Czech animator Zdeněk Smetana dies
Scene from Zdeněk Smetana's animation Tales from moss and ferns (1970) (Image: Zdeněk Smetana / Facebook)
1 March 2016
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Elise Morton
Prominent Czech animator Zdeněk Smetana passed away on Thursday in Prague at the age of 90.
The animation director, who had over 400 films to his name, died of a long-standing illness.
Born in 1925, Smetana started to work in animation in the mid-1940s, as part of the Bratři v triku studio. Among his most popular local work was for the long-running TV show Vecernícek (Bedtime stories), which centred on animated children’s bedtime stories, while in the early 1960s he worked on numerous episodes of the Tom and Jerry franchise, bringing him international recognition.
Smetana took home over 50 festival awards for his films across his career, including, perhaps most significantly, the jury prize at Cannes for his 1980 animated short Cubes (Krychle).
Source: Hollywood Reporter
