Don Hertzfeldt
In an interview done for a French TV show Hertzfeldt discusses his views on how he makes films. He started at a young age drawing pictures for his family and trying to sell the for 5 cents. Hertzfeld says that often times he, "doesn't start with anything in mind of the film". He has a "certain sequence in his brain and won't come up with an ending until midway through production". That may be why many of the images we see in World of Tomorrow and his other films and shorts (found in the media gallery above.) There is an otherworldly quality to his subjects. The characters are drawn simple put into a complex multimedia universe. Hertzfeldt also says, "Dark comedy is the most intelligent form of comedy if the joke is cruel or strange or not what you were expecting it makes you think about why you were laughing." The awkward tension felt in this films really makes the audience sit on the edge of their seat not out of scared but because of confusion and a lot of the tension get diffused through the absurdity of what is being seen. To Hertzfeldt editing really makes the joke especially in animation if the joke is held too long it loses the hilarity.
We see in the World of Tomorrow a completely digital space called the Outernet. Hertzfeld is making a commentary on what the future could look like entering a digital space. We have almost robotic and lifeless clone (humans?) juxtaposed with a rambunctious Emily Prime who moves and says things that do not seem as calculated at Emily III. As the audience enters this world we questions is this the world of tomorrow or is this an era we have already entered? How far is "Tomorrow"?
