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Posted in: Dropout, TV | Tagged: animation, comedy, Don Hertzfeldt
Dropout Acquires Don Hertzfeldt Collection In New Licensing Deal
Dropout is bringing Don Hertzfeldt's works to their platform as part of a new licensing deal, including the Oscar-nominated films and more.
Article Summary
- Dropout has licensed the Don Hertzfeldt Collection, bringing his full lineup of acclaimed animated shorts to the platform.
- Subscribers can now stream Oscar-nominated films Rejected and World of Tomorrow on Dropout, with select access on YouTube.
- Dropout will also host Paper Trail, Hertzfeldt’s latest award-winning short, when it premieres on September 1.
- The deal marks Dropout’s second major licensing pickup, expanding its curated library alongside Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
Dropout announced a brand-new collection of films will be coming to the platform, as they have acquired filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt's collection as part of a new licensing deal. The platform has added the entire catalog of short animated films to its library, including the Oscar-nominated films Rejected and World of Tomorrow, available for subscribers to check out on both its service and YouTube. As owner Sam Reich posted on social media this week, being a fan of early internet videos, he wanted to add the indie film collection to their platform so they had a home to be seen by everyone, including his new film Paper Trail, set to debut on September 1. We have more info from the announcement below, as the collection is live right now.
Dropout Adds The Don Hertzfeldt Collection
The Don Hertzfeldt Collection will join the British web series Don't Hug Me I'm Scared as the streamer's second licensing deal. This deal emphasizes the bespoke, curated approach Dropout is taking to licensing content, as they aim to build a library of licensed films and series that fit their unique creative vision for their subscribers.
Dropout will also be the official streaming home for Paper Trail, Hertzfeldt's latest film, which won the 2026 Annecy Cristal for Short Film, the first American film in twenty-two years to be awarded the Grand Prize at the Annecy International Animation Festival. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, where it won the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. Other accolades include the Golden Gate Award from the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Audience Award & Best Animated Short Film from SXSW. Hertzfeldt has had nine of his short films compete at the Sundance Film Festival, a festival record, and he is the only filmmaker to have won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Short Film twice.
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- Image provided courtesy of Dropout
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- Image provided courtesy of Dropout
This partnership comes on the heels of Dropout's Toonout slate of animated shorts, which marked an expansion of the platform's original programming slate into the scripted animation space. Toonout premiered on the streamer on March 24, 2026, and continues to roll out each of the 25 short-form episodes every other Tuesday until February 23, 2027. The full set of films in The Don Hertzfeldt Collection coming to Dropout can be found below:
- Lily and Jim
- Billy's Balloon
- Rejected
- The Meaning of Life
- Watching Grass Grow
- Wisdom Teeth
- It's Such a Beautiful Day (feature length)
- World of Tomorrow
- World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People's Thoughts
- On Memory
- World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime
- ME
- Paper Trail (9/1 streaming premiere)
"After seeing the films scattered across different streaming platforms for so many years, it's amazing to finally bring them together under the same roof, for the very first time," said Hertzfeldt. "I don't know what Dropout is, but I hear it's all game shows, and who doesn't love a good game show?"
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