Watch: World’s first robot movie found after more than a century

Frame from 35mm print: “Gugusse and the Automaton” by George Meliès – 1897. Image source: Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center via Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain. Article by David Szondy. New Atlas – March 8, 2026.

A piece of techno-cinematic history has emerged as the US Library of Congress releases the restored video of the oldest film to feature a “robot.” Dating from 1897, the silent film Gugusse et l’Automate by George Méliès was thought lost until recently. Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès is regarded today as one of the great pioneers of cinema, introducing many innovations that now form the basic toolkit of moviemaking. […]

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Video: Gugusse et l’Automate (aka The Clown and the Automaton) – New Atlas. Video source: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.