Computer-generated imagery, or CGI as it is most commonly known, is a staple in modern movies. Franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Avatar franchise, and many, many more have taken CGI to new heights, with CGI sometimes being indistinguishable from real life actors and background locations. However, when CGI was first integrated into film nearly 50 years ago, the technology was only used for small moments to help the visuals of the films.
However, with CGI making its way onto the big screen, the door was opened for this groundbreaking tech to be used more and more, until we've gotten to the point that we are at today. Here are nine films in the early history of CGI that helped pave the way for how modern cinema is made today.
9 Westworld: 1973
The very first feature film to use CGI, Westworld uses small bits of computer-generated animation to take viewers into the eyes of Gunslinger, an evil robot in the film. The parts of the film that are computer-generated are in essence just footage that looks pixelated, but this combination of live action along with shots that were created by a computer was the beginning of a new era in film.
8 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope: 1977
The original Star Wars film is mainly known today for its incredible practical effects, used to create out-of-this-world props such as the droids and speeders that you see throughout the film, however Star Wars was also the very first film to use 3D wireframe graphics. These 3D wireframe graphics were used to create effects such as the weapon targeting for the Millennium Falcon as well as the attack briefing on the Death Star. Star Wars also helped give birth to Industrial Light and Magic, an absolute powerhouse today in both practical and computer-generated effects.
7 Tron: 1982
While other films on this list have incorporated computer-generated elements into a real world setting, Tron was the very first film to put a scene that was entirely computer generated to film. The film had 15 minutes worth of this entirely CG animation, which was unheard of for any movie that was made during that time period. The breakthrough in computer-generated imagery shocked viewers and was the first time that CGI had been used on that extreme of a level.
6 The Last Starfighter: 1984
Another sci-fi adventure film that was released in the 1980s, The Last Starfighter is also credited as being one of the earliest films to use CGI in film. Rather than using physical models for things such as spaceships and asteroids that were in the movie, computer-generated 3D models were used instead. This was originally done to save money on the practical effects, and the result was a long-lasting impact on the history of cinema.
5 Young Sherlock Holmes: 1985
Credited as being the first film to include a fully computer-generated photorealistic animated character put into a live setting, Young Sherlock Holmes created a knight character made out of elements from a stained-glass window. This knight character was also the first computer-generated character to be scanned and painted onto film using a laser. If not for this huge breakthrough in CG character creation, computer animation would not be where it is today.
4 Flight of the Navigator: 1986
Released in 1986, sci-fi adventure film Flight of the Navigator was one of the first films to extensively incorporate computer-generated effects into film. The Trimaxion Drone Ship included in the movie was made entirely on a computer, and was the first film to utilize reflection mapping. This reflection mapping was used to create realistic reflections off of the chrome drone ship, and helped pave the way for the future of reflective computer-generated surfaces.
3 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: 1989
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Only one scene in the entirety of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade notably used CGI, and despite using this CGI in only one scene, it helped lay the groundwork for computer effects of a similar type in the future. There is a scene in the film where character Walter Donovan's face melts and turns to dust after selecting the wrong Holy Grail. The shot was created by making multiple different puppet heads for different parts of the face melting, and they were all digitally put together, making the scene the very first digital composite of live action images put to film.
2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day: 1991
Using CGI to create one of the most iconic villains in movie history, Terminator 2 was the first film to create an entirely computer-generated character with realistic human movements. The chromed out T-1000 was not only a groundbreaking antagonist in this beloved action classic, it was an incredibly scary one too, with its relentless pursuit and incredible acting by Robert Patrick when the character was not in CGI form. This film helped set the tone for all computer-generated characters that followed it.
1 Toy Story: 1995
Up until the release of Toy Story, movies that had computer-generated imagery had only included bits and pieces throughout, using the technology more as complementary to the live action filming that was taking place. However, everything changed with Toy Story's release. Becoming the first ever feature-length film to be entirely computer generated, Toy Story was the first film from Pixar Animation that has made groundbreaking animated movie after groundbreaking animated movie ever since.