The Dark Humor of Don Hertzfeldt

It seems these days that everyone is obsessed with multi-million 3D animated epics, but I think what people forget is that animated cinema is about storytelling — and that it doesn’t require an epic production to touch your heart. To me Don Hertzfeldt serves an inspiration of the DIY work ethic in animation which I’d urge any of you with an interest in the industry to follow. Shown above is his first film Ah, L’Amour which was made in 1995 when he was just 19 year old. Below is his film Rejected which would earn Don Hertzfeldt a nomination for an Academy Award in 2001:

And here is one of my favorites Billy’s Balloon from 1998: