Don Hertzfeldt

Don Hertzfeldt
Hertzfeldt in 2015
Born (1976-08-01) August 1, 1976 (age 48)
Fremont, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Barbara (B.A. 1998)
Known forIndependent film, animation
StyleAnimation, black comedy, surreal humour, science fiction, surrealist cinema, experimental, absurdist fiction, psychological drama, surrealism, dramedy
Websitebitterfilms.com

Don Hertzfeldt (born August 1, 1976) is an American animator, writer, and independent filmmaker. He is a two-time Academy Award nominee who is best known for the animated films It's Such a Beautiful Day, the World of Tomorrow series, ME, and Rejected. In 2014, his work appeared on The Simpsons. Eight of his short films have competed at the Sundance Film Festival, a festival record.[1] He is also the only filmmaker to have won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize for Short Film twice.

Hertzfeldt's work has been described as "some of the most influential animation ever created",[2] "some of the most vital and expressive animation of the millennium",[3] "some of the most essential short films of the last 20 years",[4] and "films of a sort that never really existed before."[5] In 2020, GQ described his work as "simultaneously tragic and hilarious and philosophical and crude and deeply sad and fatalist and yet stubbornly, resolutely hopeful."[6]

In his book The World History of Animation, author Stephen Cavalier writes "Hertzfeldt is either a unique phenomenon or perhaps an example of a new way forward for individual animators surviving independently on their own terms... he attracts the kind of fanatical support from the student and alternative crowds usually associated with indie rock bands".[7]

Hertzfeldt's feature film It's Such a Beautiful Day was listed by many film critics as one of the best films of 2012 and the L.A. Film Critics Association named it runner-up for Best Animated Feature Film of the year.[8] After a limited UK release in 2013, the film was ranked #3 on Time Out London's list of the 10 Best Films of 2013 and #4 on The London Film Review's list of the same. In 2014, Time Out New York ranked It's Such a Beautiful Day #16 on its list of the "100 Best Animated Movies Ever Made,"[9] and in 2016, The Film Stage critics ranked the film #1 on their list of "The 50 Best Animated Films of the 21st Century Thus Far."[10] In 2019, The Wrap named It's Such a Beautiful Day the #1 "Best Animated Film of the 2010s."[11] The same year, the Vulture film critics ranked it #12 on their overall list of the "Best Movies of the Decade."[12] In 2021, IGN's CineFix gave it the #1 spot on their "Top 10 Animated Films of All Time" list.[13]

In 2016, Rolling Stone ranked World of Tomorrow #10 on its list of the "40 Greatest Animated Movies Ever".[14] Despite its short running time, The A.V. Club called it "possibly the best film of 2015."[15] In 2019, Indiewire ranked World of Tomorrow #17 in its overall list of the "100 Best Movies of the Decade".[16] In 2020, Indiewire called it "one of the greatest short films in the history of movies."[17] World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People's Thoughts premiered in 2017 and received rare "A+" reviews from Indiewire and Collider, where it was described as "another soulful sci-fi masterpiece."[18] The Daily Beast called it "a must-see animated masterpiece" and "one of the best films of the year."[19] World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime was released in 2020 to more positive reviews, including another "A+" from Indiewire.[20][21] Of the "dreamy, beloved" ongoing series, The Film Stage noted, "Hertzfeldt has crafted what might be the crowning achievement of modern science fiction."[22]

Hertzfeldt's latest short film, ME, was released in 2024. Polygon named it one of the best animated films of the year and Hertzfeldt one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation.[23]

Hertzfeldt primarily supports his work through self-distribution such as ticket sales from theatrical tours, DVDs, VOD, and television broadcasts. He has refused all advertising work.[24]

  1. ^ Sundance Film Festival [@sundancefest] (December 9, 2014). ".@donhertzfeldt has had more films play in competition at #Sundance than any other filmmaker w/ seven including his latest WORLD OF TOMORROW" (Tweet). Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Savlov, Marc (November 11, 2011). "Beautiful Bitter". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  3. ^ Ehrlich, David (January 20, 2015). "Sundance 2015: Don Hertzfeldt". Little White Lies. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Ehrlich, David (November 17, 2017). "Don Hertzfeldt on 'World of Tomorrow Episode Two' and Expanding Upon the Best Short Film of the Century". IndieWire. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  5. ^ "Austrian Film Museum".
  6. ^ Leitch, Will (October 26, 2020). "Don Hertzfeldt Is Back With Another Stick-Figure Film That Will Break Your Heart". GQ. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Cavalier, Stephen (2011). The World History of Animation.
  8. ^ Rabin, Nathan; et al. (December 19, 2012). "The best films of 2012". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  9. ^ Calhoun, Dave; Rothkopf, Joshua, eds. (March 29, 2016). "The 100 best animated movies ever made". Time Out New York. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  10. ^ "The 50 Best Animated Films of the 21st Century Thus Far". The Film Stage. June 16, 2016. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  11. ^ "10 Best Animated Films of the 2010s, From 'Frozen' to 'Spider-Verse'". December 29, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  12. ^ Edelstein, David; et al. (December 11, 2019). "Every Movie of the 2010s, Ranked". Vulture. New York.
  13. ^ Top 10 Animated Films of All Time - A CineFix Movie List. YouTube. April 3, 2021.
  14. ^ Adams, Sam; et al. (June 28, 2016). "40 Greatest Animated Movies Ever". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  15. ^ Murray, Noel (April 13, 2015). "A cartoon about a clone from the future may be 2015's best film". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  16. ^ Ehrlich, David; et al. (July 22, 2019). "The 100 Best Movies of the Decade". IndieWire. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  17. ^ Erbland, Kate; et al. (November 7, 2020). "The Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 21st Century, from 'Children of Men' to 'Her'". IndieWire.
  18. ^ Foutch, Haleigh (December 29, 2017). "'World of Tomorrow Episode 2' Review: Another Soulful Sci-Fi Masterpiece from Don Hertzfeldt". Collider. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  19. ^ Han, Karen (December 9, 2017). "'World of Tomorrow Episode Two' Is a Must-See Animated Masterpiece". Daily Beast (published December 10, 2017). Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  20. ^ Ehrlich, David (October 9, 2020). "'World of Tomorrow Episode Three' Review: The Best Sci-Fi Series of the 21st Century Goes Epic". Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  21. ^ Roan, Brian (October 23, 2020). "World of Tomorrow Episode Three Review: An Aesthetically Inventive and Narratively Complex Evolution". Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  22. ^ Egan, Toussaint (October 9, 2020). "World of Tomorrow 3 is an epic about star-crossed lovers". Polygon. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  23. ^ "Best animated movies of 2024".
  24. ^ "frequently asked questions". Bitter Films. Archived from the original on January 25, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2007.