Pioneering uses of computer-generated imagery in film and television: The seawater creature in The Abyss marked CGIs acceptance in the visual effects industry. ...

1970s

Pic	Film	Year
	Notes
	Westworld	1973
	First use of 2D computer digitized images as part of a feature film (infrared point of view of Gunslinger robot).
No pic	Futureworld	1976
	First use of 3D computer graphics for animated hand and face. Used 2D digital compositing to materialize characters over a background.
	Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope	1977
	First use of 3D vector graphics for the trench run briefing sequence.
	Superman	1978
	First CGI film titles.
	Alien	1979
	Used raster wireframe rendering for navigation monitors in the landing sequence.
	The Black Hole	1979
	Disney uses CGI for the opening titles.

Image File history File links The Gunslingers robots infrared POV. This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... Westworld, written and directed by Michael Crichton and released in 1973, was a seminal science fiction movie starring Yul Brynner as a malfunctioning robotic Western movie-style gunslinger in a futuristic amusement park where wealthy patrons vacation to role-play their fantasies. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The rewrite of this article is being devised at Talk:3D computer graphics/Temp. ... CGI briefing sequence from Star Wars This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... This movie poster for Star Wars depicts many of the films important elements, such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters Star Wars, retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981 (see note at Title,) is the original (and in chronological... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Steam Locomotive 7646 as a vector, originally Windows Metafile (converted to GIF for display on Wikipedia page. ... Screenshot from the film Superman. ... Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel, Superman Superman, also known as Superman: The Movie, is a 1978 Warner Bros. ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Screenshot from the movie Alien showing the use of CGI to create images for the landing sequence. ... Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is an extremely popular and influential science fiction/horror film that spawned several sequels and imitators. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ... A wire frame model is a visual presentation of an electronic representation of a three dimensional or physical object used in 3D computer graphics. ... Image File history File links The opening credits of Disneys Black Hole, showing CGI. This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... Region 1 DVD for The Black Hole The Black Hole is a 1979 science fiction movie directed for Walt Disney Productions by Gary Nelson. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... Walt Disney Pictures is a United States-based movie studio, and is a division of The Walt Disney Company. ...

1980s

Pic	Film	Year
	Notes
No pic	Kill and Kill Again
	First movie to use bullet time
No pic	Looker	1981
	First CGI human character, Cindy. First use of shaded 3D CGI as we think of it today.
	Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan	1982
	ILM computer graphics division develops "Genesis effect".
	Tron	1982
	Extensive use of 3D CGI including the famous Light Cycle sequence.
	2010: The Year We Make Contact	1984
	CGI was used to create thousands of monoliths for the end sequence.
	The Last Starfighter	1984
	Uses CGI for all spaceship shots, replacing traditional models. First use of 'integrated CGI' where the effects are supposed to represent real world objects.
	The Adventures of Andre and Wally B	1984
	Lucasfilm's computer animation division creates an all-CGI animated short. The first CGI animation with motion blur effects.
	Lensman (SF Shinseiki Lensman)	1984
	First anime to use CGI.
	Young Sherlock Holmes	1985
	Lucasfilm creates the first photorealistic CGI character, 'stained glass knight'.
No pic	The Great Mouse Detective	1986
	First major use of computer animation in an animated film, the depiction of Big Ben's gears.
	Luxo Jr	1986
	Pixar's first fully 3D animated short film. First use of shadows in CGI. First CGI film to be nominated for an Academy award.
	Max Headroom	1987
	Computer-mediated live action figure.
	Willow	1988
	Uses morphing in a feature film.
	The Abyss	1989
	First 3D digital water effect.
	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade	1989
	First all-digital composite.

