“Remember this; keep your swords as sharp as your wit, for the ultimate battle between the living and the undead has yet to be staged.”

Have you seen Pride and Prejudice and Zombies yet? The film, which is based on the Seth Grahame-Smith novel of the same name, opened on February 5, 2016. The prologue to the film was created by The Mill, the production company behind The Chemical Brothers’ video for “Wide Open.” It’s a gorgeous piece of tunnel book animation that gives the viewer the history of the zombie plague in Regency London. Narrating the story is the syrup-voiced Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones). We learn all about the 100 foot wall around London, the madness of young King George after the great battle and how the gentry is finally leaving the safety of the city for their fortified country homes. Yeah, this sort of thing never ends well, does it?

According to the Vimeo post, Burr Steers directed this impressive prologue video, working with satirical cartoonist Martin Rowson. Along with a team, they turned hand-drawn illustrations into “intricately rendered 3D animations,” narrated by Charles Dance. In the video we get to see the origin of the zombie plague that is the scourge of Regency-era England in the film.

The intro is stunning and actually got me excited for a film that wasn’t necessarily grabbing me in the promos despite ladies with weaponry. Check it out below and tweet at @Nerdist to let us know what you think of the prologue and the film itself. If you liked this, check out the behind-the-scenes video for “Wide Open” right here.

We also quizzed the cast of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies about Regency-era slang and you can check that out below.

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HT: Laughing Squid
Image credit: HBO