Firsts in animation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list provides an overview of animated productions that can be considered as first-time milestones in the development of animation techniques or in artistic or commercial success.

17th to 19th century: before film

Joseph Plateau's illustration of the phenakistiscope in Correspondance mathématique et physique (1833)
YearMilestoneNotes
1659 Introduction of the magic lantern by Christiaan Huygens, with moving images
1825 Introduction of the thaumatrope by John Ayrton Paris
1833 Introduction of the phenakistiscope The first device used for stroboscopic animation. Invented simultaneously by Joseph Plateau and Simon Stampfer
1866 Introduction of the zoetrope Similar cylindrical animation devices had already been proposed by Simon Stampfer (1833) and William Horner (1834)
1868 Flip book patented by John Barnes Linnett, under the name of "kineograph"
1877 Introduction of the praxinoscope by Charles-Émile Reynaud
1892 First theatrical animation in long strips Reynaud's Théâtre Optique (patented in 1888) at the Musée Grévin

Silent era

YearMilestoneNotes
1898 Animation on standard filmstrip Introduced by Gebrüder Bing for toy projectors, lithographed in colour by 1902
1914 Application for cel animation patent By Earl Hurd, granted in 1915[1]
1915 Application for Rotoscope patent By Max Fleischer, granted 1917[2]

Earliest animations by country

Continent Country Work Type of Work Type of Distribution Length Release/Premiere Year End Year Ref.
Europe France France L'Aquarium Movie Theatrical Short 1878 N/a
Un bon bock Medium 1892 N/a
The Tale of the Fox Feature 1937 N/a
Joe the Little Boom Boom Series Television N/a 1960 1963
United Kingdom United Kingdom England England The Clown and His Donkey Movie Theatrical Short 1910 N/a
The Little Island Medium 1958 N/a
Handling Ships Feature 1945 N/a
A Rubovian Legend Series Television N/a 1955 1964
Wales Wales The Little Engine That Could Movie Direct-to-video Medium 1991 N/a
The Princess and the Goblin Movie Theatrical Feature 1991 N/a
SuperTed Series Television N/a 1983 1986
Scotland Scotland Sir Billi Movie Theatrical Feature 2012 N/a
The Family-Ness Series Television N/a 1984 1985
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Lifeboat Luke Series Television N/a 2008
Macropolis Movie Theatrical Short 2012 N/a
Germany Germany Rhythmus 21 Movie Theatrical Short 1921 N/a [3]
Judas & Jesus Medium 2009 N/a
The Adventures of Prince Achmed Feature 1926 N/a
Die Sendung mit der Maus Series Television N/a 1971 Present
Latvia Latvia Lietaina diena Movie Theatrical Short 1969 N/a [4]
The Gold of the Tigers Medium 1995 N/a
Ness un Nesija Feature 1991 N/a
Fantadroms Series Television N/a 1985 1995
Russia Russia The Cameraman's Revenge Movie Theatrical Short 1912 N/a [5]
In a Faraway Kingdom... Medium 1957 N/a
The New Gulliver Feature 1935 N/a
Happy Merry-Go-Round Series Television N/a 1969 2001
Asia Japan Japan Katsudō Shashin Movie Theatrical Short c. 1907 N/a [6]
Momotarō's Sea Eagles Medium 1943 N/a
Momotaro: Sacred Sailors Feature 1945 N/a
The New Adventures of Pinocchio Series Television N/a 1961 1961
The Wizard of Oz Movie Direct-to-Video Feature 1982 N/a
Dallos Series Direct-to-Video N/a 1983 1984, 1985
Philippines Philippines A Boy Playing Yoyo and Girl Jumping Rope Movie Amateur Short 1953 N/a [7]
Libingan Theatrical Medium 2007 N/a
Adarna: The Mythical Bird Feature 1997 N/a
Tadhana Television 1978 N/a
Poptech Series Series Television N/a 1980 1984
Bangladesh Bangladesh The Story of a Village Movie Theatrical Short 1970s N/a [8]
Murgi Keno Mutant Medium 2011 N/a
Khoka Theke Bangabandhu Jatir Pita Feature 2021 N/a
Meena Series Television N/a 1991 2010
Thailand Thailand The Pumpkin of Nyefar Movie Theatrical Short 2004 N/a
hesheit Medium 2005 N/a
The Adventure of Sudsakorn Feature 1979 N/a
PangPond: The Future World Adventure Series Television N/a 2002
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia World of Twitter Movie Theatrical Short 2014 N/a
But Where Does It Come From Direct-to-video Medium 1996 N/a
Masameer: The Movie Theatrical Feature 2020 N/a
Shadeed and Tammam Series Television N/a 2003 2003
Africa Egypt Egypt Nothing To Do Movie Theatrical Short 1936 N/a
East West? East West Medium 2009 N/a
The Boy and the King Feature 1992 N/a
Bakkar Series Television N/a 1998 2025
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Kimboo Series Television N/a 1989 1990
South America Argentina Argentina La intervención en la provincia de Buenos Aires Movie Theatrical Short 1916 N/a [9]
Little Red Riding Hood Medium 1965 N/a
El Apóstol Feature 1917 N/a
The Adventures of Hijitus Series Television N/a 1967 1996
Brazil Brazil O Kaiser Movie Theatrical Short 1917 N/a
O Dragãozinho Manso – Jonjoca Medium 1942 N/a
Amazon Symphony Feature 1954 N/a
Monica and Friends Series Television N/a 1976 Present
North America Canada Canada The Wizard of Oz Movie Theatrical Short 1933 N/a
Stop That Tank! Medium 1942 N/a
The Enchanted Village Feature 1955 N/a
Cartoon Party Series Television N/a 1959 1962
United States United States Humorous Phases of Funny Faces Movie Theatrical Short 1906 N/a [10][11]
The Einstein Theory of Relativity Medium 1923 N/a
Creation[12] Feature 1915 N/a
Jim and Judy in Teleland Series Television N/a 1949 1950
The Flight of Dragons Movie Direct-to-video Feature 1982 N/a
The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible Series Direct-to-Video N/a 1985 1992
Oceania Australia Australia Leisure Movie Theatrical Short 1976 N/a
Australian History Medium 1971 N/a
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Feature 1970 N/a
Arthur! And the Square Knights of the Round Table Series Television N/a 1966 1968
New Zealand New Zealand The Frog, the Dog and the Devil Movie Theatrical Short 1986 N/a
Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tail Tale Feature 1986 N/a
Oscar and Friends Series Television N/a 1995 1996

