Directing

Zdeněk Miler

Born 1921-02-21 · Kladno, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]

Zdeněk Miler (Czech pronunciation: [ˈzdɛɲɛk ˈmɪlɛr]; 21 February 1921 – 30 November 2011) was a Czech animator and illustrator best known for his Mole (Krtek or Krteček in original) character and its adventures. Miler was born in Kladno just west of Prague, the capital of what was then Czechoslovakia. He became an animator partly because of the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. He took part in the demonstrations held consequent to the death of Jan Opletal, which led to the closing of universities and colleges. He escaped being sent to a concentration camp and instead wound up working as an animator. Miler enjoyed painting as a child. His hobby developed when he joined the national graphic school in Prague in 1942. He later studied at the College of Arts and Crafts (Uměleckoprůmyslová škola Praha). In 1948, he began work at the cartoon studio Baťa in Zlín. There, he learned the important practical skills relating to film production, specializing in animated films. After the Second World War, he started work at the cartoon company Bratři v triku and worked first as draughtsman, then author and director. He later became the head of the company.

Acting credits

9.5

The mole is very disappointed in his friends. The rabbit, hedgehog, and mouse have eaten all the cherries he picked for himself. He always shared his blueberries with them. He disguises himself as a poor old man and asks his three friends one after the other for a small donation. But they send him away empty-handed. When they realize that it is the mole, they feel ashamed and come up with a plan.

The Mole and His Friends

2001

No artwork available

No synopsis available yet.

Přijď, až zase omládnu

1986

No artwork available

No synopsis available yet.

To jsou Bratři v triku

1957

Behind the camera

No artwork available

7.0

Zdeněk Miler's animation short about geometrical shapes.

About the Small Square and the Small Triangle

1965

No artwork available

7.0

Zdeněk Miler's animation short about geometrical shapes.

About the Small Square and the Small Triangle

1965

7.0

A boy has a velvetbean caterpillar as a pet. He teaches it to dance and it becomes a world sensation.

Sametka

1968

7.0

A boy has a velvetbean caterpillar as a pet. He teaches it to dance and it becomes a world sensation.

Sametka

1968

7.0

Recruitment film about three part-time workers in the mines, who together come up with improvements to make work more efficient.

Brigáda II.

1950

7.0

Recruitment film about three part-time workers in the mines, who together come up with improvements to make work more efficient.

Brigáda II.

1950

The Millionaire Who Stole the Sun poster

6.0

The millionaire who stole the sun, adaptation of a social tale by Jiri Wolker. A millionaire who owns a whole town, its factories and workers, falls ill. The surgeons tell him that sunshine is the only cure for him. The millionaire orders the sun to be taken down from the sky and put in a metal enclosure to shine only for himself...

The Millionaire Who Stole the Sun

1948

No artwork available

10.0

Animated short about an ice figure who took a doll drawn on paper to his kingdom.

Moon Fairy Tale

1959

No artwork available

10.0

Animated short about an ice figure who took a doll drawn on paper to his kingdom.

Moon Fairy Tale

1959

Feature film compiled from the animated short films of Krtek the Mole from 1963-1975.

Here Comes the Mole

2011

Feature film compiled from the animated short films of Krtek the Mole from 1963-1975.

Here Comes the Mole

2011

9.0

Krtek finds a broken toy car a child has discarded, and slowly puts it back together. There is a level of moral instruction to this: as the little mole carefully repairs the toy, children are cautioned about the wastefulness of city life and mass consumption, but also encouraged to learn how things work. The automobiles function as an allegory for the larger mechanized world, and how it is at odds with the natural one