AnimationWorld Magazine — January 28, 2018
Fx Goby Builds a Fire with Jack London Adaptation
French filmmaker Fx Goby’s award-winning short film To Build a Fire, commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America and co-produced by Nexus Studios and Composite Films, premiered online in December as a Vimeo staff pick. To Build a Fire is widely recognized as Jack London’s masterpiece and a classic of American literature, with Goby’s animated film adaptation touring festivals to great acclaim since 2016, the centenary of London’s death.
The 13-minute 2D-animated short, animated in Adobe Flash with the help of 3D modeling tools, tells the story of a trapper and his dog attempting to cross the Yukon in the harshness of midwinter. With striking visuals and a score composed by Mathieu Alvado and recorded by members the London Symphony Orchestra, To Build a Fire has won over animation, film and Jack London enthusiasts alike. Accolades include the Grand Prize for Best Animation at the Rhode Island Film Festival, Best International Animation at Shorts Mexico, and Best Animation at this year’s London Short Film Festival.
Goby’s gorgeously animated adaptation of London’s story employs an austere, restrained visual design rendered in a limited color palette of wintery whites, grays and blues. In contrast to the sharply detailed backgrounds, the film’s main character and his animal companion appear as simplified rounded shapes. Unlike the original story, Goby’s short film adaptation eschews any narration or dialogue to tell viewers what is going on inside the minds of the man and dog. Instead, detailed natural backgrounds portray the harsh complexity of nature and Alvado’s score emphasizes the emotion and drama of every detail.