The Zagreb School of Animated Film

About The Zagreb School of Animated Film

By the ULTIMATE Zagreb Editorial Team

In the 1950s and 1960s, a group of artists at the Zagreb Film studio invented a new way of making cartoons: bold, modern, witty and adult. The “Zagreb School of Animated Film” became famous around the world, and in 1962 it won an Oscar.

A studio and a style

The Zagreb Film studio began making animated films in the 1950s. Its artists turned away from the round, realistic look of Disney towards simple, stylised drawings, limited movement and sharp, often philosophical humour. Critics called it the Zagreb School of Animated Film.

The Oscar

In 1962, Dušan Vukotić’s Surogat (Ersatz) won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, the first time the award went to a film made outside the United States. Zagreb Film went on to make hundreds of films, and its characters, such as Professor Balthazar, were loved by generations of children.

In 1962, a cartoon from Zagreb won the Oscar.

Animafest

In 1972, Zagreb founded Animafest, one of the oldest festivals of animated film in the world. It is held every year, usually in early summer, and screens films in Zagreb’s cinemas, including the historic Kino Europa.

Our advice: if you are in Zagreb in early summer, check the Animafest programme; otherwise look for screenings of classic Zagreb films at Kino Europa and Kino Tuškanac, the city’s arthouse cinemas.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Zagreb School of Animated Film before you go.