I follow quite a few paleoartists online, each with their own styles and characteristics. I mostly knew of Mario Lanzas‘s work for his excellent size comparisons of various prehistoric animals, though I also have enjoyed his maps of prehistoric continents inspired by medieval bestiaries. I should have been paying closer attention to his YouTube channel though, as I found myself completely surprised by his latest work, which I am delighted to share here!
ANTEDILUVIAN is an animated short film created by Mario which depicts prehistoric life as it was imagined by some of the first people to thoroughly study them. About a year ago, Mario released a prologue featuring the mother of paleontology herself, Mary Anning, depicting her discovery of a Plesiosaurus. At only a minute long, it is a great little piece of animation in itself, but only hints at the scope of the rest of the project.
Now Mario has finally released the main film, and let me tell you, it is absolutely sublime! As I mentioned, it depicts the classic creatures studied by early paleontologists in the forms imagined by early paleoartists: as the great lumbering beasts of a bygone age, doomed to be wiped out by cataclysms such as the Biblical Flood.
I struggle to find the words to praise this short highly enough. It is a remarkable achievement in its own right, while also feeling like the dream of some larger, lost film from the black and white era of film. There’s a remarkable fidelity to paleoart of yore, with many specific references and callbacks to particular works of art and certain stylistic conventions. These “outdated” forms are lovingly recreated, and yet the creatures themselves nevertheless feel like real animals all the same. Mario melds the vintage look with an intense vitality that almost makes you believe these creatures were drawn from life.
I could go on and on about this short, but words feel cheap next to something so lovely, and I’d rather simply direct you to watch it again! Mario Lanzas’s ANTEDILUVIAN is a brilliant piece of work, and deserves every bit of praise it can get. For my part, I enthusiastically give it my own Dino Dad Stomp of Approval!
For more articles related to vintage paleoart, check out my reviews of The Art and Science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, and The Iguanodon’s Horn.
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