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Story

A young boy (Jude Coward Nicoll) is walking alone in a snowy landscape. When he drops to his knees, lost and sad, a mole (Tom Hollander) pops up out of the ground and befriends him. They go in search of a river which the mole says will take him home. They climb a tree branch to see if they can see a river. Nearby, a fox (Idris Elba) is sniffing their trail and finds them in the tree. He gives up after unsuccessfully trying to climb the tree. The fox gets trapped by a rope and the mole and the boy set him free, despite the fact that the fox is a threat to them. When the mole falls into the river, the fox returns the favour and saves the mole’s life.

The group continue on and come across a white horse (Gabriel Byrne). The horse gives the boy and the mole a ride on his back, while the fox trails behind. The boy lets go of the horse and falls into the river. The horse helps him out but the boy feels bad that it was his fault. The horse tells him that tears fall for a reason. The friends continue on their journey looking for home and, in the process, discover what home really is.

Themes

Journeys; fantasy; adventure; self-worth

Violence

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse has some violence. For example:

  • The mole falls from a tree branch.
  • The fox tells the mole that if he had more room, he’d kill him.
  • The mole rolls down a slope covered in snow, into a fast-moving river. He gets washed down the stream.
  • The boy lets go of the horse, falls off and lands in the river.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There’s no substance use in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity and sexual activity in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Coarse language

There’s no coarse language in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Ideas to discuss with your children

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is an animated short movie based on the bestselling book by Charlie Mackesy. The movie is slow and gentle and full of positive messages. We recommend parental guidance for children under 5 because there are a few scary scenes.

The main messages from The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse are that ‘home’ isn’t a physical place, and that the reason we are here is to love and be loved.

Values in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse that you could reinforce with your children include kindness, selflessness, self-belief, self-worth, and the importance of friends and family.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse could also give you the chance to talk with your children about how:

  • we all feel a bit lost sometimes, and it’s how we react to things that defines us.
  • sometimes it’s hard to say, ‘I love you’, but we can say it in other ways.
  • we all face storms in life, but they always pass.

Supported By

  • Department of Social Services

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

  • Parenting Research Centre
  • The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

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