Cinematography is so much more than blockbusters or dramas. And some countries hold quite the surprise for their cinephile public. When it comes to production services in Slovenia, plenty of work gets put into the animation branch. Talking about that, here is a glimpse of the Slovenian animated film history.

Back To The Origins – Production Services in Slovenia

The history of Slovenian animated film starts somewhere in the 1950s with Saša Dobrila. He studied puppet animation abroad and his first film was Sedemna en mah (Seven at Once). This animation had a Grimm Brothers story as inspiration. So, up until the beginning of the 60s, these films were mostly based on puppetry. Then, Miki Muster blended elements borrowed from Disney with Slovenian folklore.

Political and economical factors often overshadowed the film industry. Production services in Slovenia were constantly lacking funding, so filmmakers had to adapt. Experimenting with new techniques was the key to progress in such conditions. When it comes to innovative approaches, Črt Škodlar’s work is top-of-the-list. His 1967 Sintetična komika (The Synthetic Comique) relies on abstractly painted forms. He tried to synchronize pictures in motion with specific acoustic elements too. Koni Steinbacher has been, since the 1970s, another of Slovenia’s remarkable animation creators. Bojan Jurc brought proverb-based, humorous cartoons to the screen in the ’80s.

Animation at its best in Slovenia

Medved Bojan (Bojan the Bear,1985-1996) is a highly popular Slovenian animation series. Another remarkable production was the first feature animation film in 1998. Socializacija bika? (The Socialisation of the Bull?) wore the signature of visual artists and illustrators Zvonko Čoh and Milan Erič.

Across the decades, animation films attracted more international recognition and awards. Production services in Slovenia were developed to cover a wider array of filmmaking needs .Computer-generated or 3D videos have become the new animated reality. Various Slovenian animation films are competing and have often won against international productions.

Slovenian Animated Films – Festivals & Awards

The most remarkable recognition of animated films from Slovenia dates back to 1988. Oblast (Authority), by Zdravko Barišič, received the Golden Bear. The award came for the Best Short at the Berlin International Film Festival.

At Animafest, some short 3D films were highly acclaimed. The list includes Križišče(Crossroads, 1998) by Miloš Radosavljevič and Perkmandeljc (Perk, 2002) by Dušan Kastelic.

Puppet animation films are also getting revived. Mate to Measure (2004)by Špela Čadež or Courtyard (2006) by Nejc Saje were global hits.

As for local infrastructure, animation artists still struggle. Production services in Slovenia are rather undeveloped and so are study opportunities. The recent years brought more interest towards the Animateka International Animation Film Festival. Since2000, film lovers also join the Izolanima – Slovene Animation Festival.

Dušan Kastelic’s Chicory ‘n’ Coffee (Čikorja an’ kafe) was a real success at the Festival of Slovenian Film in 2008. The production gained various awards worldwide for Best Animated Film. That included the International Film Festival in San Joaquin and Mundos Digitales.

As the spectrum of animation techniques keeps broadening, production booms. And the last few decades have been a blossoming era for the animated film industry in Slovenia.