MASTERS OF ANIMATION | CROATIAN ANIMATED FILM 1973

CROATIAN ANIMATED FILM 1973

The low tide in Zagreb School’s animation production is still on. Production is mostly turned to commissioned animation and mini-films, in recent years especially, so many creative European names, particularly the eager young generation, worked on these mini-pieces.

Upon returning from Canada, where he spent years in Montreal teaching animation, Zlatko Grgić dedicated his creative time to making a series of short comic films under the alluring title Maxi Cat. As a regular at Montreal’s Cinematheque, he came to the conclusion that animation’s natural task is to make a viewer laugh. Tired of Zagreb animation’s classic need to turn to the general issues of social existence, he dedicated his time in the Zagreb studio to a series of exclusively humorous films, which led to a series of mini films with the Cat as the protagonist. Late Zlatko would be very pleased with the slot dedicated to his Cat at Animafest.

In between his bigger endeavours, Duško Vukotić found the time for yet another original film. With animator Neven Petričić he made Da capo al fine which was co-produced by NFBC studio from Montreal, and is part of the omnibus Man: The Polluter that engaged a whole team of Croatian and Canadian animation artists. The strong ecological message that film addresses is even more relevant today. Film was directed by: Don Arioli, Hugh Foulds, Chuck Jones, Wolf Koenig, Kaj Pindal, Frank Nissen, Pino Van Lamsweerde, Milan Blažeković, Zlatko Bourek, Nedeljko Dragić, Boris Kolar, Aleksandar Marks, Vladimir Jutriša, Dušan Vukotić, Ante Zaninović.

Brana Ranitović, who spent years directing animation projects across European studios, made the film Chameleon in Zagreb with designer Zlatko Grgić.

Later that year Bordo completed his film Second Class Traveller, which earned him a series of national and international awards. The film’s content is a result of many train travels, which almost fell into oblivion with the domination of flying.

At this edition, we are showing a short program from the production of Zagreb film in 1973.

Borivoj Dovniković Bordo