The list of animations includes only VHS tapes and DVDs that were commercially available on the open market.
Najlepši slovenski risani filmi (The Most Beautiful Slovenian Cartoon Films)
The cartoons Dart (1960), Courier Nejček (1961), and The Winter Story (1962) were created at the Viba Film studio, where Miki Muster participated as the lead designer and animator.
The cartoon Dart tells the story of a boy who, at the end of the school year, receives a bow and arrows as a reward. Because he lives in the city, he is not allowed to shoot them, and he is constantly chased for trying. In the end, he is nevertheless rewarded for a successful hit.
The cartoon Courier Nejček tells the story of a shepherd who is also a partisan courier. During the day, he tends livestock in the mountains while observing the movements of Nazi troops, and at night he delivers information to the partisans. The film was made in honor of the 20th anniversary of the uprising of the Yugoslav nations.
The cartoon The Winter Story is about a sparrow, the loyal friend of a snowman, who is chased by a black cat. With the snowman’s help, the sparrow outwits and punishes the cat.
Medium: VHS
Year: 1997
Directed and story by: various authors
Language: Slovenian
Cartoon length: 42 min (6 animated films)
Episode titles:
- Kurir Nejček (Courier Nejček)
- Deteljček (Little Clover)
- Kovček (Suitcase)
- Puščica (Arrow)
- Zimska zgodba (Winter Story)
- Hribci – zajtrk (Breakfast)
Knax
The Knax cartoons promoting children’s savings were created in the mid-1980s, when Muster lived and worked in Munich. The cartoons were produced for Deutsche Sparkasse. They take place on the small island of Knax, which has a single village where the main characters, children Didi and Dido, live. Near the village stands Fetzenstein Castle, home to the infamous Fetz and his gang of villains. Miki Muster personally drew the first four cartoons.
The cartoon Der Rote Strumpf (Red Sock) tells the story of Fetz attempting to steal the village’s red sock containing all its savings. The theft fails, and the money is deposited in the bank instead.
Kein Sonnenschein für Fetzenstein (No Sun for Fetzenstein) depicts an unsuccessful roof repair at Fetzenstein Castle.
Ganz schön aufgeblasen (Very Nicely Inflated) shows Fetz and his gang attempting a theft using balloons. Because they steal too much, they become too heavy to take off.
Gaukelei ums liebe Geld (Scam for Love Money) tells how Fetz disguises himself as a wizard and tries to swindle the inhabitants of Knax with magic tricks.
Medium: VHS
Year: 2005
Directed and animated by: Miki Muster
Language: German
Cartoon length: 33 min (5 episodes)
Episode titles:
- Der Rote Strumpf (Red Sock)
- Kein Sonnenschein für Fetzenstein (No Sun for Fetzenstein)
- Ganz schön aufgeblasen (Very Nicely Inflated)
- Gaukelei ums liebe Geld (Scam for Love Money)
- Beraubte Räuber (Robbed Robbers)
Mordillo
The Mordillo cartoons were created between 1976 and 1981, when Muster lived and worked in Munich. Guillermo Mordillo granted him exclusive rights to animate his drawings, which were based on short comic strips consisting of two or three panels. The animations are silent comic stories featuring a dreamer who wanders through the world. Animals such as giraffes, snails, cows, and pigs often appear.
In total, approximately 300 minutes of Mordillo animations were produced. Each cartoon lasts between 20 seconds and one minute. They were first presented in the early 1980s at the Cannes Film Festival, where they achieved great success.
Medium: VHS
Year: 1998
Story by: Guillermo Mordillo
Directed and produced by: Manfred Schmidt
Language: German
Cartoon length: 105 min
In der Arche ist der Wurm drin
The cartoon The Worm Is Inside the Ark was produced in 1988, when Muster lived and worked in Munich. He participated as one of five principal animators, although he is credited only as a draftsman. He animated eagles, bears, seals, ants, and termites for a total of 15 minutes of animation.
The film is a humorous retelling of the story of Noah’s Ark. Noah oversees the construction of the ship and compiles a list of animal pairs to save from the flood. However, he fails to consider that some animals feed on wood. At first, life on all four decks of the ark is peaceful. Gradually, the ark begins to weaken and suffer damage. When a brown bear accidentally crashes through a lower deck, suspicion falls on the woodworm Willi and his family, who have lived in the ark’s timber since construction began. A hunt for Willi ensues, but he is innocent. With courage and the help of his family, the true cause of the damage is discovered and stopped.
Media: VHS, DVD
Year: 1988, 2006
Producers: Willi Benninger, Ute Koll, Michael Schoemann
Directed and story by: Wolfgang Urchs
Language: German
Cartoon length: 81 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfaKp4tPjg
Nick Knatterton
The Nick Knatterton cartoons were created from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, when Muster lived and worked in Munich. The series consists of comic detective stories about private investigator Nikolaus Kuno Freiherr von Knatterton, based on the comic strips by Manfred Schmidt from the 1950s, which achieved great success in German-speaking countries. Miki Muster drew all 15 cartoons in the series.
Nick Knatterton is always impeccably dressed in a green checked suit, wears a hat, and smokes a pipe. He solves cases with elegance, intuition, and impeccable logic. He is the terror of criminals, adored by women, witty, and seemingly invincible. He often begins his deductions with the phrase “(Ich) kombiniere!” (“I deduce!”), which became his trademark.
Media: VHS, DVD
Year: 2001
Directed and story by: Manfred Schmidt
Language: German
Cartoon length: 190 min (15 episodes)
Episode titles:
- Kennen Sie Nick Knatterton? (Do You Know Nick Knatterton?)
- Freitags immer (Always on Fridays)
- Die Geheimnisse der Alibi-Bar (Secrets of the Alibi Bar)
- Türen, Täter und Tresore (Doors, Perpetrators, and Safes)
- Miezen, Macher und Moneten (Cats, Doers, and Money)
- Spesen, Spinner und Spione (Expenses, Eccentrics, and Spies)
- Bargeld, Betten und Brillanten (Cash, Beds, and Diamonds)
- Die ferngelenkte Superbiene (The Remote-Controlled Super Bee)
- Ballermänner und Computer (Shooters and Computers)
- Sammler, Fälscher und Ganoven (Collectors, Forgers, and Crooks)
- Der kriminelle Brühwürfel (The Criminal Bouillon Cube)
- Ein Kopf fiel in die Themse (A Head Fell into the Thames)
- Greifer, Girls und Grand Hotels (Claws, Girls, and Grand Hotels)
- Moden, Maler und Modelle (Fashion, Painters, and Models)
- Finten, Flirts und Filmemacher (Feints, Flirts, and Filmmakers)
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