Visual and Special Effects Film Milestones

Milestones in Film History:
Greatest Visual and Special Effects and Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI)

Part 18

Introduction: From even its earliest days, films have used visual magic ("smoke and mirrors") to produce illusions and trick effects that have startled audiences. In fact, the phenomenon of persistence of vision is the reason why the human eye sees individual frames of a movie as smooth, flowing action when projected.

Cel animation, scale modeling, claymation, digital compositing, animatronics, use of prosthetic makeup, morphing, and modern computer-generated or computer graphics imagery (CGI) are just some of the more modern techniques that are widely used for creating incredible special or visual effects.

(See this site's film terms glossary for definitions and examples, the History of Film by Decade, and an extensive timeline of other Milestones and Turning Points in Film History.)

Note: The films that are marked with a yellow star

are the films that "The Greatest Films" site has selected as the 100 Greatest Films.

Film Title and Description of Visual-Special Effects

Example

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

This film undoubtedly contained more computer animation and special effects than any previous film - over 90%. Only 12 minutes of the 133 minute film had no special effects. There were over 2,000 visual effects in the film.

It also featured a completely CGI-generated (all digital), fully-articulated main humanoid character named Jar Jar Binks (voice of Ahmed Best), a widely-derided aspect of the feature film. Jar Jar was a "Gungan", an alien indigenous to the planet Naboo.

[The annoying character was reprised in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002).]

Stuart Little (1999)

Featured the CGI character of Stuart Little (voiced by Michael J. Fox), another CGI character integrated seamlessly into a live-action film, derived from the children's book. It also featured the same animal-talking effects as in Babe (1995). Sequel in 2002.

Tarzan (1999)

Technologically-advanced animation effects, with extensive use of the "deep canvas" animation effect, creating a remarkable 3-Dimensional depth.

Chicken Run (2000)

This film used the claymation (clay - animation) process (called plasticene animation in the UK) with special plasticene characters. The film also used some CGI effects (e.g., the explosion of the pie-making machine).

Fantasia 2000 (2000)

The sequel to the classic Fantasia (1940), included computer-generated sequences released in the IMAX, giant-screen format. This was the first feature-length animated feature film released in the IMAX format (70 mm) for IMAX theaters.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

This was the first feature film to be entirely color-corrected by digital means ("digital intermediate technology"), giving the film a washed-out, sepia-tinted tone, to invoke the feeling of old or antique photographs. In particular, green colors were selectively eliminated or desaturated.

The Perfect Storm (2000)

In this adventure/disaster film, the monster wave scene used computer-generated imaging from ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) to approximate the look of a stormy sea with 80 foot waves. In another incredible aerial shot, the camera plunged into the spiraling clouds of Hurricane Grace and into the Atlantic Ocean below.

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Steven Spielberg's fanciful science-fiction Pinocchio-fable starred Haley Joel Osment as the robot boy David longing for his mother's love, and CGI for the final sequences in the film set 2,000 years into the future, including the character of the Blue Fairy, and a life-like Teddy Bear (serving as the Jiminy Cricket character) that climbed up on the bed where David was sleeping - reunited next to his mother. Other CG characters included the 'Specialists' - highly-advanced, translucent and graceful robots with glasslike features.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

This science-fiction tale by director Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of the interactive video game that inspired this film) took four years to make. It advertised itself as "Fantasy Becomes Reality".

It was the first hyper-real, computer-generated (CGI) feature-length film based entirely on original designs - no real locations, people, vehicles, or props were used. The film was hailed for having photo-realistic, life-like images - the amount of detail rendered into hair, clothing, skin texture, eyes, and movement was astounding and impressive. Characters' faces and skin included such detail as liver spots, wrinkles, veins in a clenched hand, individual hair strands, and so forth.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)

First CGI feature length film (an animated comedy) -- produced by Nickelodeon and made by DNA Productions of Dallas, Texas, using off-the-shelf hardware and software (NewTek's LightWave 3D® animation software) to create, model, render and texture the film. It was the first computer-generated feature film from a major studio to be created solely with off-the-shelf software that any consumer could buy.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: (2001-2003)

This was the three-time Oscar winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for three consecutive years. In each of the years of the award, this film series defeated Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001), Pearl Harbor (2001), Spider-Man (2002), Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).

In the first segment, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), there was an impressive stand-off fight between Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the fiery Balrog.

