88 Years Before Jurᴀssic Park, This Forgotten Movie Was The Start Of Dinosaur Cinema

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

Post for the silent movie Prehistoric Peeps (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

Related Posts

10 Big-Name Franchises That Keep Botching Their Sequels

10 Big-Name Franchises That Keep Botching Their Sequels

Movie sequels are tough to execute, and though there are a handful of franchises that are perfect, there are also many others that failed to deliver on…

Superman’s Box Office Projections Fly Past Man Of Steel Following Great Reviews

Superman’s Box Office Projections Fly Past Man Of Steel Following Great Reviews

The new Superman movie could end up becoming the franchise’s highest-grossing entry if opening weekend projections turn out to be accurate. James Gunn’s DC Universe chose to…

Marvel’s 7M Box Office Bomb May Be The Most Impactful Superhero Movie

Marvel’s $167M Box Office Bomb May Be The Most Impactful Superhero Movie

An infamous superhero movie flop from 2015 has convinced me that the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe are both on the right track. 2025 is very…

Forgotten 4 Million Sci-Fi Movie Starring Ex-Boy Band Singer Is Now A Hit On Streaming

Forgotten $174 Million Sci-Fi Movie Starring Ex-Boy Band Singer Is Now A Hit On Streaming

Justin Timberlake’s critically panned sci-fi In Time has become a hit on streaming 14 years after it was released. While Timberlake first achieved success as a boy…

The How To Train Your Dragon Remake Just Solved Its Biggest Franchise Problem

The How To Train Your Dragon Remake Just Solved Its Biggest Franchise Problem

15 years after the release of the original movie, it’s clear that people still love the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Since the 2010 animated film,…

Netflix’s Top 5 Most-Watched Movies Of All Time Shocked Me – #1 Is By Far The Worst

Netflix’s Top 5 Most-Watched Movies Of All Time Shocked Me – #1 Is By Far The Worst

Netflix’s library is extensive, and there are a lot of great finds, including some diverse original content, which makes the most-watched movie on the streaming service surprising….