Genre


available on
bitter films: volume 1

Don's second student film, "Genre" (1996), won seventeen awards and greatly helped pave the way for the movies that followed, but is Don's least favorite short. The movie's soundtrack has always bothered him a bit and in hindsight, "the whole thing came out too cartoony." Barely finishing in time for the student deadline, "Genre" was completed in March of 1996 following a rushed and unfinished sound mix that poked some quirky holes throughout the piece.

assorted cutouts from the opening sequence

The opening stop-motion sequence of the two-dimensional paper rabbit walking on the desk top was created entirely through the special effects magic of Scotch tape. The rabbit performed this same trick in one of Don's 1993 high school cartoons, which is now available for reference in the Archives of the Bitter Films: Volume 1 DVD. All the pixelated shots around the art desk were filmed in Don's student apartment, where the background walls were covered with several pictures of hands. A strange-looking mobile was accidentally left hanging in the apartment, and can be seen above and behind the rabbit when he's on the desk, oddly twitching around in the dark.

Don plays the faceless artist and his hands were carefully positioned and stop-motion animated in step with the drawings, one frame at a time beneath the camera.

Like many of his films, "Genre" was undertaken without a complete script, giving Don the freedom to make things up as he goes. The cartoon was largely animated in chronological order and many of the genres and jokes were whipped up and improvised in a hurry as he got to them. This may be why some of the gags are terrible.

Despite the bloody violence and adult references, people still refer to "Genre" as "cute" and, "my kids loved that one," just because there is a bunny in it.

Learn more about the film in the
BITTER FILMS: VOLUME 1 DVD archive:


- "THE MEANING OF LIFE" TIME LAPSE DOCUMENTARY
- "THE ANIMATION SHOW" TRILOGY CARTOONS
- RARE FOOTAGE FROM DON'S EARLIEST CARTOONS
- ORIGINAL VIDEO PENCIL TESTS
- DELETED SEQUENCES
- "REJECTED" TEXT COMMENTARY BY DON
- "LILY AND JIM" DELETED DIALOGUES AND OUTTAKES
- "THE MEANING OF LIFE" SPECIAL EFFECTS DOCUMENTARY
- "REJECTED" ENTIRELY AWFUL AUDIO COMMENTARY
- "LILY AND JIM" REUNION COMMENTARY
- ABANDONED "SPANKY THE BEAR SHOW" FOOTAGE
- SKETCH TO SCENE COMPARISONS
- EXTENSIVE PRODUCTION NOTES
- NEVER BEFORE SEEN PHOTOS!
- BEFORE SEEN PHOTOS!
- "AH, L'AMOUR" BONUS 2005 SOUNDTRACK
- 16 PAGE RETROSPECTIVE BOOKLET
- BRAND NEW ANIMATED MENUS AND TRANSITIONS


Production Credits

  • Written, Produced, Animated,
    and Directed by Don Hertzfeldt
  • Camera by Cary Walker
  • Editing and Sound by Kevyn Eiselt
  • Music by Dave LaDelfa
  • Stop Motion Assistance by Brian Hamblin
  • Copyright 1996 Bitter Films


"Genre" reviews

  • "Genre by California's Don Hertzfeldt, was the funniest film of the festival. In this five minute joyride of recklessly funny animation, a hapless cartoon bunny gets dragged through a variety of cinematic genres by his wanton animator. Our poor bunny endures romance, horror, black comedy, porn -- which each new genre, Hertzfeldt's wicked humor burgeons and swells until peaking at the Itchy-and Scratchy-esque closing that is sure to please any Simpsons fan."
    John Ghose, Michigan Daily Online

  • "In our modern digital world it's a relief to see somebody actually using paper. A live animator and a cartoon rabbit battle for supremacy through sex, romance, children's parties, and The Last Supper. In the tradition of Koko the Clown, Don Hertzfeldt has created a delightful pen and paper and live action animation and worked his frustrations out at the same time. Very funny and skillfully low-tech."
    Felix Hude, Melbourne Film Festival

  • "...the standout was Don Hertzfeldt's Genre, a black comic animation piece in which a cartoonist subjects his Mr.Bill-like character to various cruelties and cinematic scenarios. Fizzy irreverence flows freely."
    Josef Woodard, The Santa Barbara Independent

  • "...a total belly-aching animation.."
    Melbourne Super 8


Awards for "Genre"
    1996 Best Short Film - UCSB Corwin-Metropolitan Theaters Award
    First Place, Animation - UFVA Student Film Festival
    the Lumiere Award - New Orleans Film Festival
    First Place, Animated Short Subject
    New York Empire State Exhibitions
    Most Promising Filmmaker - Sinking Creek Film Festival
    Silver Plaque, Animation - Chicago International Film Festival
    Second Place, Animation - Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
    1997 Best Santa Barbara Filmmaker - Santa Barbara International Film Festival
    Gold Medal, Best Animation - Carolina Film Festival
    Audience Choice Award, Best Animated Short - Filmfest New Haven
    Jury Award for Humor - Ann Arbor Film Festival
    Jury Award - Surprise International Film Festival, Taiwan
    Second Place, Student Animation - World Animation Celebration
    Bronze Plaque - Columbus International Film Festival
    Finalist Award - Worldfest Houston
    Honorable Mention - Humboldt State Film Festival
    Honorable Mention - Atlanta Film Festival