Kill and Kill Again is a 1981 South African/American action film notable for it being the first to use the visual effects called bullet-time. ... Bullet-time is a concept introduced in recent films and computer games whereby the passage of time is slowed down so that an observer can see individual bullets flying throughout the scene at a conceivable rate, usually with their trails made visible. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot from the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan showing the use of CGI to create the Genesis effect. This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Paramount Pictures, 1982; see also 1982 in film) is the second feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Industrial Light + Magic (ILM) is a motion picture special visual effects company, founded in July 1975 by George Lucas and owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. ... Screenshot from the movie Tron showing the use of CGI to create CGI images in the light cycle sequence. ... Tron is a 1982 Walt Disney Productions science fiction movie starring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn (and Clu), Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley (and Tron), Cindy Morgan as Lora (and Yori)and Dan Shor as Ram. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Stub ... Screenshot from the movie 2010: The Year We Make Contact, showing the use of CGI to create the final monolith sequence. ... 2010: Odyssey Two, is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke (January 1982) and also a motion picture (1984) by Peter Hyams entitled simply 2010, or sometimes 2010: The Year We Make Contact. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot from the movie The Last Starfighter showing the use of CGI for most special effects replacing traditional models. ... The Last Starfighter is a 1984 science fiction movie or its subsequent novelization that year by Alan Dean Foster, or a video game based on the movie. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot from the movie The Adventures of Andre and Wally B showing the use of CGI to create a complete animated short. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation. ... Image File history File links The smooth and flat CGI spacecraft of the Galactic Patrol contrast with the bulbous organic hand-drawn Boskonians in the anime Lensman. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A scene from Cowboy Bebop (1998) Anime (アニメ) is Japanese animation, sometimes referred to in the Western world by the portmanteau Japanimation. ... Screenshot from the movie Young Sherlock Holmes showing the use of CGI to create special effects. ... Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, depicts a young Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson meeting and solving a mystery together at a boarding school. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lucasfilm Logo Lucasfilm Ltd. ... This article is about the art movement. ... The Great Mouse Detective (first released on July 2, 1986), known as Basil, the Great Mouse Detective in the United Kingdom, is the 26th animated film produced by the Walt Disney Company. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Clock Tower, colloquially known as Big Ben Big Ben is the colloquial name of the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster in London, and an informal name for the Great Bell of Westminster, the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster. ... Screenshot from the short Luxo Jr by Pixar (First fully 3D animated short film. ... Categories: Stub ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pixars logo and mascot Luxo Jr. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Max Headroom image This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... Max Headroom doing a promotion for Cinemax Max Headroom was the name of a fictional television character in the late 1980s and of the science fiction television series in which he starred. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Willow is a 1988 fantasy film directed by Ron Howard, based on a story by George Lucas. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Morphing is a special effect used in motion pictures and animations. ... Screenshot from the Abyss movie showing the use of CGI to create realistic water face. ... As Bud (Ed Harris) looks on, Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) reaches out to touch a water tentacle which is trying to communicate with the crew by mimicking them. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade of Schneider. ... Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Julian Glover, Alison Doody, River Phoenix and John Rhys-Davies. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1990s

Pic	Film	Year
	Notes
	Total Recall	1990
	Use of motion capture for CGI characters. (More information is needed.)
No pic	Die Hard 2: Die Harder	1990
	First digitally-manipulated matte painting.
	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	1991
	First realistic human movements on a CG character.
No pic	Death Becomes Her	1992
	First human skin CG software.
No pic	VeggieTales	1993
	First completely computer animated video. Also, the first with talking vegetables. First bible-related CGI.
	Jurassic Park	1993
	First photorealistic CG characters.
	Babylon 5	1993
	First television series to use CGI as the primary method for its visual effects. First TV use of virtual sets.
No pic	The Flintstones	1994
	First digital fur.
	ReBoot	1994
	First computer animated television series.
No pic	Waterworld	1995
	First realistic CG water.
No pic	Casper	1995
	First CGI lead character (preceded Toy Story by six months). First CGI characters to interact realistically with live actors.
	Toy Story	1995
	First CGI feature-length animation.
No pic	Conceiving Ada	1997
	First 2D all-CGI backgrounds with live actors.

