The incredible success of Jurᴀssic Park introduced a generation of filmgoers to dinosaurs on the big screen, but the first depictions of these prehistoric creatures go back more than 100 years. That’s because the very first dinosaur film was a 1905 British silent movie that laid the foundations for the portrayal of dinosaurs in cinema long before CGI even existed.
While Steven Spielberg changed the game, it’s important to give credit where credit’s due and recognize Prehistoric Peeps as the first-ever dinosaur movie. As viewers revisit some of the best dinosaur films of all time following the recent release of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, they should also take a moment to learn about the birth of dinosaurs in cinema.
Prehistoric Peeps Is The First Movie To Depict Dinosaurs On Screen
The Film Was Released In 1905
As a four-minute comedy short, Prehistoric Peeps achieved quite a lot in its short runtime. This caveman comedy was based on a cartoon series by Edward Tennyson Reed and depicted non-avian dinosaurs for the first time in film history. Coming from director Lewin Fitzhamon, this one-reel film was packed with impressive practical effects.
The Prehistoric Peeps cartoon comic series began in the 1890s and appeared in the British satirical magazine Punch.
Prehistoric Peeps featured actor Sebastian Smith as a sleeping scientist who dreams that he’s being chased by dinosaurs in a cave. With actors inside giant pantomime models, they chase the man who attempts to shoot the creatures to no avail. Eventually, the scientist manages to defeat the monsters before meeting a prehistoric woman who lives in a grᴀss hut.
This wasn’t just the first dinosaur movie but also the first to show cavemen living alongside these prehistoric creatures. Blending action, comedy, fantasy, and sci-fi, Prehistoric Peeps set the tone for future dinosaur films and even echoed many of the elements that made Jurᴀssic Park such a blockbuster juggernaut 88 years later.
Despite Being An Essential Part Of Film History, Prehistoric Has Never Been Officially Released
Prehistoric Peeps Is Available At The British Film Insтιтute
Although Prehistoric Peeps holds an important place in dinosaur cinema history, it has long been difficult to find. Once only viewable in person at the British Film Insтιтute, a bootleg copy has since surfaced online, finally giving curious dinosaur enthusiasts a chance to see this long-unavailable short film.
While most will think of Spielberg’s work on Jurᴀssic Park as the most prominent piece of dinosaur media ever made, the truth is that the film comes out of a long legacy of depicting these creatures in cinema. The presentation of everything from a Tyrannosaurus Rex to a Velociraptor on screen has a long history behind it, all of which began with Prehistoric Peeps.
Source: S.R. Bissette
