Limited Animation 'On Ones'

How the Zagreb School invented 'reduced animation.'

At the Photographer’s (1959)

Happy Thursday! In this issue of the Animation Obsessive newsletter, we’re looking at the techniques of the Zagreb School of Animation.

From the ‘50s through the ‘70s, some of the world’s most renowned animators worked in the city of Zagreb, Yugoslavia. Key to their success was a style they named reducirana animacija — reduced animation. It helped to give their cartoons a look unlike any other.

But what was it? The name brings to mind UPA’s “limited animation,” a type of motion we explored in a recent issue. That’s kind of correct, but only kind of. The Zagreb animators took from UPA to give their cartoons abstract, non-Disney movement, but the way they applied this idea was different.

In their heyday, Zagreb cartoons often animated “on ones” — 24 drawings per second. How can animation be limited and “on ones” at the same time? That’s a mystery we’re diving into today. Enjoy!