History of CGI

By Benjamin sherwin

  • Hummingbird

    The first film to use computer generation. This 10 minute film displayed a line drawing of a hummingbird moving about.

  • Metadata

    An experimental 2D animation drawn on a data tablet. This used the worlds first key frame animation software.

  • The Six Million Dollar Man

    First television series to use CGI in the intro.

  • Futureworld

    First use of 3D generated graphics for animated hand and face.

  • Looker

    First CGI human character.

  • Tron

    First extensive use of 3D CGI. Also includes very early facial animation.

  • The Adventures of André and Wally B.

    The first CGI animation with motion blur effects and squash and stretch motion.

  • Young Sherlock Holmes

    Lucasfilm creates the first photorealistic CGI character, 'stained glass knight'.

  • Luxo Jr.

    First use of shadows in CGI, made with special developed software Renderman.

  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

    First all-digital composite

  • Backdraft

    First use of photorealistic CGI fire in a film.

  • ReBoot

    First 30-minute computer animated television series.

  • Toy Story

    First CGI feature-length film.

  • Star Wars (Episodes IV, V & VI Special Editions)

    First re-release of a film to incorporate CGI characters and elements.

  • Fight Club

    First realistic close-up of detailed facial deformation on a synthetic human.

  • Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

    First film to use CG extensively for thousands of shots, including backgrounds, environmental effects, vehicles, and crowds. Several CG characters stood alongside real actors in dozens of shots, making them the first CG "supporting" cast members.

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

    First photorealistic motion captured character for a film.

  • Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

    First movie with all-CGI backgrounds and live actors.

  • Beowulf

    Entirely made in CGI, features motion capture for all actors and has realism as its foremost goal. The largest team ever assembled for an Imageworks-produced movie (as of 2007) generated new animation tools for facial, body, and cloth design especially for the movie, and elements of keyframe animation were incorporated into the movie to capture the facial expressions of the actors and actresses.

  • Avatar

    First full length movie made using performance-capture to create photo-realistic 3D characters and to feature a fully CG 3D photo-realistic world.

  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

    First use of CGI in a full length movie filmed at High Frame Rate.

  • Gravity

    First extensive combination of realistic CGI and continuous uninterrupted shots.