When it comes to animation of any medium, Disney is a two-ton powerhouse of magic and imagination. From the traditional features of their early days to the fully-rendered 3D computer-animated films of today, Disney has still got the magic touch to bring worlds of treasured characters to life.
Though they’ve perfected the art of CGI animation, the technology is not actually all that new to the company. In fact, they’ve been using computer animation techniques since 1985. It’s through their gradual use that they’ve made the style into an art form, and we’re here today to look at some of their finest examples of using the medium. Here are ten incredibly creative uses of Disney CGI.
The Black Cauldron
Call it the Disney Black Sheep, call it their darkest fantasy, or call it one of the best cult films you can find. No matter what title you give it, you can’t deny that The Black Cauldron has a reputation. It’s scary, it’s weird, it’s all over the place, but it’s also the company’s first use of CGI.
True, the majority of the movie is created with traditional animation practices, but the effects for the titular cauldron and the horrifying Cauldron-Born Army were made with some of the first uses of CGI in animation. This resulted in some of the most gruesome imagery ever put to a Disney flick.
Big Ben
The climactic scene of Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective was an iconic sequence of the film made all the more intense and gripping from the creative use of CGI. The pounding and constantly crunching cogs and gears kept us on the edge of our seats as Basil and Professor Ratigan duked it out inside this famous London landmark.
Despite the film’s age, the restrained use of CGI treatment still looks pretty decent even by today’s standards. It still has a semi-sketchbook-esque quality to its appearance that ages better than most early uses of CGI. It’s uses like this that prove most things are better in moderation.
The Game Grid
Tron is one of those movies that’s stuck in the ’80s, but that’s one of the reasons we like it so much. It’s the creative use of CGI imagery and design that gives the movie its distinctive look. While it’s true that the effects have not aged the greatest, the world of Tron wouldn’t be the world of Tron without them.
The neon-lit highlights and clothing of the Game Grid help bring the Programs to life and let’s not forget the various video game enemies and the nefarious MCP. The use of CGI here dates the flick, but at the same time, it also makes it one of Disney’s underrated classics.
Wildebeest Stampede
The most heart-pounding and nailbiting sequence in The Lion King is without a doubt the infamous wildebeest stampede that charges down the gorge and takes the life of King Mufasa. Not only was this effect created with an ingenious use of CGI, but resulted in a new animation software being created for the film.
The software was developed to keep run cycles of the wildebeests from looking too monotonous, as well as keep them from running or overlapping into each other. This resulted in a more realistic and organic feature that would later be replicated in another iconic Disney scene.
Battle With the Huns
Similar to how the appropriate amount of CGI gave us a thrilling and realistic wildebeest stampede, it gave us one of the most daunting sequences in Disney history. Mulan’s battle against the invading Hun army is one of the biggest moments of the film. Mulan’s not only a warrior, but she’s also one of the few Disney heroines with a body count!
We see Shan Yu lead an army of hundreds down the mountainside as the charge towards the defenders of China in the snowy pass. Similar to the stampede in The Lion King, the legions of soldiers were created using a clever CGI sequence to replicate the masses. An easy solution, but an impressive image nonetheless.
Tarzan’s Jungle
Now we’re getting a little more advanced with this one. Tarzan’s jungle in the 1999 film was almost entirely CGI with traditionally animated characters and elements. Using this method, the jungle appears more tangible and Tarzan has weight and substance when surfing or swinging on vines.
Similar to Tron, this is how the movie gets its signature look. If you took the characters out and just left stills of the backgrounds and textures, you’d know this was still Tarzan. With all the shadows, twists and turns of the vines, and humongous tree trunks, this is surely a mighty jungle.
Dinosaur
Love it or hate it, you can’t deny Disney’s Dinosaur had a look all it’s own. Tarzan was 2D characters in a 3D world, right? Well, what if Disney decided to do the other way around… sort of. Dinosaur used CGI characters placed on a realistic live-action background. The result, though not Pixar quality, was still impressive for the time.
These weren’t the same dinos you’d see in Jurassic Park but the film was certainly a step forward for the studio. Being the first CGI film they made without Pixar, it would help the studio evolve in the animation department. That being said, some of us still cringe at the phrase “Love Monkey.”
Fantasia 2000 Selections
The underrated sequel to the classic concert feature not only included new styles of music to add to the film’s repertoire, but different styles of animation to bring these works of art to life. The sequence that had the most CGI was the concerto feature inspired by The Steadfast Tin Soldier but even then, one could tell that these characters were sketched first and digitized last.
The others, “Pines of Rome,” “Symphony No. 5,” and “The Fire Bird Suite” all have a touch of the more modern techniques about them. Some are much more obvious than others, we’re looking at you, space whales. Altogether though, the mix of modern and classical practices fit the Fantasia spirit.
Toy Story
We have to give an honorable mention to Pixar’s first masterpiece into the Disney library, Toy Story. The film was not only a landmark in animation history but a big risk on Disney’s part. It was either going to be a colossal success, or it was going to be that one weird computer movie with the CGI animation. Thankfully, the film was a hit and the rest is history.
What began as a gamble for Disney became one of the most beloved series in their canon. Buzz, Woody, and the rest are now Disney icons and have helped establish the partnership between Disney and Pixar. And it’s all because of a little film that could.
Get A Horse
Speaking of little films, we have nothing but great things to say about this magical and magnificent blending of CGI and traditional Disney animation. In a tribute to Mickey and Minnie’s early days, we see a mix of classic and modern to create an animated adventure.
Not only did the short incorporate creative CGI techniques to bring the 2D animated characters in and out of a 3D world, but it also brought back traditional ’20s and ’30s animation practices, including Walt as the voice of Mickey Mouse! If you haven’t seen this short, do yourself a favor and check it out.