Screenshot from the movie Total Recall showing the use of CGI with motion capture data. ... Total Recall is an American science fiction film released on June 1, 1990 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Ronald Shusett & Dan OBannon and Gary Goldman. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Die Hard 2: Die Harder, the second Die Hard movie, was released on Wednesday, July 4, 1990 and starred Bruce Willis as cop John McClane. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Matte can take on one of at least two distinct meanings. ... Screenshot from the movie Terminator 2 showing the use of CGI to create realistically moving CGI human characters. ... Terminator 2: Judgment Day (commonly abbreviated T2) is a 1991 movie directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Death Becomes Her is a 1992 black comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, co-starring Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep and Bruce Willis. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Model of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system; which is composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... VeggieTales is a series of childrens books and computer animated videos conveying Christian ideals to children via humorous, anthropomorphic vegetable-shaped characters. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Vegetables on a market Vegetable is a nutritional and culinary term denoting any part of a plant that is commonly consumed by humans as food, but is not regarded as a culinary fruit, nut, herb, spice, or grain. ... The holy Jewish scripture: The Torah. ... Download high resolution version (846x465, 80 KB)A Brachiosaurus seen by John Hammond, Alan Grant, & Ellie Sattler. ... Jurassic Park is a novel written by Michael Crichton and published in 1990, which was later adapted as a movie directed by Steven Spielberg. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Fair Use Screenshot from the Babylon 5 DVDs This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... The Babylon 5 Station Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Univershell Studios logo The Flintstones is a 1994 Universal Studios live-action movie based on the animated television series The Flintstones. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Screenshot from ReBoot TV series. ... ReBoot poster ReBoot is a Canadian animated television series produced by Mainframe Entertainment, noted for being the first completely computer animated television series. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Computer animation is the art of creating moving images via the use of computers. ... Waterworld movie poster Waterworld was a 1995 film that was co-produced by Kevin Costner and directed by Kevin Reynolds. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Casper the Friendly Ghost is the main character of the animated cartoon series of the same name. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A screengrab from Toy Story. ... Toy Story is a computer-generated imagery (CGI) animation film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released to theatres on November 21, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

2000s

Pic	Film	Year
	Notes
	Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within	2001
	First realistic feature-length CGI movie.
	Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius	2001
	First CGI feature length movie made using off-the-shelf hardware and software.
	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (movie)	2002
	First use of AI for digital actors (using the Massive software developed by Weta Workshop).
	The Matrix Reloaded	2003
	The Burly Brawl - the first use of Universal Capture, 3D recording of actor's performance, its editing and rendering.
	The Matrix Revolutions	2003
	Superpunch - the first realistic close-up of detailed facial deformation on a synthetic human.
	Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow	2004
	First movie with all-CGI backgrounds and live actors.
	The Polar Express	2004
	First CGI movie that used performance capture for all actors.

Screenshot from the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within showing the use of CGI to render realistic humans. ... Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a science fiction movie by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series of video games. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Download high resolution version (3000x1941, 2479 KB)Jimmy Neutron, Copyright ©2002 Viacom International, Inc. ... Categories: Stub | 2001 films | Computer-animated films ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot from the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (movie) showing the use of AI-driven agents in large armies of CGI characters. ... The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a film released on Wednesday, December 18, 2002, directed by Peter Jackson with a runtime of 179 minutes (2 hours, 59 minutes). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Artificial intelligence (also known as machine intelligence and often abbreviated as AI) is intelligence exhibited by any manufactured (i. ... A battle simulated using Massive. ... Weta Workshop is a physical effects company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film. ... Screenshot from Matrix Reloaded. ... The Matrix Reloaded is the second installment of the Matrix series, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released by Warner Bros. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot from the movie The Matrix Revolutions showing the use of CGI to create extreme effects (deformation of human flesh in this case). ... The Matrix Revolutions is the third film in the Matrix trilogy. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot from the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow showing the use of CGI to create images for the landing sequence. ... Film poster for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot from The Polar Express trailer. ... The Polar Express is a 1985 childrens book, which was later made into a live-action/computer-animated movie that was released on November 12, 2004. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Performance capture is a term possibly coined by the creators of The Polar Express movie. ...

External links

• CG production companies and CGI in the movies - detailed historical information