Zlatko Grgíc
Filed under: People, Animation Designer, Animator, Director, Color, Professor Balthazar, Yugoslavia (Croatia), Zagreb Film,
Full Name:Zlatko Grgíc
Occupation / Title:Animation Designer, Animator, Director
Date of birth:21/06/1931
Date of death:04/10/1988
Birthplace:Zagreb, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Biography
Zlakto Grgíc was a Croatian-Canadian animator and director known for his projects with Zagreb Film, creating the Yugoslav series Professor Balthazar and Maxi Cat, as well as award-nominated shorts such as Muzikalno prase/The Musical Pig (1966) and Lutka snova/Dream Doll (1979).
In Canada, he made three shorts with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB): Hot Stuff (1971), Who Are We? (1974), and Deep Threat (1977).
Career outline
Zlatko Grgíc was born in Zagreb, Kingdom of Yugoslavia on June 21, 1931.
In the late 1960s, Grgíc created Professor Balthazar, produced by Zagreb Film, a show about an old inventor who solves problems with wacky inventions and machines. The psychedelic, candy-coloured aesthetic of the show draws from the art trends of the time, and the simple yet charming art style is reminiscent of limited animation of Hanna Barbera and Jay Ward Productions.
In this time, he also directed several animated shorts, including Muzikalno prase/The Musical Pig (1966), which was nominated for the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes, and Lutka snova/Dream Doll (1979), with was nominated for the Best Animated Short at the 52nd Academy Awards.
When Grgíc emigrated to Canada in the late 1960s, he was invited by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and directed and animated three shorts: Hot Stuff (1971), Who Are We? (1974), and Deep Threat (1977).
Grgíc passed away on October 4, 1988, at 57 years old. His legacy in Croatia persists, with a prize in honour of him called the “Best First Production Apart from Educational Institutions” at the World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb.
References:
Amidi, Amid. “‘Professor Balthazar’: Far-out 1960s Psychedelia From The Former Yugoslavia.” Cartoon Brew, 25 Aug. 2021, https://www.cartoonbrew.com/style-file/professor-balthazar-far-out-1960s-psychedelia-from-behind-the-iron-curtain-208195.html.
“Directors: Zlatko Grgíc.” National Film Board of Canada, https://www.nfb.ca/directors/zlatko-grgic/.
Mazurkewich, Karen. Cartoon Capers: The History of Canadian Animators. McArthur, 1999.