Creator Zdenek Miler began his career as an assistant to legendary Czech animator Jiri Trnka. Working at Barrandov Studios in 1954, he was given the assignment to produce a documentary for children on the production of flax and linen, and tried to think up a cartoon character that could liven up the narration. As he was walking in the woods one evening, he stumbled over a mole's burrow and realized that he had found his idea.
The resulting first cartoon featuring the little mole, Jak krtek ke kalhotkám prisel ('How the Mole Got His Pants'), was released in 1956. This, the first and only cartoon in which the lead character actually spoke in words, was awarded with the first prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1957.
Krtek soon became the leading cartoon character in former Czechoslovakia and also attracted a large audience in other European countries: in all, the 62 cartoons and 25 book titles have been successfully sold into 85 countries throughout the world. During the Communist government, the Krtek films were one of Czechoslovakia's most successful export products.
Krtek does not speak but communicates through pantomime. He's a kind and gentle character, although always curious and willing to take on new challenges. The stories, often taking place in Krtek's front yard, have a charmingly slow pace, almost hypnotic in its appeal. Says US film critic Michael Medved: "It's an alternate universe, like all of the best animated stuff is. /.../ I have always considered Miler to be perhaps the greatest living animator".
