OVERLAY REPORT

The film **"It’s Such a Beautiful Day" (2012)**, directed by independent animator **Don Hertzfeldt**, is notable for its lack of traditional Hollywood casting. The "most famous" actor in the film at the time of its release—and indeed the primary person heard throughout the film—is **Don Hertzfeldt** himself. Because the film is an experimental, self-produced animation, Hertzfeldt performed nearly every major role, including writing, directing, animating, and providing the **deadpan, omniscient narration** that defines the movie's tone. ### 1. Don Hertzfeldt (Narrator / Voice of Bill) Hertzfeldt was already a "famous" figure in the world of independent film and animation by 2012, having achieved a cult following and critical acclaim. * **Status at the time of release:** By 2012, Hertzfeldt was a widely recognized name in the indie film circuit, particularly after his short film *Rejected* became an early internet phenomenon and received an Academy Award nomination. * **Other Notable Films:** * **Rejected (2000):** His most famous early work, which was nominated for the **Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film**. It became a cultural touchstone for its surreal "my spoon is too big" sequence. * **The Meaning of Life (2005):** A visually ambitious short film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and explored evolution and existence. * **World of Tomorrow (2015):** Released shortly after the feature version of *It's Such a Beautiful Day*, this film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and earned Hertzfeldt his second Academy Award nomination. ### 2. Supporting Cast The only other credited voice in the 2012 feature is **Sara Cushman**, who voices the character of the **Doctor**. While a frequent collaborator of Hertzfeldt's (appearing also in his later *World of Tomorrow* series and *The Meaning of Life*), she was not a mainstream "famous actor" at the time of release. ### 3. Common Misconception: Philip Seymour Hoffman It is worth noting that *It's Such a Beautiful Day* is frequently confused with another highly acclaimed, dark, independent animated film from the same era: **"Mary and Max" (2009)**. * **Philip Seymour Hoffman** starred in *Mary and Max* as the voice of Max Jerry Horovitz. * Because both films are surrealist adult dramas featuring protagonists with neurological differences (Asperger's in *Mary and Max*, an unnamed brain illness in *It's Such a Beautiful Day*), they are often mentioned in the same breath. * If you were thinking of a major Hollywood star attached to a similar 2012-era indie animation, it is likely the late **Philip Seymour Hoffman** (*The Master*, *Capote*), though he is **not** in Hertzfeldt's film. ### Summary Details * **Most Famous Person:** Don Hertzfeldt (Director/Narrator) * **Notable Works:** *Rejected*, *World of Tomorrow*, *The Meaning of Life*. * **Context:** The film was a compilation of three shorts (*Everything Will Be OK*, *I Am So Proud of You*, and the short *It's Such a Beautiful Day*) produced over six years on a 1940s-era 35mm animation stand, reinforcing its status as a solitary "one-man" masterpiece.