In the before time, long before it was overrun by actual Nazis and other associated legitimate lunatics, YouTube was good for precisely two things: the dramatic chipmunk, and re-watching a grainy version of US animator Don Hertzfeldt‘s utterly iconic Oscar-nominated short film Rejected.
For those of you unfamiliar, Rejected (which was nominated for a Oscar in 2000 for Best Animated Short Film) tracks the work of a lightly-fictionalised version of Hertzfeldt as he creates a series of increasingly absurd animated promos for a fake TV channel and fake food company. As the promos become more and more unhinged, the animation in the film collapses in on itself, eventually sending its own characters into oblivion.
While that alone might sound like ripe ground for comedy, it’s an intensely funny film that gave birth to a spate of maniacal characters and catch phrases like “silly hats only,” “man spoon is too big,” “I am a banana,” and “my anus is bleeding.”
Since its release, the hand-drawn and hand-filmed animated project has only been available online in low-res, grainy form. Mostly because Hertzfeldt himself has long held qualms about losing control of his own work.
However, earlier today Hertzfeldt uploaded an official HD rendering of the film; one made for Rejected‘s 2014 BluRay release, and one that’s since been remastered in 4K resolution; meaning the ass blood pours out of the cloud in stunning clarity.
Do yourself a favour and cop a look at it below. There ain’t many better ways to spend the next 9-odd minutes, I tell you what.
“I’m a consumer whore!” in crisp HD. It’s a truly, truly glorious thing.
Now the real fun lies in barging into a room and declaring “I’m feeling fat and sassy” just to see how everyone reacts.
