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The Bitter Films Collection by Don Hertzfeldt

I recall when I saw Rejected for the first time back in 2003. It was the Rabbit who enlightened me and I immediately adored its brilliance and odd humor.

Don Hertzfeldt, (a year my junior), began scribbling the foundations for his films in high school. Now, since hitting the internet, his animated shorts have become as popular as Strongbad or other meme icons. Everyone is familiar with the lines, “My spoon is too big,” and “I am a banana.” And of course, it was out of this film, the whole idea of the crumpet was birthed.

That was 4 years ago. Now Bitter Films has released the collector’s edition set of Hertzfeldt’s work. I watched ‘em last night and it is awesome to see the films on the big screen. :) It’s brilliance all over again. And not just Rejected — the other films are just as witty and clever, not to mention the myriad of little vignettes interspersed throughout the DVD’s. There’s tons to explore as we journey into the rabbit-hole of Don’s mind. Get your set today!

And as if the films themselves weren’t enough, Hertzfeldt is quick to point out on one of the DVDs that “no computers were used in producing this film.” Each frame is stop-animation, photographed with the same camera that was used for “Charlie Brown’s Christmas”. The techniques and results are awesome. Quirky jitteryness overrides each movie and lends a unique style reminiscent of old Sesame Street shorts or early David Lynch cartoons.