Video Inspiration: 10 Great CGI Moments
During the end of the 20th century we saw amazing CGI work that has withstood the test of time.
It’s been nearly a decade and a half since the end of the 1900s…and it’s amazing to see how far visual effects and computer animation has come in that time. That said, during the latter part of the 20th century there were a number of films that were markedly ahead of their time in terms of the visual effects they showcased.
Recently, prolific YouTuber CineFlix created a compilation video to showcase ‘10 of the Best CGI Moments from the Last Century‘. Check out the full video or see our recap below!
Which Pre-2000 films are missing from this list? What are your favorite CGI heavy films from the last few years? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
10. Stars Wars: A New Hope
Space battles, light sabers and the second instance ever of CGI in a feature film: the 3D model of the Death Star.
9. Tron
Features nearly 15 minutes of full CGI including the iconic light cycle duel.
8. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Breakthrough CGI models were created using particle systems and fractal noise. Lucasfilm animators created the “Genesis Effect”, a 60 second outer space CGI sequence.
7. Young Sherlock Holmes
A knight emerges from stained glass in three dimenstional form – the first fully CGI character ever. The shot took 6 months to create.
6. Labyrinth
The CGI owl at the start of the movie was one of the first ‘photo realistic’ animals.
5. The Abyss
James Cameron’s film features the first 3D water effect. The film was also the first to make use of Photoshop.
4. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Over 100 CGI elements went into creating the liquid effects for the villainous T-1000. It was also the first time CGI effects were rendered on a PC (as opposed to a ‘supercomputer’).
3. Death Becomes Her
The film tackles the tricky CGI work of human skin to make the stretching of a human neck more realistic.
2. Jurassic Park
Many of the dinosaurs were completely computer generated – an amazing feat for how realistic they looked.
1. Toy Story
Pixar’s Toy Story is the first full CGI feature film. 27 animators worked on the film, using 400 computer models. The success of this film paved the way for other fully animated CGI films over the last 20 years.