Techniques

Animation

First films/television series to be created using various animation techniques
Type Form Media Title Release Date
Hand-drawn Paper Short film Fantasmagorie 1908
Cel Short film The Sinking of the Lusitania 1918
Feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937
Television series Crusader Rabbit 1950
Oil-painted Short film Conversation in Space 1961
Feature film Loving Vincent 2017
Digital ink and paint Short film Off His Rockers 1992
Feature film The Rescuers Down Under 1990
Television series Pac-Man 1982
Stop-motion Short film Matches: An Appeal 1899
Clay Short film The Sculptor's Nightmare 1908
Feature film I Go Pogo 1980
Television series The Gumby Show 1955[13]
Puppet Short film The Humpty Dumpty Circus 1908
Feature film The Tale of the Fox 1937[14]
Television series The New Adventures of Pinocchio 1961
Silhouette Short film The Sporting Mice 1909
Feature film The Adventures of Prince Achmed 1926
Cutout Short film Die Schöne Prinzessin von China 1917
Feature film El Apóstol 1917
Television series Captain Pugwash 1957
Rotoscoping Short film The Clown's Pup (Out of the Inkwell) 1919
Feature film Gulliver's Travels 1939
Television series Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle 1976
Digital CGI Short film A Computer Animated Hand 1972
Feature film Toy Story 1995
Television series ReBoot 1994
Flash Feature film Wizards and Giants 2003
Television series ¡Mucha Lucha! 2002
Machinima Short film Diary of a Camper 1996
Feature film The Seal of Nehahra 2000
Web series Red vs. Blue 2003
Motion capture Short film Adam Powers, The Juggler 1981
Feature film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 2001

