Krtek - The Mole - a Czech Film Star

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Zdeněk Miler.

Zdeněk Miler: The Mole

A special screening of a collection of shorts. Israeli big-screen premiere 

The creation of the best-known animal character, which is probably the only one not produced by Walt Disney, dates back to the mid-1950s. The most famous moment for the director and artist Zdeněk Miler came in 1954 when he was commissioned to make a film about the production of a canvas shirt. Miler was looking for an animal character that would connect the whole story and that had not appeared in an animated film before. Allegedly, the idea of the mole came to his mind on a walk when he stumbled over a little molehill and it was there that he chose this animal because it had not been used before by the Disney studio. At first, he had a lot of work with the figure to make it more human because according to illustrations in literature, the animal seemed ugly and far from a likeable hero. As part of the modifications, the author was forced to reject the motif of the shirt and the mole came to the world in trousers with pockets. The production of the film lasted an incredible period of two years but the outcome was worth it. HOW MOLE GOT HIS TROUSERS was a huge success at the Venice Film Festival and it was awarded the Lion Prize. Gradually, more than 50 films were made starring the mole as the main character. These films were partially initiated by German television companies. Miler worked on the mole series up to 18 hours a day and created a phenomenon known around the world. The mole stories were a success not only because of the original and cute character who is able to solve everything in a witty way and never frowns but also because the mole, with the exception of the first film, does not speak. The mole and his friends only make exclamation sounds which are in fact the sounds of the artist’s little daughters. The plot of the stories is developed only through drawing and mimics which is comprehensible to all children. During the fifty years that Miler devoted himself to his character, the hero underwent only two changes. His tail disappeared and his nose was shortened to make the mole look younger. As Miler did not have time to write the themes and scripts for all of the films, their authors were the leading writers Hana Doskočilová and Ivan Klíma.

Mole and the Car:

One day, the Mole found out with astonishment that there were noisy and heavy machines moving around his molehill with dogs or geese onboard. He immediately had a longing for something similar. The Mole’s clockwork car resembled a Ford Thunderbird produced in America after 1955 and one of which was possessed, for example, by the actress Marilyn Monroe.

Mole and the Rocket:

The Mole discovered a rocket on a playground and set out on an adventurous journey. Eventually, the Mole reached the universe in April 2011 as a mascot of the last flight of the American space shuttle Endeavour.

Mole and the Chewing Gum:

The Mole was angry because of the mess left by the people in the meadow but soon was attracted by an unknown object – a piece of chewing gum. It was sweet but very sticky! The helpless Mole was unable to get rid of it, even with the help of the birds or the Mouse. It was only a curious cow that was able to unstick the chewing gum and made a bubble that flew away and broke.

Mole and the Lollipop:

Another continuation of the popular animated series in which the Mole analysed a yet unknown object – a lollipop. In the end, the Mole understood what the strange thing was used for and that it was not a fly flap, road sign or stirring spoon.

Mole as a Gardener:

In the story, the Mole tried to plug a hole in a garden hose. When a little frog came out of the hose, the water stopped flowing and the flowers began to dry. So, the Mole thought he could create a rivulet around the flowers to supply water.

Mole and the Umbrella:

The Mole was impressed by many things around the rubbish dump but mostly by a little brolly which could be used in many ways – as a shelter, means of transport for flying or sailing and a protection against an insidious pike… In the end, the Mole cut a watermelon under the brolly and invited all of his animal friends for a feast. Together, they outsmarted an angry manikin whom the Mole took the watermelon from.

Mole and the Hedgehog:

The Mole and the Mouse saved a hedgehog taken by somebody in a cage to a school closet. They found the hedgehog among the stuffed animals and managed to escape a live cat.

Courtesy of the Czech Centre