Trivia

Former advertising man, window dresser and poster designer who became a noted pioneer of cinematic live action and animation techniques. From 1955, he produced a series of short fantasy and science-fiction films, which were celebrated for their visual artistry and influenced such later film makers as Terry Gilliam.

Father of Czech-Canadian artist, animator, and children's book author/illustrator Ludmila Zeman.

In Prague, Czech Republic there is the Karel Zeman Museum, there you can learn about the man and how he created his special effects for the movies he was involved in.

For his early studies of animation, he borrowed a release print of an American Felix the Cat cartoon from a local cinema and examined individual frames with a magnifying glass.

More than 60 years later, his "Invention for Destruction" (1958) (U.S.: "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" (1961)) remains the most successful Czech motion picture internationally.

As a young student, he showed a talent for drawing. His teachers recommended that he attend art school. His stepfather insisted that he attend business school instead.

His "A Christmas Dream" (1946) became the first film to win the award for Best Animated Short at the first annual Cannes Film Festival.

The very prolific composer, Zdenek Liska, who scored some of his films, was his next door neighbor.

His name is pronounced "Kah-rehl Zeh-mahn".