Jason Sondhi
It’s such a pleasing sensation when a young animator emerges from relative obscurity and really shows off with her graduation film. The animation community is simultaneously large, but also very small, and a great short film is the premier currency of discovery—make a splash and you’re assured of having it shared obsessively in some very fancy places. I imagine that is what is happening to recent Pratt University graduate Amy Xu, because her new BFA short, Melt Down, is simply killer.
Completed in April, the 5min piece is a colorful, fluid journey through a very strange world. The central conceit is that people here literally melt from stress, and the plot follows a boy with no body who is forced to go outside against his wishes to run an errand. It’s freewheeling and surreal, but hardly difficult, suffused as it is with tremendous visual imagination and genuine emotion. Angst, stress, irritability, grouchiness—a wide range of moods are wonderfully expressed via the film’s transforming characters in a madcap affair that contains some stellar action sequences. While abstract enough to probably prevent it from becoming a mainstream hit, it is an undeniable showcase for Xu’s art, and resonant enough to appeal beyond simple animation enthusiasts.
Like most great debuts, the film recognizable in its influences, but pushes them in unexpected directions. The flat 2D animation, loud colors, and simplified character designs are very much in vogue at the moment, but Xu’s motion, its fluidity and morphing nature, are hi-level and rarely seen in student shorts. She also brings a startling mature eye for direction. Clever blocking abounds: low angle shots, expansive wides, and dutch-angles accentuate the motion and heighten the tension. Blended with interesting sound design, Xu is able to really puncutate several key moments within the piece.
Currently a freelancer in Brooklyn, and fresh off an internship at Plymptoons, the future is bright for Xu. She’s done a bit of promo work for Adult Swim already, and I’d be astonished if she doesn’t get offered a School of Life explainer (which, in relative short order, has emerged as one of the premier showcases for up-and-coming animation talent). If you’d like to work with her, check out her portfolio at the link below!