry's best-known personalities such as Jude Coward Nicoll, Tom Hollander, Idris Elba and Gabriel Byrne. CEO Tim Cook congratulated the team behind the film in a tweet when the animated film was released on Apple TV+. 



 

 

(L-R) Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud, winners of the Best Animated Short Film award for
 Charlie Mackesy (L) and Matthew Freud (R), winners of the Best Animated Short Film award pose in the press room during the 95th Annual Academy Awards (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

A 'live laugh love' poster brought to life

While many loved the animated film 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,' some wished that "Ice Merchants" would win. The short film tells the story of a father and his son who live in a tiny hut anchored to the side of a huge, icy mountain cliff. One user wrote, "While this was my favorite, Ice Climbers was the better feat of animation. It should have won," with another user added, "Deserved." A third user stated, "Ice Merchants should have won. "This film was a "Live Laugh Love" poster come to life," another user said. "Fav Movie on @AppleTVPlus. Heartwarming that it won The Academy Award," said another user.



 



 



 



 



 

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