Rejected
Rejected_screenshot.gif
Rejected is a 2000 animated short comedy film by animator Don Hertzfeldt, which was nominated for a 2001 Academy Award for Best Short Film, Animated. It has won awards from several film festivals, including a 2001 Jury Award for Best Short at the Newport International Film Festival and a 2001 Festival Award for Best Animation at the New York Underground Film Festival.
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The story
The film purports to tell the story of the progressive breakdown of its animator, Don Hertzfeldt. The frame narrative is told in short text passages printed on the screen, starting with Hertzfeldt being commissioned by the "Family Learning Channel" (a fictional cable channel) to produce animated program bumpers and commercial spots. All of the spots he produced, the text informs us, were reviewed by the client and promptly rejected, and as we watch the spots themselves, we quickly see why: the antics of the balloon-figures and stick figures range from mere head-scratching non-sequiturs to exaggerated sequences of violence and mutilation—contrasted not only with the cartoony style of the animation, but with the cheery music that accompanies each spot's reminder that "You're watching the Family Learning Channel!"
The text screens then inform us that Hertzfeldt received another commission, from the (fictional) "Johnson & Mills", to produce animated commercials for their products, and like the previous spots, these were all reviewed and immediately rejected. The reasons why are even clearer in these spots; the bizarre illogic, the tastelessness, and the themes of mutilation and violence are even more pronounced, culminating in a sequence where a "puffball" figure, after exhorting his fellow cheering puffballs "Every-body... dance!!", notices that his anus is bleeding, announces this fact repeatedly, growing louder and shriller, and by the end of the sequence is literally drowning in his own blood.
The text screens return and begin the build-up to the final sequences of the film; we are told that Hertzfeldt began to break down, either from the repeated rejection or from the loss of individuality in the corporate world, and shortly we see the characters who have appeared in Hertzfeldt's spots and commercials panicking as their world, the paper world of the animator's page, suffers an apocalypse: the puffball figures run in terror as the "Family Learning Channel" logo crashes down from the sky and the crushing letters rain down on them; howling winds sweep a talking banana through a hole in the page into the void; the page dents outward towards the camera as stick figures pound on the fourth wall trying to get out. The camera finally freezes on a balloon figure staring as the page crumples around him, screaming as his world comes to an end.
The film was a popular target for bootlegs, much to Hertzfeldt's dismay. A DVD was created to fix that problem, which is now available for purchase at the Bitter Films website.
Inspiration
Although Hertzfeldt did not actually do any commercial work, after his short Billy's Balloon received international attention and acclaim he recieved a lot of offers to do commercials. In public apperances, he usually tells the story that he wished he could just make a cheap, nonsensical animation to hand to the people intending to hire him, and run away with the money. Eventually this became the germ for Rejected's theme of a collection of cartoons so bad they were rejected by advertising agencies, leading to their creator's breakdown and, presumably, his demise.
Notable moments
The described dialogue and actions may not seem to make sense out of context, but this is misleading: they do not make any sense in context either.
Mah spoon is too big!
Balloon figure, holding spoon as large as he is: My spoon... is too big. (beat) My spoon... is too big! (beat) My spoon is too big!
A banana, with arms and legs and eyes, walks on from off-stage.
Banana: I am a banana!
Vacuum cleaner noise starts playing. Cut to cheery music and a text screen reading "You're watching the Family Learning Channel."
Tuesday's coming
Balloon Figure #1, cheerily: Tuesday's coming! Did you bring your coat?
Balloon Figure #2, morosely: I live in a giant bucket.
The top of Balloon Figure #1's head starts bulging.
Balloon Figure #1: WAY-OOOGHH!!
The bulge grows a pair of eyes, a mouth, and two arms. It starts speaking backwards-sounding gibberish.
Balloon Figure #2, bleeped out: Fuck.
A creature that has the head of a pig and the body of an octopus flies overhead. An airplane noise is heard. Cut to cheery music and a screen text saying "You're watching the Family Learning Channel."
My Anus is Bleeding!
Puffball, cheerily: Dance! Everybody dance! [Puffballs cheer] Yay! [Puffballs cheer] Life is good! [Puffballs cheer] This is fun! [Puffballs cheer]
The single puffball starts to bleed from his crotch.
Puffball, frowning: My anus is bleeding! [Puffballs cheer] My anus... is bleeding! [Puffballs cheer.] For the love of God, and all that is holy... MY ANUS IS BLEEDING...!! [Puffballs cheer]
Cut back to the single puffball, who is now drowning in a pool of blood.
Puffball: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!!!