Essential Polish Animation

“All of cinema is essentially animation” - Walerian Borowczyk

Polish animation, influenced by jazz, poster design and collage, took off in the late 1950s when artists found creative freedom in the wake of Stalin’s death. Pioneering filmmakers like Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica would change the form and usher in a golden age of filmmaking that would enable this art form to be appreciated around the world including winning prestigious international awards at festivals such as Cannes, Annecy, Oberhausen and an Oscar for Rybczyński’s Tango. This collection of 27 films spans the breakthrough works of the late 1950s to the close of the classic era in the 1980s, capturing some of the form’s essential films. 

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES

• High-Definition digital transfers of 27 classic animated films on two discs

• Original uncompressed PCM mono audio

• Audio commentaries on select films by Polish film expert Daniel Bird (2025)

• Visual essay by film historian and Eastern European cinema expert Michael Brooke (2025)
  

• Optional English subtitles

• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista

• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by animation expert Karol Szafraniec

• Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings