Grasshoppers

*Conquest* is an animated short film directed by Bruno Bozzetto that condenses the entirety of human civilization into a nine-minute runtime, emphasizing the human tendency toward warfare and the futility of conflict. The film presents various historical periods through brief vignettes, each typically featuring a few simply drawn characters engaged in arguments and battles, repeating the same patterns throughout. In these scenes, a single character often represents an entire group, such as a Caesar-like figure symbolizing all Roman emperors. The film features minimal spoken dialogue and is largely accompanied by a lively piano-driven score that shifts in style to reflect different historical eras. Despite these changes, the music is based on a recurring, simple theme that returns between vignettes. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1991.