Computer animation

1958–1975
Film Year Notes
Vertigo 1958 To create the spirals seen in the opening credit sequence of his film, Alfred Hitchcock hired John Whitney, who used a WWII anti-aircraft targeting computer called "The M5 gun director" mounted on a rotating platform with a pendulum hanging above it that it tracked. Its scope was filmed to create the various spiral elements used in the opening sequence. The raw footage was curated with the aid of graphic designer Saul Bass, and the final nearly two-minute-long sequence became the first computer-animated sequence in a feature film.[15][16]
Rendering of a planned highway 1961 In 1961, a 50-second vector animation of a car traveling up a planned highway at 110 km/h (70 mph) was created at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology on the BESK computer. The short animation was broadcast on November 9, 1961, on national television.[17][18]
Simulation of a Two-Gyro Gravity-Gradient Attitude Control System 1963 Edward E. Zajac, a researcher at Bell Labs, used an IBM computer to create a short showing a communication satellite orbiting Earth.[19]
Boeing Man 1964 William Fetter, a graphic designer working for Boeing, created the first wireframe animation.[20]
Hypercube 1965 A groundbreaking animation made by A. Michael Noll using an IBM 7094. Shows two 4-D cubes on each side.
Hummingbird 1967 A ten-minute computer-animated film by Charles Csuri and James Shaffer. This was awarded a prize at the 4th annual International Experimental Film Competition in Brussels, Belgium and in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York City. The subject was a line drawing of a hummingbird for which a sequence of movements appropriate to the bird was programmed. Over 30,000 images comprising some 25 motion sequences were generated by the computer.[21][22]
Flexipede The first entertainment cartoon. Made by Tony Pritchett on the Atlas Computer Laboratory near Oxford and first shown publicly at the Cybernetic Serendipity exhibition in 1968.
Kitty 1968 A group of Soviet mathematicians and physicists headed by Nikolay Konstantinov created a mathematically computable model of the physics of a moving cat. The algorithms were programmed on the BESM-4 computer. The computer then printed hundreds of frames to be later converted to film.[23][24][25] An accompanying scientific paper describes the foundation of the employed physics simulation techniques that nowadays are commonly applied to animation films and computer games.[26]
Metadata 1971 This is an experimental 2D-animated short drawn on a data tablet by Peter Foldes, who used the world's first key-frame animation software, invented by Nestor Burtnyk and Marceli Wein.[27][28][29][30]
The Andromeda Strain First use of digital rendering within a feature film. A diagram of the underground laboratory was created using 2D planes and a complex wireframe cylindrical core.[31]
Out of the Unknown Produced by Charles McGhie, some early computer-generated imagery (CGI) techniques were combined with stop-motion and real-time visual effects to create the opening title sequence for the show's fourth and final series.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory First use of Scanimate in a feature film. The analog computer animation system was used to create sing-along segments for the Oompa Loompa song after Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt get their comeuppance for their respective vices.[32] Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2016.
A Computer Animated Hand 1972 Directed by Ed Catmull, the short demonstrates a computer-animated hand, as well as human faces. Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2009.
Westworld 1973 First use of digital 2D computer animation in a significant entertainment feature film. The point of view of Yul Brynner's gunslinger was achieved with raster graphics.[33][31]
Faces (Faces & Body Parts) 1974 Fred Parke's thesis film on facial modeling at the University of Utah.[34]
UFO: Target Earth 1974 An alien in the movie was created with CGI.[35]
Great 1975 The Academy Award-winning 1975 short film about the life of the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel contains a brief sequence of a rotating wire-frame model of Brunel's final project, the iron steamship SS Great Eastern.
1976–present
Film Year Notes
Logan's Run 1976 Used Scanimate to create the forcefield in the Carousel sequence.
Futureworld First use of digital 3D computer graphics for animated hand and face. Used 2D digital compositing to materialize characters over a background.[31]
Hobart Street Scene First use of a 3D hidden-line removal movie depicting an architectural street scene.[36][37] It shows the planned Crown Courts in Hobart in 1976 and was used for planning approval. The buildings still exist today.
Demon Seed 1977 Used raster wire-frame model rendering for the Proteus IV's monitors.
Star Wars Used an 3D animated wire-frame graphic for the trench run briefing sequence on Yavin 4. Added to the United States National Film Registry in 1989.
Alien 1979 Used raster wire-frame model rendering for navigation monitors in the landing sequence.[31] Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2001.
The Black Hole Used raster wire-frame model rendering for the opening credits depicting a 3D wire-frame of a black hole.[38]
Looker 1981 First computer-generated model of a whole human body. Also, first use of 3D-shaded CGI.[38][39]
The Works 1982 The New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab debuted a trailer at SIGGRAPH for their CGI project. This would have been the first feature-length CGI film, but it was never completed.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) computer graphics division develops "Genesis Effect", the first use of a fractal-generated landscape in a film.[40] Bill Reeves leads the Genesis Effect programming team, and creates a new graphics technique called "Particle Systems". Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2024.
Tron First extensive use of CGI including the Light Cycle sequence.[41] Also includes very early facial animation (for the Master Control Program). A sequence of 15 minutes of the film was fully computer-generated.
Return of the Jedi 1983 First Star Wars film to use shaded CGI. Translucent shaded models were used for the holographic diagram of the second Death Star orbiting Endor during the Rebel briefing sequence. Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2021.
Rock & Rule First animated film to use CGI graphics.[42]
