A man in space loses the will to live. Then his dog tries to save them both.


FETCH is used with permission from Sam Gill. Learn more at   / samejgill  .


One man is left to work alone as the only maintenance worker aboard a colossal space station. With his dog George as his only companion, they fill the days cleaning vents, rewiring fuses and playing games of fetch with wellworn tennis balls down the dilapidated corridors of the empty station. But overwhelmed by the scope of the job and feeling isolated, the man slides into depression, causing him to neglect his duties.

The station eventually malfunctions catastrophically, and George and his human must escape. But when the man realizes he can't reach the last escape pod in time, he throws his tennis ball towards it. The dog chases the ball into the pod, which closes and propels the animal to safety. But the dog refuses to leave his human behind, so the dog journeys back across space to save his human or die alongside him.

Directed and written by Sam Gill, this compelling animated short has the innocent charm and emotional clarity of any story by Pixar or Disney. Focused on the classic relationship between a man and his best friend, it captures the joy of their bond, as well as the loyalty that sustains them both in a harsh environment.

The rounded friendliness of its character design will appeal to younger viewers, but visually, there's also complexity in how it renders space, with dark tones and wide shots capturing the vast emptiness and isolation that is outer space. Moments of quirky charm abound in the storytelling, as when the dog tussles with a "Suit Up" machine that tries to get him to wear a space suit. But it's also no surprise when the man is overwhelmed, both by his job and the enormous void that is his environment.

He descends into a crippling depression, though he's still faithfully accompanied by his canine companion. We see his owner's slide into depression through George's faithful eyes. He doesn't understand it, but he knows something is wrong, especially when the ship starts deteriorating. This leads to a crisis point when the pair must escape from the station and where George's owner uses the dog's innate love of play to get him to safety, even if it means forcing George to leave his human friend behind.

Told with little dialogue but plenty of ambitious, eyepopping visuals and an emotive, expressive score, FETCH accomplishes the trick of a fullbodied, emotionally rich story in a short runtime, with high stakes, deep emotion and gripping suspense. It's an exciting space adventure, but its resonance rests in how it celebrates loyalty and the type of unconditional love that exists between dogs and their humans.