Name your 5 favourite CGI movies

DY357LXDY357LX Playing since day 1. Still can't Comm.England Join Date: 2002-10-27 Member: 1651Members, Constellation
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Story isn't important, It's all about the visuals.</div>I'm a sucker for CGI movies, meaning I end up watching a lot of movies that people think are aimed at kids / young audiences.
But they entertain me and that's the important thing.

So, post your top 5 CGI movies and a little info on why they're worth watching. Here's mine: (with hotlinked images that probably won't work.)
<b>REMEMBER: This topic isn't about the story or characters of said-movies. It's about the visuals!</b>

WALL-E : No (real) voices for the first 25 minutes yet a story is told and emotion plays a heavy part. Visually it's superb. (It's also quite funny.)
<img src="http://www.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/wall-e-images.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

Tangled : Yes it's a kids film, it's also a love story... but it's also got some awesome lighting and damn-fine cloth animation.
<img src="http://netkushi.com/gallery2/var/albums/Hollywood-Movie-Stills/T/Tangled-movie-stills/Tangled%20movie%20stills-4.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within : 5+ years ahead of it's time. Superb cloth + hair animation as well as awesome facial work.
<img src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY0NzgwMzk5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNzcwNjU3._V1._SX500_SY281_.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

How To Train Your Dragon : It's an animated movie about dragons. I loved it instantly. Looks great in 2D but was better in 3D. Once again, a movie that's colourful when needed but capable of darker emotions when the story called for it.
<img src="http://www.getthebigpicture.net/storage/reviews/traindragon08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

Avatar : Described as a "technical masterpiece" - and I can't bring myself to argue. It's colourful, vivid and interesting... even without the "story".
<img src="http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/avatar_blue_men1.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


I'd like people to post full CGI stuff like above, but movies like Sky Blue (originally called Wonderful Days):
<center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3gVWY19wQ2U"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3gVWY19wQ2U" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBVr_7I4FtE" target="_blank">GITS:Innocence</a> are welcome too! (A blend of 3D environments with 2D characters is usually very interesting.)
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Comments

  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    The Final Fantasy movie did however set an example that the rest of the industry has for the most part studiously avoided: Falling smack-dab into the uncanny valley. A lot of full-CGI movies now seem to aim for a more stylised look, and I think that's specifically to avoid the uncanny valley.
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  • NeonSpyderNeonSpyder &quot;Das est NTLDR?&quot; Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17913Members
    I know what people are referring to when they talk about the uncanny valley, I've seen it plenty of times in animations and films and games and so on.

    I don't agree that FF:SW was 'smack dab in the middle' of the uncanny valley at all, sure the animations were *sometimes* a little stiff and there was something a *little* off about the characters, but I thought that most of the film and several scenes in particular had quite good character visuals and emotional representation that didn't seem unnatural. Maybe it's just me because I actually liked the movie, but meh, point made.
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  • ScytheScythe Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 46NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation, Reinforced - Silver
    I can't think of five, but The Incredibles really nailed the TF2-esque characterture look.

    --Scythe--
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  • sheena_yanaisheena_yanai Join Date: 2002-12-23 Member: 11426Members
    edited February 2011
    all of them above and some more..

    Vexille (awesome mechanical designs, but quite cheesy directing, and some scenes are just ridiculous )
    <center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IWxo5f0e2Eo"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IWxo5f0e2Eo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>

    Appleseed (by shinji aramaki and masamune shirow himself)

    <center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uzpqjz0YJIs"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uzpqjz0YJIs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>

    Appleseed ExMachina (by shinji aramaki, produced by john woo, the reason why some of the action sequences are rather wtf <.<)

    <center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tZkag7M_i5A"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tZkag7M_i5A" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
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  • MonkfishMonkfish Sonic-boom-inducing buttcheeks of terrifying speed&#33; Join Date: 2003-06-03 Member: 16972Members
    Everything that pixar has done. Except cars. But it was still pretty 'okay.'
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  • ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi&#33; Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
    Wall-E was pretty amazing.
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  • FunkyFungusFunkyFungus Join Date: 2003-09-09 Member: 20691Members
    edited February 2011
    dont forget Advent Children best FF movie ever :D

    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttK8w7lMGvY&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttK8w7lMGvY...feature=related</a>
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  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    edited February 2011
    Jurassic Park for being the kick-start of realistically textured CGI!


