^{Credit: Paper Trail (Bitter Films)}

Anyone can sketch a stick figure, but true animation fans can tell when they’re looking at one drawn by Don Hertzfeldt. While Hertzfeldt’s designs may seem simple (and to an extent are), they provide a gateway into a mind overflowing with surreal imagery, a demented sense of humor, and a profound outlook on the world. Some have called Hertzfeldt’s work “experimental” and “strictly for adults.” Hertzfeldt is far from the first animator to fit those descriptions, yet his voice is one of a kind, changing the way many view the medium. His latest short, Paper Trail, has Hertzfeldt’s signature all over it. At the same time, Paper Trail isn’t quite like any film Hertzfeldt has made before.

Before graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Hertzfeldt already had four student films under his belt. One of those shorts, Billy's Balloon, competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Billy’s Ballon made its way onto MTV and Adult Swim, although for many, their introduction to Hertzfeldt was his first short out of college: Rejected. Hertzfeldt made this gleefully cynical short in response to the commercial gigs that he was offered and promptly turned down. Rejected was, in itself, a rejection of commercialism. Ironically, the film officially achieved mainstream status when it was nominated for an Academy Award.

Rejected lost the Oscar to Michaël Dudok de Wit’s touching Father and Daughter, persevering Hertzfeldt’s rebel animator street cred. Hertzfeldt got his second Oscar nomination fifteen years later for World of Tomorrow, which many consider one of the best animated films ever made (short or feature-length). After winning an Annie, World of Tomorrow seemed like the Best Animated Short frontrunner. Come Oscar time, though, the Minions announced Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala’s Bear Story as the victor. On Twitter, Hertzfeldt describes himself as a “2x Oscar loser.”

While Hertzfeldt only has two Oscar nominations, some of his other films have made the shortlist. 2006’s Everything Will Be OK was one of ten films shortlisted, but it didn’t make the final five. Everything Will Be OK would be the first entry in a trilogy of shorts that made Hertzfeldt’s feature magnum opus, It's Such a Beautiful Day. According to Jerry Beck, the film was screened in September 2012. Beck wrote in a Cartoon Brew article that this would “qualify the 70-minute film for Academy Award consideration.” It's Such a Beautiful Day was nowhere to be found on the Best Animated Feature shortlist, however. Most recently, Hertzfeldt’s 2024 short, ME, was shortlisted at the Oscars, although it wasn’t nominated either.

Hertzfeldt’s Oscar dry spell may end with Paper Trail, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Paper Trail would win Sundance’s Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. The short went on to win multiple prizes at the SXSW Film Festival and the Golden Gate Award for animation at the San Francisco International Film Festival. The latter two accolades qualified Paper Trail for Oscar consideration. Hertzfeldt could find himself back in the Oscar race for what might be the most striking piece of visual storytelling in his filmography.

Paper Trail lacks many of the trademarks of Hertzfeldt’s past work. There are none of Hertzfeldt’s traditional stick figure characters like Bill from It’s Such a Beautiful Day. Unlike Rejected or World of Tomorrow, there’s no dialogue in Paper Trail. Yet, from the opening shot as finger paint comes to life, you can sense Hertzfeldt’s presence. With scribbles dominating the screen, the viewer may not be entirely sure what they’re looking at. As Paper Trail unfolds, though, we’re treated to a feast for the eyes that, like so much of Hertzfeldt’s work, digs deeper than what’s on the surface.

In a filmography that includes balloons beating children and clouds bleeding out their anus, Paper Trail is arguably Hertzfeldt’s most sincere film. That’s not to say that it isn’t without the edge that puts the bitter in Bitter Films. However, there’s also a playfulness to Paper Trail that captures the initial creative spark that made us fall in love with drawing from a young age. Even when it seems like that passion is dried up, it can unexpectedly resurface down the line. This life told through paper is further elevated by a beautiful score from Naomi Alligator. Paper Tail’s mix of craft and heart should make it a certified Oscar player.

People will surely debate what Hertzfeldt’s best film is, with many still inclined to point to Rejected, World of Tomorrow, or It’s Such a Beautiful Day as their favorite. There’s something special about Paper Trail, though. At the top of this article, I mentioned that Hertzfeldt’s work was strictly for adults. Paper Trail stands out as one of the few you can show a child, although older audiences are inclined to get more out of it. Even so, Paper Trail almost returns Hertzfeldt to his genesis as an artist while simultaneously finding a master at the top of his game. It brings out new dimensions in Hertzfeldt by going back to his beginning. What better film to award Hertzfeldt for than one that brings his artistic journey full circle?

Paper Trails is now available to be purchased and rented on Vimeo.

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!