Golgo 13 First Japanese animated film to include CGI sequences.[43] Entirely digital models of revolvers, skeletons, helicopters, and skyscrapers (created by Toyo Links Corporation and Osaka University's CGI division) are used in the film's title sequence and part of the climax; the remainder of the film is traditionally animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha.
Dream Flight First 3D-generated film telling a story, shown in the Electronic Theater at SIGGRAPH 1983.
The Last Starfighter 1984 Uses CGI for all spaceship shots, replacing classic models. First use of "integrated CGI" where the visual effects are supposed to represent real-world objects.[42]
Lensman: Secret of The Lens Uses CGI for spaceships and other scenes.
The Adventures of André and Wally B. Lucasfilm's computer animation company creates an all-CGI-animated short. The first CGI animation with motion blur effects and squash and stretch motion.
2010: The Year We Make Contact Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere is CGI-rendered, mostly during the black spot shots.
Tony de Peltrie 1985 First CGI-animated human character to express emotion through his face and body language.[44]
Weird Science First use of Perlin noise in a feature film.[45]
The Jetsons & Yogi's Treasure Hunt The first animated series to use digital ink and paint.
Young Sherlock Holmes Lucasfilm Ltd. creates the first photorealistic CGI character, "stained glass knight" with 10 seconds of screentime.[46][47] First digitally created matte painting. First use of digital compositing in a feature film.
"Money for Nothing" The first CGI music video.[47] The animators would go on to found Mainframe Entertainment.
Labyrinth 1986 First realistic CGI animal.[47]
The Great Mouse Detective The first Disney film to extensively use computer animation, notably for the two-minute clock tower sequence.
Flight of the Navigator The first use of reflection mapping in a feature film, used for the flying alien spacecraft.[47]
Howard the Duck First digital wire removal in a feature film.[47] First use of the Pixar Image Computer in film.[48]
Luxo Jr. First use of shadows in CGI, made with the specially developed software Photorealistic Renderman. First Pixar film, and first CGI short film to be nominated for an Academy Award. Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2015.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home First use of the Cyberware 3D scanner, first 3D morphing.[47]
The Golden Child First use of primitive photorealistic morphing.[49]
Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future 1987 First TV series to include characters modeled entirely with computers.
Knightmare First game show with interaction between humans and computer-generated surroundings.
Rendez-vous in Montreal First 3D-generated film involving virtual actors Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart.
Willow 1988 First extensive photorealistic use of CGI morphing effects in a feature film.[50]
Akira CGI is used to animate the pattern indicator, to plot the paths of falling objects, model parallax effects on backgrounds, and tweak lighting and lens flares.[43]
Tin Toy First CGI-animated short film to win an Academy Award. Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2003.
The Abyss 1989 First digital CGI water visual effects.[51] Final use of analog compositing for the majority of visual effects.
The Jim Henson Hour TV series with real-time and rendered CGI featuring digitally puppeteered CGI character "Waldo".
Back to the Future Part II Uses VistaGlide and digital compositing to make Michael J. Fox appear onscreen as three different characters simultaneously.[52] First digitally manipulated matte painting.
Les Fables géométriques First broadcast series of CGI-animated shorts.
The Hunt for Red October 1990 An early use of particle effects to integrate realistic bubble trails and water flow into miniature shots. Scott E. Anderson wrote the code for the dedicated particle system, psys, that created the effects.[53]
Total Recall Use of motion-capture for CGI characters. This primitive form of motion-capture involved tracing the animation of CGI skeleton models by hand over footage of the performers.
RoboCop 2 An early use of real-time computer graphics or "digital puppetry" to create a character in a motion picture.[52]
Die Hard 2 First animated digitally manipulated matte painting.[51]
Ghost An early use of CGI to create characters that interact with live actors.
The Rescuers Down Under First 2D-animated film to be produced with solely digital ink and paint (CAPS). First fully-digital feature film.
Backdraft 1991 First use of photorealistic CGI fire in a motion picture.[52]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day First realistic human movements on a CGI character.[51] The first computer-generated main character and the first blockbuster movie to feature multiple morphing effects.[52] First use of a personal computer to create the main movie's 3D effects. Added to the National Film Registry in 2023.
Fire Beast An experimental CGI short that featured the first-ever digital rendering of fur, using a digital differential analyzer.[54]
Quarxs One of the earliest CGI-animated series.
The Lawnmower Man 1992 First feature film to use computer animation to explore the subject of virtual reality. First virtual reality sex scene.[55] First use of motion-capture involving the recording of a performer's movements into a 3D space as opposed to keyframe animation.[56]
The Babe First computer-generated crowds.
Death Becomes Her First human skin CGI software.[51]
The Muppet Christmas Carol First use of a greenscreen for digital chroma key compositing in a feature film.
Babylon 5 1993 First television series to use CGI as the primary method for its visual effects. First TV use of virtual sets.
The Incredible Crash Dummies First fully CGI-animated TV special.
Jurassic Park First photorealistic CGI dinosaurs.[51] First digital face replacement.[57] Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2018.
Live & Kicking First TV program to feature a live computer-generated character as part of its cast.
VeggieTales First completely CGI-animated direct-to-video release.
Insektors[58] First fully computer-animated TV series. First use of character animation in a computer-animated television series.
The Crow 1994 First deceased actor (Brandon Lee) to be recreated through CGI.
The Flintstones First realistic CGI-rendered fur.[51]
The Mask First use of CGI to transform a live actor into a photorealistic cartoon character.
ReBoot First half-hour computer-animated TV series.[59]
Radioland Murders First use of virtual CGI sets with live actors.[60]
Casper 1995 First CGI main character in a feature-length live-action film, and first CGI characters to interact realistically with live actors.
