Paper Short Abstract:

The paper examines how Zdeněk Miler’s Little Mole cartoons (1957–2002) explore themes of technology and consumerism. We show the shift from techno-optimism to environmental critique, focusing on Little Mole in a Dream (1984), that reconsiders petromodern dreams, and the ideal of returning to nature.

Paper Abstract:

The Little Mole is a character from dozens of cartoons by Czech filmmaker Zdeněk Miler. The short films, made between 1957 and 2002, were mostly shot in state-socialist Czechoslovakia, but were marketed worldwide even then – just like today. In many of the Little Mole’s adventures, the character’s appeal lies in his interactions with an environment that is decidedly anthropocentric. Little Mole’s – or more-than-human – presence and actions resemble those of an ignorant child. And just like that child, they make it possible to reflect upon complex issues, such as what is to become of the world in an age of increasing consumption and demand for technological inventions and devices. In some of Miler’s longer films, Little Mole explores consumerism and human civilisation’s reliance on technology to solve everyday problems from childbirth to car maintenance to the conveniences of the smart home. In the paper, I outline the changes to the dreams depicted in Miler’s movies as he and the Little Mole shift from techno-optimism to critical reflection on the environmental impact of modernisation. I then proceed to offer an overview of concrete tropes related to technology present especially in his movie Little Mole in a Dream (1984). This movie directly addresses the necessity to reconsider the dreams and promises of petromodernity, but also the ideal of an idyllic return to nature – at least if humans are to be included.