Don Hertzfeldt (born August 1, 1976) is a two-time Academy Award nominated animator, artist, writer, and independent filmmaker. He is the creator of many animated films, including It's Such a Beautiful Day, World of Tomorrow, The Meaning of Life, and Rejected. His films have received over 250 awards and have been presented around the world. Seven of his films have competed at the Sundance Film Festival, a festival record. He is also the only filmmaker to have won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize for Short Film twice.

Hertzfeldt's short films have been described as "some of the most influential animation ever created," and "some of the most vital and expressive animation of the millennium."<ref name=Interview with "Little White Lies">Ehrlich, David (2015-01-20). "Sundance 2015: Don Hertzfeldt – Festivals". Little White Lies. Retrieved 2015-04-16. </ref>

In his book The World History of Animation, author Stephen Cavalier writes, "Hertzfeldt is either a unique phenomenon or perhaps an example of a new way forward for individual animators surviving independently on their own terms… he attracts the kind of fanatical support from the student and alternative crowds usually associated with indie rock bands."