Batman Forever First CGI stunt doubles, created through motion-capture.
Waterworld First realistic CGI water.[51]
Casino First use of digital compositing to create a period-appropriate setting, and first use of radiosity lighting in a feature film.
Toy Story First CGI feature-length film. Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2005.
Cassiopeia 1996 First non-Pixar feature-length CGI animation and first CGI feature film not to use scanned models for heads. First Brazilian CGI feature animation. Produced and released by NDR Filmes.
Twister First realistic CGI natural disaster, created using particle effects.
Dragonheart First 2D all-CGI backgrounds with live-actors. First film to use ILM's Caricature software (created during the film's production).
The Island of Dr. Moreau First film to use motion-capture to portray a CGI character.
Donkey Kong Country First half-hour computer-animated TV series to use performance-capture for its characters.
Beast Wars: Transformers First CGI Transformers animated series produced by Mainframe Entertainment. Sequel to the original Transformers.
Star Wars (Episodes IV, V and VI Special Editions) 1997 First re-release of a film to include CGI characters and elements.
Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension First CGI film created for viewing with 3D glasses.
Spawn First extensive use of CGI fire in a feature film beyond sweetening. First film to integrate a CGI fabric onto a character's costume.[61]
Titanic First wide-release feature film with CGI elements rendered under the open-source Linux operating system.[62] Also included a number of advances, specifically in the rendering of flowing water.
A Bug's Life 1998 First CGI anamorphic widescreen film. First all-digital transfer to DVD. First film to be reframed for home video releases.
Antz First DreamWorks Animation CGI feature-length film in the U.S.
Invasion: Earth First major use of digital effects in a British TV series.
What Dreams May Come First use of CGI in combination with 3D location scanning (Lidar) and motion-analysis based 3D camera tracking in a feature film.
Fight Club 1999 First photogrammetry based virtual cinematography scenes, including the first bullet time sex scene with fully naked body renderings of body doubles for Helena Bonham Carter and Brad Pitt; renderings of different settings with both extreme close-ups and wide shots; and the first very photorealistic close-up rendering of a human face - which also belongs to a famous actor in a leading role (Edward Norton) - with detailed facial deformation and extreme close-ups (starting at the cell-level of the brain, flying through the different layers of tissues, a follicle and the skin with sweat droplets).
The Matrix First use of CGI interpolation with bullet time effects. Added to the National Film Registry in 2010.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace First film to have a fully CGI-rendered supporting character using performance footage captured on-set, pioneering this commonly used technique. Extensive use of CGI for thousands of shots, including backgrounds, visual effects, vehicles, and crowds.
Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists 2000 First feature-length film to be created using motion-capture technology.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 2001 First CGI feature-length digital film to be made based on photorealism and live-action principles. The first theatrically released feature film to utilize motion-capture for all of its characters' actions.[63]
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius First CGI feature-length movie made using off-the-shelf hardware and software.
Shrek First CGI-animated movie to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. Added to the United States National Film Registry in 2020.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring First use of AI for digital actors (using the Massive software developed by Weta Digital).
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002 First virtual actor to win an award (Critics' Choice Movie Awards by Andy Serkis playing Gollum), in the newly-created category Best Digital Acting Performance.
Spider-Man First digitally-rendered photorealistic costume.
Ice Age First CGI full-length feature animated film exclusively rendered with a ray tracer (CGI Studio).[64]
The Matrix Reloaded 2003 The Burly Brawl - the first use of "universal capture", the combination of markerless motion capture, per-frame texture capture and optical flow of pixels over the data from 7 camera setup bought into a shared UV space by projection onto a neutral expression geometry leading to the introduction of realistic digital look-alikes.
Able Edwards 2004 First movie was shot completely on a greenscreen using digitally scanned images as backgrounds.
Olocoons First CGI-animated series to use cel-shaded designs and backgrounds mixed with 2D elements.
Shrek 2 First feature film to use global illumination.[65]
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow First movie with all-CGI backgrounds and live actors.[66]
Chicken Little 2005 First feature-length CGI-animated film released in 3D.
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.[67] Unique that all 3D models, animatics and software are included on the DVD free for any use.
Flatland 2007 First CGI feature film to be animated by one person. Made with Lightwave 3D and Adobe After Effects.[68]
Plumíferos 2009 First CGI feature-length movie made using open source/free software for all 3D models, animation, lighting and render process, under Linux operating system.
Avatar First full-length movie made using motion-capture to create photorealistic 3D characters and to feature a fully CGI 3D photorealistic world. The first virtual art department and complete virtual production pipeline was developed by director James Cameron and team to create the film in real-time.
Up First CGI-animated feature to be nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture.
Toy Story 3 2010 First CGI-animated feature to gross $1 Billion dollars.
Oblivion 2013 First-ever use of a virtual production set on a feature film.
Zafari 2018 First television series produced entirely using a game engine (specifically Unreal Engine 4).
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse First feature film to heavily use machine learning on artist-generated original data to aid production.[69]
The Mandalorian 2019 First usage of a 360-degree LED screen to combine virtual sets with live-action actors.
Avatar: The Way of Water 2022 First use of motion-capture in underwater photography.

