2000 B.C. Review: A Weirdly Fun Caveman Cartoon From 1926

If you have five minutes and want to see what people thought was funny in the 1920s, you should probably watch this. It is a total mess of a cartoon, but it has that weird energy that only silent shorts have.

I wouldn't recommend it if you need things like 'logic' or 'history' in your movies. But if you like watching ink-blot characters run around and fall over, it’s a good time.

Paul Terry and Frank Moser were the guys behind this. They did those *Aesop’s Fables* cartoons that were everywhere back then.

It’s called 2000 B.C., but the history is basically non-existent. You have dinosaurs living with people and some animals that look like they were drawn by someone who had only ever seen a cow once, from a distance.

The animation is that jittery, hand-drawn style where the lines never quite stay still. I love how the backgrounds sometimes wobble for no reason, like the paper was slipping under the camera.

There is a caveman in the beginning who looks like he hasn't slept in about three years. He’s just sort of vibrating on the screen while he tries to do chores.

The gags are fast. Like, really fast. You don't even have time to think about one before the next one starts.

One scene has a dinosaur using its tail like a giant hammer. Why? Because the animators thought it looked cool, I guess.

It reminds me of the simple energy in Where D'Ye Get That Stuff? but with more prehistoric chaos. There isn't much of a plot, just a series of things happening until the film runs out.

I noticed a weird mistake where a character’s leg just disappears for two frames. They probably didn't think anyone would be looking at this on a high-def screen a hundred years later.

The dinosaurs are the best part. They don't look like lizards; they look like giant, lumpy sausages with legs.

One dinosaur gets hit on the head and its eyes start spinning in opposite directions. It’s a classic gag, but it feels so raw and simple here.

I watched this on a grainy YouTube upload and the music was this loud, jangly piano. It didn't really match the action, but it made the whole thing feel like a fever dream.

It’s definitely not as polished as something like A Damsel in Distress. But that’s why I like it.

There’s no pretension here. It’s just people in a room in 1926 trying to make kids laugh with ink and paper.

The title cards have these puns that are honestly pretty bad. They’re the kind of jokes that make you groan out loud.

But there is something cozy about it. It’s like looking at a time capsule that hasn't been cleaned up or restored too much.

If you compare it to a live-action film from the same era, like Soft Shoes, you see how much more freedom they had with animation. They could just make a character stretch like rubber for a laugh.

I found myself wondering how long it took to ink all those frames. Probably forever, and then the movie is over in the blink of an eye.

The pacing is way better than some of the big dramas from that time. It doesn't linger on anything for too long.

Sometimes the characters just look at the camera, like they're waiting for the audience to clap. It’s a bit creepy if you think about it too much.

There's a moment with a prehistoric bird that I had to rewind because I couldn't tell if it was a bird or a flying dog. It was just a black smudge with wings, basically.

I think people who like Cuphead or old Mickey Mouse stuff would appreciate the art here. It’s the ancestor of all that stuff.

It’s not exactly deep like No Man's Woman, but it’s not trying to be. It just wants to show you a caveman getting kicked by a cow.

The ending is very abrupt. The movie just sort of stops. No big finale, just 'The End' and then blackness.

I kind of respect that. They ran out of jokes, so they stopped filming.

It’s a fun little distraction if you’re tired of modern movies that take themselves too seriously. Just don't expect to learn anything about history. 🦕

Actually, I think the cow-thing was supposed to be a triceratops. Maybe. It’s hard to tell with these old drawings.

Anyway, give it a look if you find it. It's a weird piece of history that still has a little bit of life left in it.