"Genre" public exhibition history
    1996 Telluride Film Festival

    Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation tour

    UCSB: Corwin-Metropolitan Theaters Award for Best Film

    UFVA Student Film Festival (First Place, Animation)

    Chicago International Film Festival (Silver Plaque, Animation)

    New Orleans Film Festival (the Lumiere Award)

    New York Empire State Exhibitions (First Place, Animated Short Subject)

    Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (2nd Place, Animation)

    Sinking Creek Film Festival (Most Promising Filmmaker)

    Denver Film Festival (preceding Looking for Richard)

    Central Florida Film Festival Cork, Ireland Film Festival

    Wine Country Film Festival Utah Short Film Festival

    Cork, Ireland Film Festival

    Utah Short Film Festival

    1997 Santa Barbara Film Festival (Best Santa Barbara Filmmaker)

    Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation tour

    Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation, Volume IV (video)

    Carolina Film Festival (Gold Medal, Best Animation)

    Filmfest New Haven, CT (Audience Choice Award, Best Animated Short)

    World Animation Celebration (2nd Place, Student Animation)

    Animation Celebration: Bravo Channel and Independent Film Channel Cable Broadcast

    Anima Mundi 97, Brazil Animation Festival

    Ann Arbor Film Festival (Jury Award for Humor)

    Worldfest Houston (Finalist Award)

    Surprise International Film Festival, Taiwan (Jury Award)

    Columbus International Film Festival (Bronze Plaque)

    Humboldt State Film Festival (Honorable Mention)

    Atlanta Film Festival (Honorable Mention)

    Hamburg Short Film Festival, Germany

    Bremer Underground Film Festival, Germany

    Regensburger Short Film Week, Germany

    Filmfest Braunschweig, Germany

    Texas Film Festival (preceding Lone Star)

    Atlantic Film Festival, Nova Scotia

    Columbus Film Festival "Best of the Fest" Cable Broadcast

    Channel One TV Finland television broadcast

    Taos Talking Picture Festival, New Mexico (preceding Santa Fe)

    South Beach, Florida Film Festival

    San Diego Film Festival

    Cleveland Film Festival

    Sedona Film Festival, Arizona

    One Reel, Seattle Film Festival

    Melbourne, Australia Film Festival (preceding Howard Hawks)

    Green Mountain Independent Film Festival, Vermont

    Honolulu Underground Film Festival

    IndieQueens Independent Film Showcase, New York

    Pacific Coast Film Festival

    1998 Cartoon Sushi, MTV broadcast

    RTSI, Switzerland television broadcast

    KurzFilmAgentur, Hamburg
    (German, Austrian, and Swiss theatrical distribution)

    Cucalorus Film Festival, NC

    Dong-A LG International Festival of Comics and Animation,
    Seoul Korea

    1999 Canal+ Poland television broadcast

    Canal+ Scandinavia television broadcast

    Capalbio International Short Film Festival, Rome

    Microcinefest, MD

    2000 Memphis International Film Festival
    2001

    Annecy International Animation Festival, France

    the Don and Bill Show (touring program w/ Bill Plympton)

    Texas Film Festival

    Hardacre Film Festival, Iowa

    Birmingham Film and TV Festival, UK

    Canal+ Spain, television broadcast

    TV Man Union Japan, television broadcast

    2002 the Don and Bill Show (touring program w/ Bill Plympton)

    Muskegon Film Festival, MI

    Hi Mom Film Festival, NC

    Antelope Valley Independent Film Festival, CA

    FAN International Animation Festival, Norwich England

    2003 the Don and Bill Show (touring program w/ Bill Plympton)

    FAN International Animation Festival, Norwich England (Bitter Films retrospective)

    I Castelli Animati Animation Festival, Italy (Bitter Films retrospective)

    2004 Port City Animation Festival, NC
    2005 An Evening of Bitter Films: George Eastman House, Rochester NY

    "Cosmic Zoom" Animation Festival, Denmark (Bitter Films retrospective)

    Big Muddy Film Fesitval, IL (Bitter Films retrospective)

    Hardacre Film Festival, Iowa

    2006 Bitter Films Volume One: 1995-2005 DVD

    Udigrudi World Animation Convention, Brazil (Bitter Films retrospective)

    2007 SFTV Swiss TV broadcast

    The Best of Anima Mundi: Brazil DVD

    2009 I.Sat, TBS Latin America (TV broadcast)

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