Don Hertzfeldt’s Cult Animation Collection Is Coming to Dropout

August 7, 2026

Dropout is adding a major collection from one of independent animation’s most distinctive filmmakers. Don Hertzfeldt’s films will become available together on the comedy-focused streaming service, including the Oscar-nominated Rejected and the complete World of Tomorrow trilogy.

The collection arrives on Tuesday, 4 August, and will also include Hertzfeldt’s newest film, Paper Trail. After completing its theatrical awards run earlier this year, the film will make its streaming debut on Dropout on 1 September.

Hertzfeldt’s work is built from deceptively simple stick figures, but the minimal drawings carry enormous comic, emotional and existential weight. His films can shift from absurdity to melancholy within seconds, making them a natural fit for viewers who enjoy unusual animation and singular creative voices. For more unusual viewing recommendations, browse RETROCADE’s arcade and gaming news.

A complete Don Hertzfeldt collection

Across his career, Hertzfeldt has made fiercely personal films that ignore the usual expectations attached to adult animation. He is a regular presence at the Sundance Film Festival, and his imagery can be as strange as a man carrying an enormous spoon beside a wide-eyed banana.

Dropout has recently added Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared and other unconventional animated projects to its catalogue. Bringing Hertzfeldt’s films under one roof continues that apparent interest in comedy that is less concerned with familiar brands and more willing to make room for genuinely idiosyncratic work.

Hertzfeldt said the films had been scattered across different streaming services for years, so collecting them in one place was a welcome change. He also joked that he was not sure what Dropout was, though he understood that it featured game shows—and that everyone likes a good game show.