Boris Kolar, a defining figure of Croatian animation and one of the creative minds behind the much-loved Professor Balthazar series, has died in Zagreb at the age of 93. The news was announced jointly by the Professor Balthazar Association, Professor Balthazar Ltd and the Zagreb Film Institution.

Kolar started in animation in 1952 and joined the generation of artists who built the Zagreb School of Animation — a movement whose bold visuals and experimental storytelling put Croatian cartoons on the world stage. His own short films, Bumerang (1962) and Vau-vau (1964), are considered landmarks of Croatian animation and picked up attention at international festivals. In 2024, he was awarded the Golden Octavian Award for lifetime achievement in cinema.

But it is Professor Balthazar that most people remember. The kindly, bald inventor who solved everyday problems with whimsical contraptions became one of Croatia's most recognisable cultural exports, winning over generations of viewers with gentle themes of creativity, kindness and acceptance of difference. Kolar worked alongside the leading lights of the Zagreb School to shape that world, and he stayed involved late into life, contributing to newer productions including Augustova treća sreća, Vrline iz dubine and Hektorovo otkriće.

For travellers, Kolar's death is a reminder that Zagreb's animation heritage is written into the city itself. The Zagreb School of Animation is a genuine point of local pride — the Zagreb Film archive holds decades of classic shorts, and the city's annual Animafest Zagreb, one of the world's oldest animation festivals, keeps the tradition alive each year. Professor Balthazar's image still pops up around town, from murals to museum exhibits, and the character is a nostalgic touchstone for anyone who grew up watching Yugoslav-era television across the region.

Zagreb rewards travellers who dig beyond the main square anyway: the Museum of Naïve Art, the quirky streaks of Tkalčićeva Street, and a café culture that suits slow afternoons. Adding an animation-themed detour — or simply knowing why locals light up when the professor's name comes up — gives a visit another layer. Kolar's films and drawings remain part of Croatia's cultural heritage, and for visitors they offer a way into the country's 20th-century story that goes well beyond the postcard coastline.

A life in pictures, remembered on Croatia Week.