Professor Balthazar (Croatian: Profesor Baltazar) is a Croatiananimated television series for children about an old inventor that was produced between 1967 and 1978. It was created by animator Zlatko Grgić.
The series revolves around benevolent genius Professor Balthazar. In each episode, someone in his surroundings has a problem, which he duly considers and invariably finds a solution to. He then activates a magical machine and produces an invention that will solve the problem.
The characters of the series do not speak in any intelligible language, and the plot of the episodes is instead recounted by a narrator in voice-over.
The cartoon has been shown in subsequent years in several countries besides the former Yugoslavia, including[2] Denmark, Finland, Germany (Westdeutscher Rundfunk), Iran, Italy, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden and Israel.[4] Also, Canada, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.[citation needed]
The likely source of the cartoon's popularity is the general absence of violence or force as a means of solving problems. The professor himself is depicted as benevolent and pacifistic, always aiming to solve problems through imagination and reason, as well as ensuring that everyone ends up better off.[5]
From 1971 to 1973, episodes were featured on the American ABC-TV children's program Curiosity Shop. The cartoon inventor was the basis for the show's puppet character, Baron Balthazar, and the cartoons were shown as animated sequences of the Baron's tales of his adventures and inventions back in "beautiful downtown Bosnia".
The cartoon was also shown in the United States in the 1980s on Pinwheel as well as on ABC in Australia and on CCTV in China.[citation needed] The cartoon was also shown in Asia in the 1990s on STAR TV.[citation needed]
In 2011, all 59 episodes have been restored by DVDlab, and published on DVD.[2] A new episode was produced in 2019, "Third time lucky", 52 years after the original show premiered.[6]
Credits
Production Company: Zagreb / Windrose-Hamburg for WWF-Cologne
Production Supervisor: Z. Pavičić
Scripts: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović
Directors: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović
Animators: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović, T. Paus, L. Fabiani, N. Petrick, S. Drobnić
Backgrounds: Zlatko Bourek, Branko Varadin, Srdjan Matić
Camera: I. Hercigonja
Music: Tomica Simović
Music Supervisor: T. Brunšmid
Sound: M. Presil
Designers: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović
American animator and creator Craig McCracken called Professor Balthazar 'brilliant', citing it as a significant design influence for his 2013 show Wander Over Yonder.[7][8]