Format, process and sound

YearMilestoneWorkNotes
1920 Animation produced using a photographic color process The Debut of Thomas Cat Using the Brewster Color process.
1923 Synchronized sound animations N/A Lee De Forest premiered a program of 18 short films using the Phonofilm sound-on-film process at the Rivoli Theater in New York City.[70]
1928 Fully synchronized sound and post-produced soundtrack Steamboat Willie A click track was used to set the same tempo for animation and soundtrack (Mickey Mousing).
1931 Feature-length film with synchronized sound Peludópolis Considered lost.
1932 Animation to use the three-strip Technicolor process Flowers and Trees
1937 Animation to use Disney's multiplane camera The Old Mill, short film. A predecessor of the multiplane technique had already been used for The Adventures of Prince Achmed. Ub Iwerks had developed an early version of the multiplane camera in 1934 for his The Headless Horseman Comicolor Cartoon.[71]
First animated feature film to use three-strip Technicolor Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1940 Animation to use stereophonic sound Fantasia Recorded in Fantasound with 33 microphones on eight channels, but the reproduction of multi-channel Fantasound in theaters was eventually more limited than intended
1951 Stereoscopic 3D animations Now is the Time & Around is Around Abstract dual-strip stereoscopic short films by Norman McLaren for the Festival of Britain[72]
1952 Animated feature film presented in 3D Bwana Devil
1953 Animation presented in widescreen format Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom Short film; developed and released in CinemaScope.
1955Animated feature in widescreen formatLady and the Tramp
1957 Animated TV series broadcast in color Colonel Bleep
1959 Syncro-Vox in animation Clutch Cargo
1960 First animation to use xerography (replacing hand inking) Goliath II
1961 Animated feature film to use xerography process One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1978 Animated feature presented in VistaVision Lupin the 3rd: The Mystery of Mamo Process adapted for animation as "Anime Vision".[73]
Animated feature to be presented in Dolby soundWatership Down
19833D feature film – stereoscopic techniqueAbra Cadabra
Animated TV series to be recorded in Stereo soundInspector Gadget
1989TV cartoon to be broadcast in Dolby Surround sound.Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration
1995 Animated television series to be broadcast in Dolby SurroundPinky and the Brain
2000Animated feature presented in IMAXFantasia 2000
2007 Animated feature presented in 7.1 surround soundUltimate AvengersBlu-ray release
2008Animated feature designed, created and released exclusively in 3DFly Me to the Moon
2009 Animated feature directly produced in stereoscopic 3D rather than converted in 3DMonsters vs. AliensCompletion using InTru3D
2010Animated feature released theatrically in 7.1 surround soundToy Story 3
2022Animated feature film to aspect ratio opened up in IMAXLightyearIt opened up from 2.39:1 to 1.43:1 for select sequences of the film.[74]
2024 Animated series with IMAX aspect ratioMax & the MidknightsOpened from 2.39:1 to 1.43:1 for select sequences.
First animated feature film in 2:1 aspect ratioMoana 2