    The rest, well that's more of a story relation. Personal preference, not interesting enough to post...
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  • X_StickmanX_Stickman Not good enough for a custom title. Join Date: 2003-04-15 Member: 15533Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1835083:date=Feb 26 2011, 02:10 PM:name=Monkfish)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Monkfish @ Feb 26 2011, 02:10 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1835083"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Everything that pixar has done. Except cars. But it was still pretty 'okay.'<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    And, of course, Cars is one that gets a sequel because it was the most merchandisable film they've done (five billion dollars! Maybe more. In merch alone.)



    Pft.
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  • Konohas Perverted HermitKonohas Perverted Hermit Join Date: 2008-09-26 Member: 65075Members
    This movie takes the cake.

    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjGrHBpfqCo" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjGrHBpfqCo</a>
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  • TykjenTykjen Join Date: 2003-01-21 Member: 12552Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    5 things that blew me away cause visuals were cgi thuperkewl

    The Abyss
    Terminator 2
    Jurassic Park 1
    Gollum
    Avatard
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  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    edited February 2011
    <!--quoteo(post=1835248:date=Feb 27 2011, 05:42 PM:name=Tykjen)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tykjen @ Feb 27 2011, 05:42 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1835248"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->5 things that blew me away cause visuals were cgi thuperkewl

    The Abyss
    Terminator 2
    Jurassic Park 1
    Gollum
    Avatard<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Those first three are indeed the amazing first steps into CGI as this documentary also shows and tells :P

    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_TFEFA3eAM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_TFEFA3eAM</a>
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  • GISPGISP Battle Gorge Denmark Join Date: 2004-03-20 Member: 27460Members, Playtest Lead, Forum Moderators, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, Squad Five Gold, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Onos, WC 2013 - Gold, Subnautica Playtester, Forum staff
    Avatar - the last airbender had some good cgi, but failed horible on the actors...
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  • Konohas Perverted HermitKonohas Perverted Hermit Join Date: 2008-09-26 Member: 65075Members
    We are all forgetting one of the most ambitious CGI movies ever.

    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-ydzY9tg5c" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-ydzY9tg5c</a>
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  • kross1234kross1234 Join Date: 2012-02-25 Member: 147411Members
    edited February 2012
    here's an article on all the latest sci-fi cgi movie till date

    <a href="http://gamerinsomnia.blogspot.in/2012/02/best-sci-fi-cgi-movies.html" target="_blank">http://gamerinsomnia.blogspot.in/2012/02/b...cgi-movies.html</a>
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  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    edited February 2012
    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPi2uleYOeE" target="_blank">Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow</a>

    I also rather like the look of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeAfoiN5SDw" target="_blank">Iron Sky</a>

    Both simply because I have a fondness for the style.
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  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    Does Jurassic Park really qualify? The movie itself wasn't CGI and most of the dinosaur scenes were animatronic. It was used for a few set-pieces but compared to post-psychosis George Lucas it was pretty reined-in.
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  • SvenpaSvenpa Wait, what? Join Date: 2004-01-03 Member: 25012Members, Constellation
    Wall-E
    Titan A.E.
    Star Wars - especially the new ones I guess if we are going for hard CGI
    Final Fantasy spirits within
    The iron giant
    -Tons of short animated movies that are superb (mac n' cheese, old woman vs death-something and more I cant recall right now)
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  • ZenoZeno Join Date: 2007-09-05 Member: 62183Members
    Don't know many pure-cgi so here are some mixed:


    -Jurassic park. Spielberg may not know much about animal behaviour but the T.rex scene ...I mean..it was done 18(!) years ago and still looks ok-ish.
    -Matrix revolutions. The sentinel mass attack in the underground city is impressive. And so are the ships.

