Zdeněk Miler (; 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.

Early years

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.

In 2001, Miler announced that he would no longer be making more films, citing health reasons.

Death On 30 November 2011, Miler died at a nursing home, aged 90. Miler was cremated on the day after his death, and he is interred in Prague's Vyšehrad Cemetery, near the Slavín tomb.

Krtek (the mole)

Miler made about 70 films. In approximately fifty of them, the protagonist was his most famous creation, the small mole (Krtek in Czech). The idea for its creation came when he was commissioned to make an educational film for children in 1956. He was not happy with the script he was given. Since he was strongly influenced by the films of Walt Disney, he looked for an animal as the main character. Later, he said that the idea to use a mole as his main character came to him when he stumbled over a mole hill during a walk. The first film was titled Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel (How the mole got his trousers), which won a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. In the beginning, the mole spoke, but Miler wanted his creation to be understood everywhere in the world, so he decided to use his daughters as voice actors, reducing the speech to short non-figurative exclamations in order to express Krtek's feelings and world perception. His daughters were also his test audience, who got to see the films first. Thus, Miler could see whether his message resonated with children.

Krtek was a huge success in Czechoslovakia, Eastern Europe, and Germany from the beginning, and today Krtek can be seen in over eighty countries.

Works Krtek Episode English title Czech title Year Duration NV DVD #*01.How Mole Got His TrousersJak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel195711:51102.Mole and the CarKrtek a autíčko196314:301903.Mole and the RocketKrtek a raketa196508:4004.Mole and the Transistor SetKrtek a tranzistor196808:101005.Mole and the Green StarKrtek a zelená hvězda196907:3010,106.Mole and the Chewing GumKrtek a žvýkačka196907:201007.Mole in a ZooKrtek v Zoo196906:051008.Mole as a GardenerKrtek zahradníkem196906:5510,109.Mole and the HedgehogKrtek a ježek197008:251010.Mole and the LollipopKrtek a lízátko197008:0010,111.Mole and the TVKrtek a televizor197005:301012.Mole and the UmbrellaKrtek a paraplíčko197107:1010,113.Mole as a PainterKrtek malířem197209:351914.Mole and the MatchesKrtek a zápalky197405:301915.Mole and the MusicKrtek a muzika197405:151916.Mole and the TelephoneKrtek a telefon197405:251917.Mole as a ChemistKrtek chemikem197405:301918.Mole and the CarpetKrtek a koberec197405:401919.Mole as WatchmakerKrtek hodinářem197405:251920.Mole at ChristmasKrtek o Vánocích197505:451921.Mole as PhotographerKrtek fotografem197505:451922.Mole and the EggKrtek a vejce197505:351923.Mole and the BulldozerKrtek a buldozér197505:431924.Mole in the DesertKrtek na poušti197505:521925.Mole and the CarnivalKrtek a karneval197505:251926.Mole in TownKrtek ve městě198228:313327.Mole in a DreamKrtek ve snu198428:093328.Mole and the MedicineKrtek a medicína198728:084429.Mole as a Movie StarKrtek filmová hvězda198827:474430.Mole and the EagleKrtek a orel199228:055031.Mole and the ClockKrtek a hodiny199428:045032.Mole and the CoalKrtek a uhlí199504:103333.Mole and His FriendsKrtek a kamarádi199505:1833,134.Mole's WeekendKrtek a víkend199505:053335.Mole and the RobotKrtek a robot199505:0033,136.Mole's and the CelebrationKrtek a oslava199505:043337.Mole and the Little DucksKrtek a kachničky199505:003338.Mole and the SubwayKrtek a metro199705:004439.Mole and the MushroomsKrtek a houby199704:284440.Mole and the Little MouseKrtek a myška199705:194441.Mole and the Little HareKrtek a zajíček199705:114442.Mole and the MotherKrtek a maminka199705:204443.Mole and the FloodKrtek a potopa199705:0444.Mole and the SnowmanKrtek a sněhulák199805:0944,145.Mole on VacationKrtek a dovolená199801:1546.Mole and cottageKrtek a domek1998 47.Mole and the chicksKrtek a tresne1998 48.Mole and snailKrtek a šnek1998 49.Mole and jewelsKrtek a sperky1998 50.Mole and tvKrtek a televize1998 51.Mole and the Little FrogKrtek a žabka1998 52.Mole and painterKrtek a malirem1998 53.Mole and balloonKrtek a balonek1998 54.Mole and boxKrtek a krabice1998 55.Mole and hatKrtek a klobouk1998 56.Mole magicianKrtek kouzelnik1998 57.Mole and duckKrtek a kacenka1998 58.Mole and the FluteKrtek a flétna199905:0550,159.Mole and the SpringKrtek a pramen199905:335060.Mole and the GrumblerKrtek a šťoura199905:215061.Mole and the SwallowKrtek a vlaštovka200004:255062.Mole and the Little FishKrtek a rybka200005:025063.Mole and the Little FrogKrtek a žabka200205:2050,1

Other films Year Czech title English title1948O milionáři, který ukradl slunceThe Millionaire Who Stole the Sun1958Měsíční pohádkaMoon Story1960Jak štěňátko dostalo chuť na medHow the Puppy Wanted Honey1960O štěňátkuAbout the Puppy1960Jak štěňátko chtělo malé pejskyHow the Puppy Wanted Little Dogs1960Jak sluníčko vrátilo štěňátku voduHow the Sun Gave the Puppy Water Back1961O nejbohatším vrabci ve světěAbout the World's Richest Sparrow1963Rudá stopaRed Footprint1963O Čtverečkovi a TrojúhelníčkoviAbout the Square and the Triangle1968SametkaThe Velvet Caterpillar1977Romance helgolandskáA Heligoland Romance1978Cvrček a strojThe Cricket and the Machine1978Cvrček a pavoukThe Cricket and the Spider1978Cvrček a housličkyThe Cricket and the Violin1979Cvrček a slepiceThe Cricket and the Chicken1979Cvrček a pilaThe Cricket and the Saw1979Cvrček a bombardónThe Cricket and the Bomber1979Cvrček a basaThe Cricket and the Double Bass

References

External links

Krátký Film Praha