a strong early influence on Adult Swim writers and Aqua Teen creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis. A 2013 episode of the Fine Brothers' web series YouTubers React featured Rejected. The introduction section of the 2006 video game Prey features a crude scrawling in the room's bathroom that is a direct reference to the first sketch; "My spoon is too big." In the first episode of the 26th season of The Simpsons, Clown in the Dumps, the opening couch gag was created by Don Hertzfeldt. Rejected established the roots of a dystopia by consumerism style of satire through the guise of rejected advertisements; this short cuts directly to the point. It depicts Homer using a time-traveling remote control to regress to his original 1987 character model, then accidentally going into a distant future incarnation of the show called The Sampsans where he and his family have evolved into grotesque, mindless, catchphrase-spouting mutants. Carey Bodenheimer of CNN wrote: "[The Simpsons''] kicked off season 26 with a staggering, Don Hertzfeldt directed intro sequence." See also Criticism of capitalism Surreal humour Independent animation Postmodernist animation Arthouse animation References External links 2000 animated films 2000 films American animated short films Short films directed by Don Hertzfeldt 2000s English-language films 2000s American films