Jony Ive directed his first animated short film for Apple TV+.

Executive Producer Jony Ive produced a new animated short film for Apple TV+ starring Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne and Jude Coward Nicholl.

• What is happening? Ive, a former head of design at Apple, might add “Apple TV+ Producer”to his resume, having collaborated with Woody Harrelson and director JJ Abrams on a new animated short for Apple TV+.
• Why care? Because Ive was Apple’s design czar for 27 years.
• What to do? Mark your calendar. The upcoming animated film Boy, Mole, Fox and Horse debuts on Apple TV+ this Christmas.

Meet Jony Ive, Producer of Apple TV+

Apple’s press release states that the upcoming film is being executive produced by Jony Ive and actor Woody Harrelson. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is based on the book of the same name by Charlie McKee [ Apple Books link | Link to Amazon. The animated film stars Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne and Jude Coward Nicholl.

Apple project description:

A story of kindness, friendship, courage and hope for viewers of all ages in a warm animated classic based on Charlie Mackey’s book Boy, Mole, Fox and Horse. A touching and heartfelt journey follows the unlikely friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse as they journey together in search of a home for the boy.

The BBC will premiere The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse this Christmas in the UK. It will premiere outside the UK on Apple TV+ on Christmas Day.

Why should you care

The most loved Apple products were designed by Ive and his team. He even voiced most of the Apple product videos (created by Ive’s team, not some agency).

Outside of Apple, the famous designer is said to have influenced the design of the lightsaber in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It seems natural to expand your video talents by helping bring Boy, Mole, Fox and Horse to Apple’s streaming service. Read: How to live stream to YouTube from iPhone, iPad and Mac

Even if adding an executive producer to Ive’s job list after leaving Apple doesn’t sound too exciting, we’ll make sure Boy, Mole, Fox, and Horse watch him when he debuts on Apple TV+ because Ive is a man of many talents..

Ive and fellow industrial designer Marc Newson founded the consulting firm LoveFrom after leaving Apple in 2019. It’s unclear if Apple still considers LoveFrom a customer, but Ive and LoveFrom have been hired to help develop new Ferrari cars.