Inspired by an Eastern European folktale, Krabat was designed with the assistance of Zeman's daughter Ludmila, a noted illustrator of children's books. In the film, a young boy becomes apprenticed to a notorious sorcerer, but when the magician tries to come between the boy and his girlfriend, the young people organize a revolt pitting true love against wizardry. In this international award-winning film, "Zeman underscores the disquieting mood with his choice of animation techniques. Instead of painted cels he uses flat paper puppets with feature details etched in the style of early twentieth-century German expressionism....A genuine feeling of dread keeps viewers attentive." (Variety)