Nice effects though.

Brilliant and touching

Blistering performances.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This film, from the person who brought you films like "Billy's Balloon" and "Ah, L'Amour", comes "Rejected". It's a twisted, malicious film, that captures audiences who want a taste of the hilariously dark side of animations. Originally intended for mature audiences, it is enjoyed by audiences of ages 8 or older. I should know, because I was one of those viewers at a young age. Since I didn't know what was wrong, I had quoted some quotes from the film at elementary school, which was a bad choice to make, especially at a young age. Anyway, it was a great film to watch then, and it's even more fun to watch now; it's still as good to watch as it was then."Rejected" will have you laughing your pants off, for years and generations to come; it is a cross between the darkness of an animator, and the absurdness humanity can bequeath. Here, in this very film, is malice, hilarity, and randomness. It's the kind of film that is a sort of rape to the eyes, and the mind of the animator. But it's hilarious to watch, even though it looks really dark and disturbing. Overall, it's the perfect film to watch if you want to get rid of your troubles.

I stumbled upon some Web-hype of this short film, easily found it online, and wondered how it ever achieved much status. It comes off as a work of minimal effort that became a curiosity because it was different. But different doesn't mean good, per se. The "jokes" are mainly of two types:1) Discontinuity, with people saying things that don't make sense. No particular skill is needed for those bits. Here's my effort: "It's raining outside!" "My turtle just ate my fish!"2) Huge amounts of blood coming out of various wounds, spontaneously or through violent acts. The animator comes off as simply twisted, not a twisted genius. Gags are predictable; you know an innocent scene will turn bloody "just because." Is gratuitous gore funny?I guess people who like sick, vapid stuff like "South Park" might find "Rejected" appealing, but for me it's just...rejected. I rated it a "3" because it's at least somewhat original in its crassness.

Rejected is a short composed of short bits that are basically animated "blackout" gags that sometimes leave you rolling on the floor and occasionally will have you blinking and scratching your head. The ending plays with the concept that an animated film is only as stable as its animator's mind and is probably the best section of the short. Inexplicably, the Cartoon Network contracted for the US broadcast rights, sat on it for roughly a year before putting it on their schedule and then yanked it shortly before the scheduled airing with no real explanation. I wonder if anyone at Cartoon Network even saw the short before they bought the broadcast rights.I saw the short as part of The Animation Show and also got the DVD release that Bitter Films put together. There's supposed to be another DVD release later this year containing all of Hertzfeldt's shorts, including Rejected. The short is most definitely worth seeing, though it is most definitely for adults more than children. Recommended.

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.