WORLD OF TOMORROW [2015]

Off the wall animator Don Hertzfeldt makes a triumphant leap into social science fiction with the 17 minute short, World Of Tomorrow.
It tells the story of a care-free toddler, who's barely learned to speak, that is contacted by a fourth-generation adult clone of herself from the distant future.  Hertzfeldt uses crude digital animation for the first time to blend in with his signature stick figures, which all holds more depth and emotion than one would expect from such simplicity.  It's a tale that serves us a huge plate of thoughts to ponder upon that are truly frightening, honestly sad and most of all gut-wrenchingly hilarious.  It's dense philosophical musings serve as a warning of things to come if we as a civilization don't use more caution within our oblivious daily actions, all the while reminding us to simply seize the day.  

4 severe cases of muntull daturrioration out of 5

THE ANIMATION SHOW: VOLUME ONE [2003]

Beavis & Butthead creator Mike Judge and the lunatic behind Rejected, Don Hertzfeldt compile an impressive collection of animated shorts of all sorts of styles and mediums.

Included are Judge's original Office Space shorts, a trio of fantastic Adam Elliot claymations, a bizarre Bill Plympton, a brilliant stop-motion film from Germany called The Rocks and many more.  Don Hertzfeldt bookends the film with his special brand of what-the-fuckery as well as a hilarious intermission where he rips the "wonderful" world of 3D films a new asshole.  The only weak submission in the bunch are the inane and terribly childish Ricardo shorts by Corky Quakenbush.

4 homicidal balloons out of 5

IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY [2012]

Don Hertzfeldt wraps up his Bill Trilogy with the jaw-dropping 23 minute short packed with a surprisingly emotional punch, It's Such A Beautiful Day.

One would never think a stick figure could force you to shed tears but Hertzfeldt asks you to invest both your brain and heart into this tale about the mentally ill Bill character and in doing so rewards you with awe and inspiration.  The simplicity of his stick figure drawings suddenly all makes sense as the film comes to a close and hopefully leaves the viewer with some food for thought.

Beautifully absurd, hilariously sad and undoubtedly brilliant.  

5 time machines in the sky out of 5

The short is only available through Hertzfeldt's own Bitterfilms website. 

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU [2008]

The second part of Don Hertzfeldt's Bill trilogy proves that sequels don't suck.
Continuing the struggles of the mentally ill character of Bill, I Am So Proud Of You follows him questioning life & death, the loss of his mother and his family history.  It's gut-wrenchingly hilarious, thoughtfully heartbreaking and really, really twisted. Everything one should come to expect from a Hertzfeldt animated short.
The simple, yet fascinating animation is top-notch as is the use of classical music at key points in the film.

5 scary grandmas out of 5

The short is only available through Hertzfeldt's own Bitterfilms website.

EVERYTHING WILL BE OK [2006]

Rejected creator Don Hertzfeldt's animated short Everything Will Be OK is a masterpiece that's cleverly disguised itself as pure silliness. Both the writing and animation look to be overly simple and childish but turn on your brain and it's complex, thought provoking and disturbingly observant.
This, being the first part of a trilogy, follows a lonely, stumbling social outcast named Bill who is dissolving into a terrifying mental illness. Flavored with sprinkles of David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and Gary Larson, Everything is beautifully shot and composited in a 35mm without the aid of computers which breathes that much more life into it.

5 "How's up?"'s out of 5

The short is only available through Hertzfeldt's own Bitterfilms website.