Reception

Accolades

YearMilestoneWorkNotes
1933 First animation to win Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards Flowers and Trees
1938 First animated feature to be nominated an Academy Award Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs representing Best Original Score; it also received an Academy Honorary Award for Walt Disney.
1941 First animation to win competitive Academy Awards Pinocchio representing Best Original Song and Original Score
1951 First animated feature to win Golden Bear Cinderella Each award have genre-specific categories in only a year.
1961 First animated TV series nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series The Flintstones As of 2025, no animated series has won.
1989 First animated feature nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy The Little Mermaid It has currently nominated several films until 2006, which lasted The Incredibles in 2004.
1993 First animated feature to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Beauty and the Beast It has currently won other two films until 2006, these including The Lion King and Toy Story 2.
First animated feature nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture As of 2025, no animated feature has won.
1994 First animated feature nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects The Nightmare Before Christmas
1998 First animated feature to win Japan Academy Film Prize for Picture of the Year Princess Mononoke[75]
2002 First Academy Award for Best Animated Feature winner Shrek Monsters, Inc. and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius were also nominated.
2005 First animated feature to win Academy Award for Best Sound Editing The Incredibles
2009 First animated documentary nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film Waltz with Bashir[76] As of 2025, no animated film has won.
2010 First animated feature nominated for the Metro Manila Film Festival Award for Best Picture RPG Metanoia[77] As of 2025, no animated film has won, although received a second runner-up prize instead.
2015 First animated feature to win Venice Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize Anomalisa[78]
2022 First animated documentary nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film Flee[79] It also nominated in the Best International Feature and Best Animated Feature categories, becoming the first film ever to be nominated in all three of those categories.
2024 First animated feature to win Gawad Urian for Best Film Iti Mapukpukaw[80]

Box office records

YearMilestoneFilmNotes
1992First animated film to gross over $400 millionSnow White and the Seven Dwarfsgross $418 million
1993 First animated feature to earn $500 million worldwide[81] Aladdin gross $504 million
1994 First animated feature to earn $750 million worldwide[82] The Lion King gross $768 million
1995First CGI animated film to gross over $250, $300 millionToy Storygross $362 million
1998First CGI animated film to gross over $363 millionA Bug's Life
1999First CGI animated film to gross over $400 millionToy Story 2gross $485 million
2001first CGI animated film to gross over $500 millionMonsters, Inc.gross $525.4 million
2003first animated film to gross over $800 millionFinding Nemogross $867 million
2004first animated film to gross over $900 millionShrek 2gross $924 million
2010First animated feature to earn $1 billion worldwide[83]Toy Story 3It is currently the highest-grossing G-rated film from 2010 to 2019, only to be surpassed by another sequel, Toy Story 4.
2013First animated feature to earn $1.25 billion worldwideFrozengross $1.29 billion
2019First animated feature to earn $1.5 billion worldwideThe Lion King (2019)Walt Disney Pictures, which produced the film, considered it to be live-action despite the entire film (aside from its opening shot) being computer animated.[84] Other sources deemed it to be animated based on specified criteria.[85] gross $1.66 billion
2020 First non-American animated film to topped the annual global box office Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train It also the first R-rated animated film to earn $200 to 500 million worldwide, surpassing the previous R-rated film Sausage Party (2016) with $140 million worldwide, which makes Demon Slayer: Mugen Train three times larger than the former in a box-office gross for a R-rated animated film, making it a rare feat.[86] It was the only non-American animated film to top the global box office for five years.
2024 First animated feature film to earn $1.675 billion worldwideInside Out 2Currently the highest-grossing Pixar film of all time as well as the second highest-grossing animated film of all time which was surpassed by Ne Zha 2.
First animated feature film to earn over $200 million at its 5-day opening weekendMoana 2It became the highest-grossing animated feature film of its opening weekend by making over $200 million.
2025 First non-Hollywood animated feature film to earn $1 billion worldwide
First animated feature film to earn $2 billion worldwide		Ne Zha 2It earned $2 billion in China and worldwide and is currently the highest-grossing animated feature film of all time.
First R-rated non-American and animated film to gross over $600 million mark Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle It also grossed over $700 million mark, surpassing the non-American live-action Detective Chinatown 3.

