Rejected

May be a Don Hertzfeldt animated short is not really your taste. The first experience I had with the animator was 'Billy's Balloon' which is very sadistic, it shows balloons attacking children, but it's also one of the funniest shorts I have seen. 'Rejected' is less sadistic, but a lot more disturbing; if you didn't like 'Billy's Balloon' or other Hertzfeldt-work you will not like this one either.

It starts with showing some commercials the animator has made. They are disturbing, violent and therefore rejected by the people who gave him the assignment. All the rejections lead up to a breakdown the animator has, something we see in a brilliant piece of animation. Telling you more about the story we see would spoil things for you.

The animation itself is terrific. It has some very simple looking things in it, the way 'Billy's Balloon' was animated, but the "breakdown"-part I mentioned above together with some other special effect sequences look amazing. The way the whole thing is presented is pretty inventive as well. Even the classical music is perfectly chosen. Another great short from animator Don Hertzfeldt.

Deserved revenge in the film business must come rarely. I don't for a minute believe that Hertzfeldt is blameless in how he dealt with "the suits," but I've had enough dealings with them to serve them any insult possible.

I first encountered Hertzfeldt's work in "A L'amour" done before this. It has him approaching different women and saying innocuous things "Betty, those are nice shoes" and having her chainsaw out his heart and eat it.

This stuff is along the same lines, a little less powerful and more uneven. But what makes this something you'll remember for a long time is the stuff done after the initial rejected bits and the faux ads. Its the stuff where the cartoon itself begins to disintegrate.

It is a literal example of self-referential folding: the paper crinkles and destroys the world.

This is probably the second best of his stuff. See "Genre" if you can.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

If you like absurdly funny movies, you'll love this. It's completely random, amazingly creative, and just plain funny as all hell. As for some of the negative comments, the "fake commercial" premise is not supposed to be confusing; it's just funny to see disturbed cartoons followed by a Family Learning Channel tag. Trust me, watch this, and you won't be disappointed

"Rejected" is a brilliant animated digression which is understated as it pertains to the animation, but a three ring circus that is both genius and insane with it's bizarre yet exponentially hilarious dialogue. The soundtrack is also ecclectic yet highly effective. This short receives my strongest rec. It is an aquired taste, but worthy of your mental digestion.... and with a spartan but effective runtime what do you have to lose? "My spoon is too big".... drawing with his left hand.... the instability of his cartoon world.... and the deleted seqeunce are classic.

"Rejected" (2000) = A (add + for animation fans)

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.