A short film called "The Hunger" was the first to use true computer animation in 1974. Within the film, computers and hand drawn cells were used to animate specific scenes. "Futureworld" was the first film to render 3D computer-generated effects. One year later, "Star Wars" featured a computer-generated effect of the Death Star trench. However, Disney's "Tron" is often looked upon as the pioneer of computer animation within the medium. "Tron" used computer animation to create the video game world Jeff Bridges explores. In 1984, "The Last Starfighter" used computerized effects to create spaceships. "Young Sherlock Holmes" was the first film to have a fully computer animated character interact with real people; the character was a knight who was made entirely of stain glass.
"The Abyss" was the first film to use computer animation to create a liquid effect. The 1989 film featured an alien life form that took the shape of a water snake. "The Abyss" won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. James Cameron, the film's director, went on to further push the computer animated revolution with "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" in 1992. "Terminator 2" featured morphing effects, allowing the villainous T-1000 to morph into numerous characters within the film. James Cameron continued to advance computer animation technology with "Titanic" and "Avatar," the two highest grossing films of all time as of 2011.
"Snow White" and "Pinocchio" used hand-drawn cell animation to bring characters and stories to life. However, the world of cartoons began to change when Disney released "Beauty and the Beast" in 1991. This modern classic used both computer animation and traditional animation. Three years later, "The Lion King" also featured a blend of computer and traditional animation for the stampede scene. Animated films changed forever with the release of "Toy Story," the first feature-length animated film to only use computer-generated effects. Since the release of "Toy Story" in 1995, numerous animated films have only used computer animation; these films include "Finding Nemo" and "Up."
Computer animation has completely changed the way filmmakers work, allowing them to create scenes that were once deemed impossible. The advancement in computer animated technology has allowed certain filmmakers to go back and alter their previous films. For example, George Lucas made major changes to "Star Wars," helping him fully realize the vision he had at the time of filming. Steven Spielberg made tweaks to "E.T." He used computer animation to remove guns from the hands of police officers, replacing them with walkie-talkies.