Editing Rejected (section)

==Legacy==

''Rejected'' is now considered a [[cult classic]] and one of the most influential animated films ever made.<ref name="4k">{{cite news | url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/11/don-hertzfeldt-rejected-4k-restoration-video-1202017112/|title=Don Hertzfeldt Releases 4K Restoration of Iconic Short 'Rejected,' Remastered from the Original 35mm Film — Watch|website=indiewire.com|access-date=November 7, 2018|date=November 1, 2018|first1=Zack|last1=Sharf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bridgerack.com/index.php/Cinemateque/A_Conversation_With_Don_Hertfeldt_Part_Three.html | title= Interview with Don Hertzfeldt | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080225161831/http://bridgerack.com/index.php/Cinemateque/A_Conversation_With_Don_Hertfeldt_Part_Three.html | archive-date=February 25, 2008}}</ref>

In the early 2000s, pirated copies of ''Rejected'' turned the film into a [[viral video]], where it has been credited with shaping the surreal sense of humor of the early Internet.<ref name="4k"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2020/12/21/rejected-20-years-later | title=Rejected 20 Years Later}}</ref><ref name="nymag.com">{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/don-hertzfeldts-famous-cartoon-rejected-is-in-hd.html |title=The Cartoon That Invented Internet Culture Gets a High-Definition Rerelease| date=November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/6/18065428/don-hertzfeldt-rejected-watch |title=Classic viral video Rejected returns, looking better than ever}}</ref> In 2018 ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine wrote, "If there is a single piece of media that inspired what we nebulously refer to as "Internet humor," it's probably ''Rejected''", additionally citing it as "the cartoon that invented Internet culture."<ref name="nymag.com"/>

In 2009, ''Rejected'' was the only short film named as one of the "Films of the Decade" by ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]''.<ref name="Films of the Decade">{{cite web | url=http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/films_of_the_decade/index.html?story=/ent/movies/film_salon/2009/12/31/rejected | title=Films of the Decade | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104192317/http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/films_of_the_decade/index.html?story=%2Fent%2Fmovies%2Ffilm_salon%2F2009%2F12%2F31%2Frejected | archive-date=January 4, 2010 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 2010, it was noted as one of the five "most innovative animated films of the past ten years" by ''[[The Huffington Post]]''.<ref name="Huffington">{{cite news | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/26/10-innovative-film-and-ar_n_800020.html#s213580 | title=Films of the Decade | work=Huffington Post | first=Sophia | last=Morenobunge | date=December 26, 2010}}</ref> ''[[Indiewire]]'' film critic Eric Kohn named ''Rejected'' one of the "10 best films of the 21st century" on his list for the BBC Culture poll in 2016.<ref name="Indiewire">{{cite news|last=Sharf|first=Zack | url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/11/don-hertzfeldt-rejected-4k-restoration-video-1202017112/|title=Don Hertzfeldt Releases 4K Restoration of Iconic Short 'Rejected,' Remastered from the Original 35mm Film — Watch|work=IndieWire|date=1 November 2018}}</ref>