Rejected (2000)

A hilarious collection of animated television commercials that were rejected because of their creator's failing grip on sanity.

Director:

Don Hertzfeldt

Writer:

Don Hertzfeldt

Stars:

Robert May, Jennifer Nyholm, Don Hertzfeldt

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Robert May	...	Guy #1 / Guy #2 / Fluffy Guy / Ticks Announcer / Left Hand Characters (voice)
Jennifer Nyholm	...	Mother (voice)
Don Hertzfeldt	...	Spoon Guy / Banana / Queen of France (voice)

Storyline

An animator's commissioned works, rejected because of their increasingly absurd and violent tone (reflecting the animator's own progressive breakdown), eventually find their entire animated world collapsing in upon itself.

---

Plot Keywords:

tearing up paper | rejection | fish stick | disaster | crushed to death | 

---

Genres:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Bitter Films page

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swedish

Release Date:

25 July 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aporriptetai

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bitter Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

9 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Don Hertzfeldt almost never uses a script during production and prefers to improvise and shape a film "as it goes along". This was no different, and much of post-production was spent radically retooling the entire piece through sound and editing. Some of the film's dialogue wasn't even written until after the film was animated and photographed, to allow for fresh improvisation and experiments.

---

Goofs

France is a Republic, there is no Monarch.

---

Quotes

Fluffy Guy: This is fun!
[the little Fluffy Guys continue dancing to a Scandinavian Christmas Song]
Fluffy Guy: My anus is bleeding!

---

Connections

Edited into The Animation Show (2003)

---

Soundtracks

Nu är det jul igen
Traditional Swedish Christmas song

User Reviews

Wow

Anyone who loves absurdity should watch this cartoon. I can't put it into any more simple terms. A friend of mine just showed me this film, and it blew my mind. I'm a huge fan of spontaneous/absurd/random humor. I love the work of Jhonen Vasquez, a comic book writer. This film reminds me of what might have happened had Vasquez started using animation earlier in his career, circa his "Bad Art Collection." If you are looking for deep meaning or warm emotions, go watch a drama. If you are looking for something completely different (as a certain group of British fellows who were also fond of absurdity might have said), then find or buy a copy of this and watch it. Don Hertzfeldt's "Rejected" is shocking, and it is meant to be. It also serves as a comment on commerciality and its effects on the creative spirit. But, really, the meaning is not the most important part. Some people who have commented on this movie have questioned the validity of the companies for which these "rejected" ads are supposedly made. I believe that is like going to watch Superman and saying "Ya know...I don't think Planet Krypton is real. I can't watch this." It's called "a willing suspension of disbelief." Whether or not these are REAL rejected advertisements is unimportant. Just watch the film as if they are real, and try to imagine how you'd react if you saw such an ad on a Family-based channel. That is really the only joke there is to get. If you can get through that, there is no doubt that Hertzfeldt's simple cartoons and their absurd and brief lives will make you laugh, and can make you enjoy your own life in our absurd world. Somewhere in between "Un Chien Andalou" and "Ren and Stimpy" lies "Rejected", an amazing piece of surreal animated bliss.