Episode 90

Dobro jutro, prijatelji!

In this episode 90, we’ve got another installment of Priče with Bepo.

The conversation with Uncle Mike’s Dad continues as he tells as a little about his journey to the United States.

We learn some new Croatian words and phrases along the way.

Lesson - Bepo - Part 2

leave (depart) - otići 

You left - Vi ste otišli. 

on - na

that (adj) - taj (that day - taj dan)

of - od

by heart (memorized) - napamet

Super Slatko Report

In this edition of the Super Slatko Report, DJ Moe tells us a little bit about films for kids.

What are some of the original cartoons dating back from 50-60 years ago?

Tune in to find out!

Dobar dan moj Super Slatko prieteljie,

I found an awesome article on the Expat in Croatia website, an article titled Top Croatian cartoons from 1960-1995, written by Marija Tkalec. This was an idea that I thought could be beneficial to someone that wanted to learn/listen to the language in a different way.

Without further ado here are my top 3 from the list of cartoons from the article. The article actually shares 9 or so different cartoons , so please check it out, use the link if you want to know more.

#1 - Surogat (the Substitute in English)

Under 10 mins.

Made by Zagreb Films

Released in 1961

Directed by Dušan Vukotić 

Right out of the gate, this one has no words in it, but it made the list for other cool reasons. It has super cool music and a fun quality to it. The imagination and creativity within are great and the film went on to win an Oscar in 1962 for best animated short film that year. The cartoon is a little out there, a little off beat, funny and full of imagination and creativity.

#2 - Čudesna Šuma (the Elm Chanted Forest)

83 mins

Produced by Croatia Film & Fantasy Forest Films, Inc. 

Released in 1986

This full length feature film has a more Disney Film vibe to it, with humans speaking to forest creatures etc.. The film is full of magic, adventure and prophecies. The movie is entirely in Croatian, and the language didn’t seem so fast that I couldn’t pick out words here and there to gain a loose understanding of the conversations from the parts that I watched. Čudesna Šuma looks like a fun watch and the animation looks well done, dated obviously as its not the computer generated stuff that dominates today, but it has that classic look that can hold a child’s attention and imagination easily. There’s even a sequel!

#3 - Inspektor Maska (Inspector Mask)

1 season @ 13 episodes, ranging anywhere from 7-10 minutes duration for each.

Produced by Zagreb Films

Ran from 1962-1963

This series is a classic good guy trying to catch the bad guy cartoon series. Centralizing on the main character-good guy, Inspector Mask. The plot focuses on Inspector Mask trying to stop the criminal activity of a crime boss that goes by the name of Prehlađeni Joe or Runny Nose Joe in English. Inspector Mask thwarts Joes efforts by, you guessed it, wearing different masks and disguises to stamp out Joes attempts. More cool music, and what I would call retro animation style that was probably prva liga for its day. Inspektor Maska, has a Pink Panther appeal to it, but in Croatian obviously. The speaking parts are a little quicker from time to time, but there are definitely words that I was able to pick out and understand.

And I do have an Honorable mention for you…

Mali Leteći Medvjedići (The Little Flying Bears) 

Released in 1990, 

This movie focused on the main cast of flying bears and the plot speaks mainly to forest preservation and protecting the environment. I liked this one because I liked the subject matter.

Those are the three +1 cartoons that caught my interest from the article that I read, but I’m sure there are more cartoons out there that didn’t make the list that we’d love to hear about. If you know of more cartoons that we should check out, please do share with us. Also, the article is only looking at cartoons from 1960-1995, so I know we are missing some years where some great cartoons were produced, so like I said, please share.

If you are interested in reading the article for your self, please click on the button below.

And thats it for the Super Slatko Report.