Films That Changed CGI

8 - The Matrix (1999)

You know a movie had something when it hammered Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in the special effects categories at the 2000 Oscars. In this case, it was eye-popping visual images that were actually married to a coherent story (something that George Lucas' prequel sorely lacked). Viewers were captivated watching Neo (Keanu Reeves) journey down the rabbit hole of reality, and realizing the world he thought he knew was merely an elaborate construct.

Much was made of the infamous "bullet time" which featured various characters dodging bullets in slow-motion. The Matrix also created a world within a world where, thanks to the wonders of CGI, insect-like robots hunted renegade humans, people leaped tall buildings in a single bound, and waged kung fu battles in mid-air. The fact that the aforementioned kung fu battles were choreographed by none other than Yuen Wo Ping (Iron Monkey) was a massive bonus.

Fun Fact: The 2003 sequel The Matrix Reloaded taught moviegoers that a kung fu fight is a socially acceptable form of introducing oneself. Watch the film: every time a character meets another character, they have a kung fu battle (Thanks to Chris F. for pointing that out to me).

7 - Shrek (2001)

Up until 2001, Pixar was really the only game in town when it came to full-length CGI animated films. That all changed when DreamWorks Animation, run by former Disney senior executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, unleashed Shrek on unsuspecting audiences. Based on William Steig's bestselling novel about a hideous ogre who must find a bride, Shrek became a pastiche of jokes on fairy tales, especially when hammering Katzenberg's former employers. The movie's villain, Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow), was a thinly-veiled caricature of then Disney CEO Michael Eisner.

Frankly, the animation was nothing to write home about, but the story was fast-paced and funny, and Michael Myers and Eddie Murphy made a great on-screen couple as they bickered their way through various adventures. Pin-up girl Cameron Diaz also got a new lease on her career voicing the role of Fiona, a kick-ass princess with a rather large secret.

Shrek took the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film from its only real competition, Pixar's Monsters Inc., and placed DreamWorks Animation as a close second to the Emeryville studio in the CGI animated game.

The film also would introduce the notion of the CGI animated film as blockbuster, which meant that cel animation's days were numbered. The fact that Disney's executives had decided that they knew more about animated film than their directors didn't help matters either. As DreamWorks' only truly successful animated franchise, Shrek would go on to inspire two sequels (a third and fourth sequel have recently been announced) and a Broadway play.

Fun Fact: Comedian Chris Farley was originally cast as Shrek. Mid-way through voice recording, Farley died after voluntarily ingesting a combination of cocaine and heroin. Mike Myers was then cast as the ogre, and recorded all the lines in his normal voice. After finishing voice recording, Myers asked to re-record his lines using his Scottish accent, because he felt it worked better for the character.

6 - Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

With the Lord of the Rings trilogy, director Peter Jackson accomplished the impossible. He took J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved fantasy novel (previously dismissed as "unfilmable") and adapted it to the silver screen, making it appeal to newbies and hardcore fans alike. WETA's work in all three films would make them worthy of mention on this list. However, The Two Towers stands out for one simple reason: Gollum.

Anchored by Andy Serkis' stunning performance, the wizards at WETA created a motion-capture character that interacted believably with the live actors who worked with him. Gollum was originally supposed to be a purely CGI character, but Jackson was so impressed with Serkis' performance as the doomed hobbit that he redesigned the character to look like Serkis and had him on set, performing alongside the other actors.

Jackson also shot each scene with Gollum two different ways: one with Andy Serkis in his "gimp suit," the other with no one in the scene. When comparing the two scenes side-by-side, Jackson decided to use the ones with Serkis, and rotoscope Gollum over his performance, because the other actors did a better job when they reacted to his presence.

Fun Fact: You can check out Gollum's acceptance speech at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards by clicking here.

5 - Shrek 2 (2004)

Shrek 2 gets massive props for being a sequel that actually topped its predecessor both in box office and in reviews. In terms of box office, Shrek 2 is the third highest-grossing film of all time in terms of North American box office, bowing only to 1977's Star Wars (which got a mid-1990's theatrical re-release) and 1997's Titanic.

Shrek 2 upped the ante in every way, from the jokes to the animation. It also introduced a new character, the swashbuckling Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). Banderas' Latin take on the venerable fairy tale character was extremely popular with fans, and resulted in the character getting equal billing with the franchise's established stars. Also, a Puss in Boots direct-to-DVD film starring Banderas is currently in the works.

Fun Fact: Shrek 2's writers swore that they had no clue that Cameron Diaz had started dating singer Justin Timberlake when they put a "Sir Justin" poster above Fiona's bed in the movie.

The Matrix poster

Shrek poster

Gollum in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Shrek in Shrek 2

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