In the second part of the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), CGI-imagery was combined with "motion capturing" (of the movements and expressions of actor Andy Serkis, who also served as the voice) to produce the barely-seen, supporting character of Gollum (originally known as Sméagol) - noted for saying: "Myyy PRECIOUSSS!" A motion capture suit recorded the actor's movements that were then applied to the digital character. A more laborious visual effects process digitally "painted out" Serkis's image and replaced it with Gollum's. [The same technique was repeated in I, Robot (2004), with Alan Tudyk as the robot Sonny.]

Also in The Two Towers (2002), AI-driven agents were first used to create the digital army scene.

Film Title and Description of Visual-Special Effects	Example
*Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)* This film undoubtedly contained more computer animation and special effects than any previous film - over 90%. Only 12 minutes of the 133 minute film had no special effects. There were over 2,000 visual effects in the film. It also featured a completely CGI-generated (all digital), fully-articulated main humanoid character named Jar Jar Binks (voice of Ahmed Best), a widely-derided aspect of the feature film. Jar Jar was a "Gungan", an alien indigenous to the planet Naboo. [The annoying character was reprised in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002).]
*Stuart Little (1999)* Featured the CGI character of Stuart Little (voiced by Michael J. Fox), another CGI character integrated seamlessly into a live-action film, derived from the children's book. It also featured the same animal-talking effects as in Babe (1995). Sequel in 2002.
*Tarzan (1999)* Technologically-advanced animation effects, with extensive use of the "deep canvas" animation effect, creating a remarkable 3-Dimensional depth.
*Chicken Run (2000)* This film used the claymation (clay - animation) process (called plasticene animation in the UK) with special plasticene characters. The film also used some CGI effects (e.g., the explosion of the pie-making machine).
*Fantasia 2000 (2000)* The sequel to the classic Fantasia (1940), included computer-generated sequences released in the IMAX, giant-screen format. This was the first feature-length animated feature film released in the IMAX format (70 mm) for IMAX theaters.
*O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)* This was the first feature film to be entirely color-corrected by digital means ("digital intermediate technology"), giving the film a washed-out, sepia-tinted tone, to invoke the feeling of old or antique photographs. In particular, green colors were selectively eliminated or desaturated.
*The Perfect Storm (2000)* In this adventure/disaster film, the monster wave scene used computer-generated imaging from ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) to approximate the look of a stormy sea with 80 foot waves. In another incredible aerial shot, the camera plunged into the spiraling clouds of Hurricane Grace and into the Atlantic Ocean below.
*A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)* Steven Spielberg's fanciful science-fiction Pinocchio-fable starred Haley Joel Osment as the robot boy David longing for his mother's love, and CGI for the final sequences in the film set 2,000 years into the future, including the character of the Blue Fairy, and a life-like Teddy Bear (serving as the Jiminy Cricket character) that climbed up on the bed where David was sleeping - reunited next to his mother. Other CG characters included the 'Specialists' - highly-advanced, translucent and graceful robots with glasslike features.
*Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)* This science-fiction tale by director Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of the interactive video game that inspired this film) took four years to make. It advertised itself as "Fantasy Becomes Reality". It was the first hyper-real, computer-generated (CGI) feature-length film based entirely on original designs - no real locations, people, vehicles, or props were used. The film was hailed for having photo-realistic, life-like images - the amount of detail rendered into hair, clothing, skin texture, eyes, and movement was astounding and impressive. Characters' faces and skin included such detail as liver spots, wrinkles, veins in a clenched hand, individual hair strands, and so forth.
*Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)* First CGI feature length film (an animated comedy) -- produced by Nickelodeon and made by DNA Productions of Dallas, Texas, using off-the-shelf hardware and software (NewTek's LightWave 3D® animation software) to create, model, render and texture the film. It was the first computer-generated feature film from a major studio to be created solely with off-the-shelf software that any consumer could buy.
*The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: (2001-2003)* This was the three-time Oscar winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for three consecutive years. In each of the years of the award, this film series defeated Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001), Pearl Harbor (2001), Spider-Man (2002), Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). In the first segment, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), there was an impressive stand-off fight between Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the fiery Balrog. In the second part of the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), CGI-imagery was combined with "motion capturing" (of the movements and expressions of actor Andy Serkis, who also served as the voice) to produce the barely-seen, supporting character of Gollum (originally known as Sméagol) - noted for saying: "Myyy PRECIOUSSS!" A motion capture suit recorded the actor's movements that were then applied to the digital character. A more laborious visual effects process digitally "painted out" Serkis's image and replaced it with Gollum's. [The same technique was repeated in I, Robot (2004), with Alan Tudyk as the robot Sonny.] Also in The Two Towers (2002), AI-driven agents were first used to create the digital army scene.