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Timeline of CGI in film and television
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This is a chronological list of films and television programs that have been recognised as being pioneering in their use of computer-generated imagery.
Contents |
| Film | Year |
|---|---|
| Notes | |
| Westworld | 1973 |
| First use of 2D computer animation in a significant entertainment feature film. The point of view of Yul Brynner's gunslinger was achieved with raster graphics.[1][2] | |
| Futureworld (sequel of Westworld) | 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. | |
| Alien | 1979 |
| Used raster wireframe model rendering for navigation monitors in the landing sequence. | |
| The Black Hole | 1979 |
| Disney uses CGI for the opening titles. | |
| Film | Year |
|---|---|
| Notes | |
| 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", first use of fractal-generated landscape in a film. | |
| Tron | 1982 |
| Extensive use of 3D CGI including the famous Light Cycle 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. | |
| 2010: The Year We Make Contact | 1984 |
| CGI was used to create thousands of monoliths for the end sequence. | |
| The Adventures of André and Wally B. | 1984 |
| Lucasfilm's computer animation division creates an all-CGI-animated short. The first CGI animation with motion blur effects and squash and stretch motion. | |
| Tony de Peltrie | 1985 |
| First CGI-animated character to truly express emotion through his face and body language.[3] | |
| Young Sherlock Holmes | 1985 |
| Lucasfilm creates the first photorealistic CGI character, 'stained glass knight'. | |
| The Black Cauldron | 1985 |
| The first Disney animated feature to contain computer-generated objects. | |
| Dire Straits - Money for Nothing | 1985 |
| The first computer-generated music video. The animators would go on to found Mainframe Entertainment. | |
| Flight of the Navigator | 1986 |
| The first use of reflection mapping in a feature film, used for the flying alien spacecraft. | |
| Labyrinth | 1986 |
| First realistic CGI animal. | |
| The Great Mouse Detective | 1986 |
| First major use of computer animation in an animated film, the depiction of Big Ben's gears as background in one of the final segments. | |
| Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | 1986 |
| First use of the Cyberwave 3D scanner, first 3D morphing. | |
| 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. | |
| Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future (TV show) | 1987 |
| First TV series to include characters modeled entirely with computers. | |
| Knightmare | 1987 |
| First game show with interaction between humans and computer-generated surroundings. | |
| Willow | 1988 |
| First photorealistic use of morphing effect in a feature film. | |
| The Abyss | 1989 |
| First 3D digital water effect. | |
| Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | 1989 |
| First all-digital composite. | |
| Film | Year |
|---|---|
| Notes | |
| Total Recall | 1990 |
| Use of motion capture for CGI characters. | |
| Die Hard 2: Die Harder | 1990 |
| First digitally-manipulated matte painting. | |
| RoboCop 2 | 1990 |
| First use of real-time computer graphics or "digital puppetry" to create a character in a motion picture. | |
| Backdraft | 1991 |
| First use of photorealistic CGI fire in a motion picture. | |
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 1991 |
| First realistic human movements on a CGI character. First use of a personal computer to create major movie 3D effects. | |
| Death Becomes Her | 1992 |
| First human skin CGI software. | |
| Quarxs | 1993 |
| First broadcast series of animated CGI shorts. | |
| Jurassic Park | 1993 |
| First photorealistic CG creatures. | |
| Babylon 5 | 1993 |
| First television series to use CGI as the primary method for its visual effects. First TV use of virtual sets. | |
| Radioland Murders | 1994 |
| First use of virtual CGI sets with live actors. | |
| VeggieTales | 1994 |
| First completely computer animated direct-to-video release. | |
| The Flintstones | 1994 |
| First CGI-rendered fur. | |
| ReBoot | 1994 |
| Mainframe Entertainment creates the first full-length computer animated TV series. First use of character animation in a computer animated television series. | |
| The Mask | 1994 |
| First film to blend live action with CGI for human effects that mimic traditional cartoon animation styles. | |
| Waterworld | 1995 |
| First realistic CG water. | |
| Goldeneye | 1995 |
| First in the James Bond film series to have a computer-generated gunbarrel in the traditional gunbarrel sequence. | |
| Casper | 1995 |
| First CGI lead character in feature-length film (preceded Toy Story by six months). First CGI characters to interact realistically with live actors. | |
| Toy Story | 1995 |
| First CGI feature-length animation. | |
| Conceiving Ada | 1997 |
| First 2D all-CGI backgrounds with live actors. | |
| Marvin the Martian in 3D | 1997 |
| First computer animated movie viewed with 3D glasses. | |
| Titanic | 1997 |
| First wide-release feature film with major elements rendered under the open source Linux operating system.[4] Also included a number of advances, specifically in the rendering of flowing water. | |
| Fight Club | 1999 |
| First realistic close-up of detailed facial deformation on a synthetic human. | |
| The Matrix | 1999 |
| First use of CG interpolation in Bullet Time effects. | |
| Film | Year |
|---|---|
| Notes | |
| Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | 2001 |
| First feature-length digital film to be made based on live action principles. | |
| Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | 2001 |
| First CGI feature length movie made using off-the-shelf hardware and software. | |
| Shrek | 2002 |
| First film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, newly created that year. The other nominees were "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" and "Monsters, Inc.", illustrating the growing dominance of CGI features over traditional animation. | |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | 2002 |
| First use of AI for digital actors (using the Massive software developed by Weta Digital). | |
| The Matrix Reloaded | 2003 |
| The Burly Brawl - the first use of "Universal Capture", the combination of dense (rather than point-based) motion capture and per-frame texture capture. | |
| Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy | 2003 |
| First photorealistic motion captured character for a film, Gollum was also the first digital actor to win an award (BFCA), category created for Best Digital Acting Performance | |
| Immortel (Ad Vitam) - Casshern - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow | 2004 |
| First movies with all-CGI backgrounds and live actors. | |
| The Polar Express | 2004 |
| First CGI movie that used motion capture for all actors. | |
| Elephants Dream | 2006 |
| First CGI short movie released as completely open source. Made with Open Source software, theatrical and DVD release under Creative Commons License. Unique that all 3D models, animatics and software are included on the DVD free for any use. | |
- CG101: A Computer Graphics Industry Reference ISBN# 073570046X Unique and personal histories of early computer graphics production, plus a comprehensive foundation of the industry for all reading levels.
- CG production companies and CGI in the movies - detailed historical information
- Milestones in Film History: Greatest Visual and Special Effects