Other milestones

YearMilestoneNotes
1924 First pornographic animation The Virgin with the Hot Pants, opening sequence for a stag film.
1928 Fully pornographic animated film Eveready Harton in Buried Treasure
1932 First hentai animation Suzumibune; first established with the term hentai, a Japanese animation and literature pornography. Considered lost.
1942 First film to use limited animation extensively The Dover Boys at Pimento University
1950 First animated TV series Crusader Rabbit
1960 First primetime animated TV series The Flintstones[87]
1961 First animation to combine various types Conversation in Space. combines with collage and paint
1962 First animated TV special released on December or use in Christmas-themed Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol[88][89]
1963 First computer-generated (CGI) moving image Simulation of a Two-Gyro Gravity-Gradient Attitude Control System by Edward E. Zajac at Bell Labs; animated line drawings for scientific purposes.
1964 First animated feature film based on a TV series Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!
First stop-motion television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
1966 First animated TV special released on October or use in Halloween-themed It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
1969 First X-rated animated feature film A Thousand and One Nights, Japanese anime hit. Pornographic animations had already been made for the phénakisticope and the short film The Virgin with the Hot Pants (c. 1924)
1972 First CGI character A Computer Animated Hand by Edwin Catmull and Fred Parke at University of Utah
1973 First PG-rated animated film Fantastic Planet
First use of CGI in a feature film Westworld; used pixelated image processing to simulate robot vision.
1974 First R-rated animated feature film The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat
1976 First CGI short film Hunger (La Faim)
1978 First animated feature film to premiere on television Tadhana. It was broadcast once on Philippine channels GMA 7, RPN 9, and IBC 13 to commemorate the sixth anniversary of martial law, and was never released commercially in theaters until 2020s.[90][91][92][93]
1981 First motion capture character Adam Powers, The Juggler. The character was motion captured by Ken Rosenthal, a real juggler.[94]
1982 First direct-to-video animated feature film The Wizard of Oz
1983 First direct-to-video animated series Dallos. First original video animation
1985 First PG-13 rated animated film The Plague Dogs. Released in 1982, theatrically without a rating in the United States; home-video releases instead given a PG-13 rating in 1985, one year after the introduction of that rating.[95]
1986 First non-narrative animated feature film Sophie's Place
1992 First feature-length animated film released directly to home video in the United States Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation
1993 First NC-17 rated animated film Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend
1993 First CGI series VeggieTales
1994 First CGI TV series Insektors
1995 First CGI feature film Toy Story. Faced challenges over CGI feature films meant to be the first, which includes The Works and Cassiopeia.
1997 First animated series produced for the Internet[96] The Goddamn George Liquor Program
First CGI TV special Santa vs. the Snowman
1998 First PG-rated CGI animated film Antz. The first two CGI films (Toy Story and Cassiopeia) and were G-rated.
2004 First cel-shaded 3D animation Appleseed
2005 First animated feature film shot with digital still cameras Corpse Bride. It was shot with Canon EOS-1D Mark II digital SLRs, rather than the 35 mm film cameras used for The Nightmare Before Christmas.
2006 First feature film to use CGI instead of stop-motion. Flushed Away; produced by Aardman Animations, entirely use with CGI for characters and visual effects in heavily contrast with stop-motion animation.[97]
2007 First animated feature film developed by one person Flatland. Filmmaker Ladd Ehlinger Jr. animated in Lightwave 3D and edited the film[98] by himself over the course of two years,[99] starting in 2005.[100]
2009 Stop-motion character animated using rapid prototyping Coraline
2012 Stop-motion film to use color 3-D printing technology for models ParaNorman
2013 First animated TV series solely created by a non-binary person Steven Universe on Cartoon Network.[101] Created by Rebecca Sugar, also the first woman to solely create a series on that network.[102]
2016 First R-rated 3D computer-animated film Sausage Party. While most previous R-rated animated films are 2D traditional, Sausage Party is officially recognized as the first R-rated fully CGI to be rated by MPA in years.[103]
2017 First fully-painted animated feature film Loving Vincent. 75% of it was animated using paint and brush to canvas in present after van Gogh's death, while the other 25% was also animated using paint and brush through rotoscoping, which only appears in flashbacks.[104]
2024 First animated feature film made completely with AI DreadClub: Vampire's Verdict. All visuals, performances, sound, music, and animation are AI-generated. July 2024.[105]
First animated feature film converted from planned TV series. Moana 2; Originally planned as a Disney+ series, converted to film due to the first film's 2023 streaming success.

See also

References

External links

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