Apple Wins Oscar for 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse'

Apple and the BBC have won an animated short Oscar for "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse," a magical fable by writer and artist Charlie Mackesy.

The Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
Winning at the 95th Academy Awards over the weekend, the film follows the dreamlike friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse traveling together in the boy's search for home. It stars Tom Hollander as The Mole, Idris Elba as The Fox, Gabriel Byrne as The Horse, and Jude Coward Nicoll as The Boy.

Apple Original Films acquired the production last year and it debuted on Apple TV+ and the BBC during Christmas 2022.

Apple CEO Tim Cook congratulated the team involved in making "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" in a tweet, adding "Your beautiful short tells an enduring story about the meaning of kindness, acceptance and hope."

The Oscar is Apple's first for an animated short. It was Apple's only win at this year's Oscars, with Apple receiving one other nomination, for Brian Tyree Henry for supporting actor in Apple TV+ drama "Causeway."


At the 2022 Oscars, Apple became the first streaming service to win the best picture prize for "CODA," in addition to wins for Troy Kotsur for supporting actor and director Siân Seder for adapted screenplay.

Top Rated Comments

MuppetGate Avatar
17 weeks ago

Apple did nothing but fork out $$$
It’s one thing having the money; it’s another thing to know the best place to spend it.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ApplesAreSweet&Sour Avatar
17 weeks ago

Apple did nothing but fork out $$$
How do you think movies, shows and shorts get made and seen by anyone? You think the artists and writers fund it out of pocket and somehow it just reaches the masses because of how well-made the project is?

That's not how these things come about except for maybe one out of several millions of projects.

There's always some kind of investor behind these kinds of things. Either small ones at the start and then bigger ones later on. Or big ones from the start.

And even though I don't know whether Apple helped fund the development of this short or they just jumped in once it was done. I can tell you that there's no way these kinds of projects get the exposure they deserve unless some huge entity, like Apple, gets in the mix.

No, the big corporation can't make a short like this without the artists. But Apple is just as much a part of making this movie as any other party involved and it's completely justified to claim that "Apple Wins Oscar".
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Fly (film) Avatar
17 weeks ago
You mean Apple acquired and has on their streaming platform a film that did.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
star-affinity Avatar
17 weeks ago
Wow, checked out the trailer – looks fantastic.


So Apple did nothing except air it on their streaming channel and now they are claiming it is 'their' win, typical Apple.
Did they? Tim's tweet is congratulating the team behind it. I don't see Apple claiming the win, but the MacRumors header sure do. :)
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdriftmeyer Avatar
17 weeks ago

You mean Apple acquired and has on their streaming platform a film that did.
Wrong.

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy,_the_Mole,_the_Fox_and_the_Horse_(film)

Production Companies:

Apple Studios
Bad Robot Productions
NoneMore Productions

Distributors:

AppleTV+ (United States)
BBC One
BBC iPlayer (United Kingdom)

Apple funded and distributed the film in the US and BBC got paid to distribute it in the UK.

Bad Robot Production means Producer and team JJ Abrams proposed the film and bulk of production costs to several studios with Apple Studios winning the contract.

When their studio is built in Culver City I imagine a lot of projects will rely less on Bad Robot Productions and more on screenwriters directly soliciting and not selling their screenplays to JJ Abrams for a song who then sells rights including production costs for a huge profit on their part, not unlike the traditional Music Industry model.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sydnxt Avatar
17 weeks ago
Apple did nothing but fork out $$$
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Rapid Security Response Feature 1

Apple Releases Rapid Security Response Updates for iOS 16.5.1 and macOS 13.4.1 to Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerability [Updated]

Monday July 10, 2023 10:31 am PDT by
Apple today released Rapid Security Response (RSR) updates that are available for iPhone and iPad users running the iOS and iPadOS 16.5.1 updates and the macOS Ventura 13.4.1 update. Rapid Security Response updates are designed to provide iOS and macOS users with security fixes without the need to install a full software update. Today's updates address an actively exploited WebKit...
iPhone 15 Pro Two Volume Buttons and Titanium Feature Blue Green

iPhone 15 Pro's Top Rumored Features: USB-C Port, Titanium, and More

Tuesday July 11, 2023 6:37 am PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 lineup in September. As usual, the Pro and Pro Max models are expected to have a wide range of new features, including a USB-C port, A17 Bionic chip, titanium frame, and more. Below, we have recapped the top five new features rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro models. USB-C port: iPhone 15 Pro models are widely rumored to feature a USB-C port, providing...
Rapid Security Response Feature 1

Apple Pulls iOS 16.5.1 and macOS 13.4.1 Rapid Security Response Updates Due to Safari Bug

Monday July 10, 2023 8:39 pm PDT by
Apple earlier today released new Rapid Security Response updates for iOS 16.5.1, iPadOS 16.5.1, and macOS Ventura 13.4.1 users, but Apple has pulled the software, likely due to an issue that caused certain websites not to work after the RSRs were installed. According to reports on the MacRumors forums, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Zoom, and other websites started giving a warning about not ...
primeday2020 feature3

Amazon Prime Day: The Best Apple Deals

Tuesday July 11, 2023 5:30 am PDT by
Amazon Prime Day is back again, and this summer it will last for two days. During this time, you'll find a large selection of deals and offers across Amazon's storefront, covering savings on tech, clothing, video games, groceries, and much, much more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
iPhone 15 Pro Blue Side and Back 2

iPhone 15 Pro Expected to Come in Blue

Friday July 7, 2023 2:12 pm PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro models that are set to be introduced this September will be available in a unique dark blue color that has a gray tone, according to Unknownz21, a source that has provided multiple details on what we can expect from the next-generation iPhones and accurate information on other Apple devices like the Vision Pro. Available in a new titanium material, the blue shade will have...