Directed by: Matt Bissett-Johnson
Winner – Best Animated Film at Kyoto Cinematica 2026 Seasonal
A History of Prehistory is a brilliantly absurd and darkly humorous 1 minute 56 second animated short that compresses the entire evolution of Earth into a chaotic, satirical montage of dinosaurs, primitive life, extinction, and human arrogance. Despite its extremely short runtime, the film manages to function both as comedy and philosophical commentary.
The opening immediately establishes the film’s surreal tone. A lone dinosaur walking across the screen, followed by a tin labeled “PRIMORDIAL SLIME,” turns one of science’s most important evolutionary theories into visual slapstick. Instead of presenting prehistory with seriousness, the film intentionally trivializes it. This ironic treatment becomes the film’s core identity. The narration and imagery suggest that history is not a grand heroic timeline, but a bizarre accident full of randomness and absurdity.
Visually, the animation embraces a deliberately crude and eccentric style. The dinosaurs wandering aimlessly, the rapidly forming Earth and Moon, and the sudden appearance of humans pushing aside other creatures all create a sense of relentless progression. Evolution here is not shown as majestic—it is shown as chaotic displacement. Humans entering the frame and literally pushing other beings away becomes a sharp metaphor for humanity’s domination over nature.
One of the film’s strongest ideas is its satire of historical importance. The signboard reading “NOTHING TO SEE HERE” surrounded by living creatures is especially clever. It mocks humanity’s tendency to ignore the complexity of life unless it fits conventional narratives of “important history.” The film repeatedly suggests that prehistory is overlooked simply because humans were not yet central to it. This idea is reinforced in the transcript when the narration jokingly claims that “a history of the world is really a history for nerds.” The humor hides a criticism of anthropocentrism — the belief that human existence is the center of all meaning.
The dinosaurs themselves are portrayed in contradictory ways: majestic, ridiculous, doomed, and even commercialized. Near the ending, the appearance of the truck labeled “PTERADACTLE MILK” is hilariously nonsensical, but it also reflects how capitalism and commercialization would eventually consume even prehistoric fantasy. Similarly, the brief appearance of robots introduces a bizarre futuristic intrusion into the prehistoric timeline, collapsing past and future into one continuous absurd spectacle.
Another notable aspect is the film’s pacing. The animation never pauses long enough for emotional attachment. Instead, it bombards the viewer with images and ideas. This mirrors the overwhelming speed of evolutionary history itself. Entire ages pass within seconds. Dinosaurs rise and vanish. Primitive humans hunt and die. Civilizations are ignored. The result is intentionally disorienting, forcing viewers to laugh while simultaneously realizing how insignificant individual existence may be within geological time.
Technically, the film succeeds because of its confidence in visual storytelling. The humor often comes not from dialogue but from unexpected juxtapositions — dead dinosaurs beside primitive hunters, the Moon being described as “better looking,” or humans hatching metaphorically from dinosaur eggs. The narration sounds educational at first, but gradually becomes increasingly ridiculous, parodying the style of serious historical documentaries.
Thematically, A History of Prehistory explores:
the absurdity of existence,the randomness of evolution,humanity’s arrogance,and the reduction of history into simplified narratives.
The ending apology — claiming the filmmakers are “sorry for wasting your time” — perfectly captures the film’s self-aware humor. It pretends to dismiss itself while actually leaving the audience reflecting on the strange, fragile, and temporary nature of life.
Overall, A History of Prehistory is an inventive and intelligent animated short that uses comedy to discuss extinction, evolution, and humanity’s place in the universe. Its intentionally quirky animation style and rapid-fire visual satire make it memorable far beyond its runtime. Rather than teaching prehistory accurately, the film exposes how ridiculous and incomplete our understanding of history can be — and that is precisely what makes it so effective.
Rating: 8.5/10