    -Final Fantasy spirits within: kind of good...liked it. But it looks already dated today; could have been better. Plus: they stole dystopias models ;)


    I don't really like other movies. They tend to be exaggerated. The gollum for example is awful imho, same with every disney/pixar movie. Why do they all have faces made of liquid? Star wars looks sterile and plastic.
    The best cgi effects are the ones nobody notices ;) -> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clnozSXyF4k" target="_blank">Click</a>
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  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    edited February 2012
    <!--quoteo(post=1907196:date=Feb 26 2012, 06:01 PM:name=Zeno)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Zeno @ Feb 26 2012, 06:01 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1907196"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The best cgi effects are the ones nobody notices ;) -> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clnozSXyF4k" target="_blank">Click</a><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    A green screen doesn't count as CGI... almost all of those are composite images, where a second location is layered on the first in post. Most of that isn't C<b>G</b>I. Still, impressive how much fakery there is in film.

    It is fun in the before / after shots that you can see the visual defects, like obvious lines where the green panels were at, especially along the ground. Most obvious in the one in front of St. Basil's.
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  • X_StickmanX_Stickman Not good enough for a custom title. Join Date: 2003-04-15 Member: 15533Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1907199:date=Feb 26 2012, 07:06 PM:name=Temphage)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Temphage @ Feb 26 2012, 07:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1907199"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->A green screen doesn't count as CGI... almost all of those are composite images, where a second location is layered on the first in post. Most of that isn't C<b>G</b>I. Still, impressive how much fakery there is in film.

    It is fun in the before / after shots that you can see the visual defects, like obvious lines where the green panels were at, especially along the ground. Most obvious in the one in front of St. Basil's.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    In the Ugly Betty shot of two women walking down a street, you can see the green screen reflecting on her jeans somewhat (they're unusually green from the knee down). Probably wouldn't have noticed it without the comparison shot though.
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  • TykjenTykjen Join Date: 2003-01-21 Member: 12552Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    District 9
    Tintin
    Avatar
    King Kong
    LOTR trilogy.
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  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    edited March 2012
    <!--quoteo(post=1835040:date=Feb 26 2011, 03:28 AM:name=DY357LX)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DY357LX @ Feb 26 2011, 03:28 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1835040"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->How To Train Your Dragon : It's an animated movie about dragons. I loved it instantly. Looks great in 2D but was better in 3D. Once again, a movie that's colourful when needed but capable of darker emotions when the story called for it.
    <img src="http://www.getthebigpicture.net/storage/reviews/traindragon08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Daawww I just watched this. Granted the thread is about visuals, but this is just a great movie. I think it's fair to lump all Pixar and Dreamworks titles together, so I'd say this is definitely one of the best. Not quite Toy Story, but up there.

    Visually though, I was extremely impressed by Toothless, the dragon. Usually it's very hard for a studio to pull off nonhuman characters as it's simply hard for our brains to empathize with something we can't recognize, but the number of emotions they were able to express was highly impressive. Then again, they did make him look like a great big cat, so that's probably why.
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  • LV426-ColonistLV426-Colonist Space Jockey Join Date: 2011-08-05 Member: 114269Members, Constellation
    edited March 2012
    Hard to choose, but I think the Japanese have the best CGI movies.
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  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    I didn't think the japanese had <i>any</i> CGI movies except maybe the final fantasy ones, which I didn't really care for.
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  • LV426-ColonistLV426-Colonist Space Jockey Join Date: 2011-08-05 Member: 114269Members, Constellation
    edited March 2012
    A lot of the Japanese stuff isn't going to be seen anywhere but in Japan.

    So yeah, you probably wouldn't have known.
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  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1910034:date=Mar 5 2012, 01:27 AM:name=LV426-Colonist)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LV426-Colonist @ Mar 5 2012, 01:27 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1910034"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->A lot of the Japanese stuff isn't going to be seen anywhere but in Japan.

    So yeah, you probably wouldn't have known.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    <img src="http://steffmetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hipster2.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
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  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    I was kinda thinking that myself, yeah.
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