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Zdeněk Smetana

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Zdeněk Smetana
Born26 July 1925
Died25 February 2016 (2016-02-26) (aged 90)
NationalityCzech
Known forDirector, animator, graphic artist

Zdeněk Smetana (26 July 1925 – 25 February 2016) was a Czechoslovak-born Czech animator and graphic artist who created more than 400 animated cartoons, including full-length feature films.[1] He became known for a series of Czechoslovak animated children's television bedtime stories during the 1970s and 1980s, including The Little Witch (Malá čarodějnice), Fairy Tales of Moss and Fern (Pohádky z mechu a kapradí), Reedy (Rákosníček) and Štaflík a Špagetka.[1] In 1981, Smetana's film, The End of A Cube, won a BAFTA award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.[1] He also won awards from the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.[1]

In 1946, Smetana began working at the Bratři v triku animation studio, which had been founded by Jiri Trnka.[1] He animated a sequence of the 1957 film, Creation of the World, in which the devil, Eve and others dance to rock 'n roll music.[1] During the 1960s, Smetana animated episodes of Tom and Jerry, which was being produced at a studio in Prague at the time.[1]

Smetana retired from full-time television animation in the late 1980s to focus on graphic art. He died in Prague on 25 February 2016, at the age of 90.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Czech artist Zdenek Smetana, author of TV bedtime stories, dies". ČeskéNoviny. 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  2. ^ Kozlov, Vladimir (2016-02-26). "Czech Animator Zdenek Smetana Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-10-19.