Firsts in animation

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

Countries

Country	Feature film	Year	Television series	Year	Ref.
Argentina	El Apóstol	1917	Hijitus	1967	[1]
Brazil	Amazon Symphony	1954	Monica and Friends	1982
France	The Tale of the Fox	1930	La journée de Flambeau	1916
Germany	The Adventures of Prince Achmed	1926	Die Sendung mit der Maus	1971	[2]
Japan	Momotaro: Sacred Sailors	1945	Instant History	1961	[3]
Latvia	Ness un Nesija	1991	Fantadroms	1985	[4]
Philippines	Tadhana	1978	Poptech Series	1980	[5]
/ Russia/Soviet Union	The New Gulliver	1935	Bratishkin's Adventures	1928	[6]
Thailand	The Adventure of Sudsakorn	1979	PangPond: The Future World Adventure	2002
United States	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	1937	Crusader Rabbit	1948	[7][8]
United Kingdom	Handling Ships	1945	Chorlton and the Wheelies	1976
Saudi Arabia	Masameer: The Movie	2020	Masameer	2011

Techniques

Type	Form	Media	Title	Year
Traditional	Cel/Hand-drawn	Short film	Fantasmagorie	1908
		Feature film	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	1937
		Television series	Crusader Rabbit	1948
	Digital	Short film	Catalogue	1961
		Feature film	The Rescuers Down Under	1990
		Television series	Attack of the Killer Tomatoes	1991
CGI		Short film	A Computer Animated Hand	1972
		Feature film	Toy Story	1995
		Television series	ReBoot	1994
Rotoscoping		Short film	The Clown's Pup	1916
		Feature film	Gulliver's Travels	1939
		Film series	Out of the Inkwell	1918
Stop-motion	Clay	Short film	The Sculptor's Nightmare	1908
		Feature film	I Go Pogo	1980
		Television series	The Gumby Show	1955
	Cutout	Short film	Die Schöne Prinzessin von China	1917
		Feature film	El Apóstol	1917
		Television series	Captain Pugwash	1957
	Oil-painted	Short film	Conversation in Space	1961
		Feature film	Loving Vincent	2017
		Television series	—	—
	Puppet	Short film	The Humpty Dumpty Circus	1908
		Feature film	The Tale of the Fox	1930
		Television series	The New Adventures of Pinocchio	1961
Machinima	3D	Varieties	Diary of a Camper	1996
	RPG Maker		Slimey	2011

Ratings

Country	Rating	Film	Year
United States	G	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	1937
	PG	Fantastic Planet	1973
	PG-13	The Plague Dogs	1982
	R	The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat	1974
	X/NC-17	A Thousand and One Nights	1970

Ratio

Year	Milestone	Film	Notes
1953	First cartoon presented in widescreen format	Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom	Short film
1955	First animated feature in widescreen format	Lady and the Tramp
1957	First animated TV series broadcast in color	Colonel Bleep	Television series
1959	Syncro-Vox	Clutch Cargo	Television series
1978	Animated feature to be presented in Dolby sound	Watership Down
1983	3D feature film - stereoscopic technique	Abra Cadabra
	Animated TV series to be recorded in Stereo sound	Inspector Gadget
1989	TV 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 Surround	Pinky and the Brain
1999	First animated IMAX feature	Fantasia 2000
2007	Presented in 7.1 surround sound	Ultimate Avengers	Blu-ray release
2008	Feature film designed, created and released exclusively in 3D	Fly Me to the Moon
2009	First feature film directly produced in stereoscopic 3D rather than converted in 3D after completion using InTru3D	Monsters vs. Aliens
2010	Feature film released theatrically in 7.1 surround sound	Toy Story 3
2012	Stop-motion film to use color 3-D printing technology for models	ParaNorman
2022	Animated feature film to aspect ratio opened up in IMAX	Lightyear	It opened up from 2.39:1 to 1.43:1 for select sequences of the film.[9]
2024	Animated series with IMAX aspect ratio	Max & the Midknights	Opened from 2.39:1 to 1.43:1 for select sequences.
	First animated feature film in 2:1 aspect ratio	Moana 2

Other variants

Year	Milestone	Film	Notes
1878	praxinoscope animation	Le singe musicien
1900	Animation on standard celluloid film	The Enchanted Drawing
1917	Synchronized sound on feature film; Lost	El Apóstol	Created with cutout animation; now considered lost. The film featured synchronized sound using a system Cristiani himself devised.[10]
1926	Feature film; Oldest surviving animated feature film	The Adventures of Prince Achmed	Cutout silhouette animation
1919	Filmed in Rotoscope	The Clown's Pup	Short film
1926	Synchronized sound on film with animated dialogue	My Old Kentucky Home[11]	Short film; used Lee de Forest's Phonofilm sound on film process; a dog character mouths the words, "Follow the ball, and join in, everybody!"
1930	Filmed in Two-color Technicolor	King of Jazz[12]	Premiering in April 1930, a three-minute cartoon sequence produced by Walter Lantz appears in this full-length, live-action Technicolor feature film.
1930	Two-color Technicolor in a stand-alone cartoon	Fiddlesticks	Released in August 1930, this Ub Iwerks-produced short is the first standalone color cartoon.
1930	Feature-length puppet animated (stop-motion) film	The Tale of the Fox	Only animation finished in 1930; not released with a soundtrack until 1937
1935		The New Gulliver	The first released puppet-animated feature. Includes scenes of animation combined with live-action footage
1931	Feature-length sound film	Peludópolis	Now considered lost
1932	Filmed in three-strip Technicolor	Flowers and Trees	Short film
1937	First film using 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.[13]
	Feature filmed in three-strip Technicolor	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1939	First Feature film using in Rotoscoping	Gulliver's Travels
1940	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
1942	First film applying limited animation	The Dover Boys at Pimento University	Short film
1951	First animated 3-D film	Now is the Time Around is Around	Abstract dual-strip stereoscopic short films by Norman McLaren for the Festival of Britain[14]
1953	First cartoon presented in widescreen format	Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom	Short film
1955	First animated feature in widescreen format	Lady and the Tramp
	First stop-motion television series	The Gumby Show[15]
1956	First US animated primetime TV series	CBS Cartoon Theatre	Compilation television series
1957	First animated TV series broadcast in color	Colonel Bleep	Television series
1959	Syncro-Vox	Clutch Cargo	Television series
1960	Xerography process (replacing hand inking)	Goliath II	Short film
	First primetime animated sitcom	The Flintstones	Television series
1961	Feature film using xerography process	One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1962	The First animated TV Christmas Special	Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol	Television special
1964	First feature film based on a television show	Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!
1966	The First animated TV Halloween Special	It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown	Television special
1969	First animated feature deemed to be X-rated	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 (circa 1924)
1972	First CGI Short film	A Computer Animated Hand
1973	First PG-rated Animated Film	Fantastic Planet
1974	First R-rated Animated Feature Film	The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat
1978	Animated feature to be presented in Dolby sound	Watership Down
	First animated feature premiered and broadcast primarily on local television	Tadhana	The film was broadcast one time on GMA 7, RPN 9, and IBC 13 to commemorate the anniversary of Martial Law in 1978.[16][17][18] As a result, it was never seen again due to the said film was not released commercially on theaters for public viewing.[19] Afterwards in the 2020s, the film was shown again in private screening only by one of the cast and crew members.
1982	First PG-13-rated Animated Film	The Plague Dogs
1983	3D feature film - stereoscopic technique	Abra Cadabra
	Animated feature containing computer-generated imagery	Rock and Rule
	Animated TV series to be recorded in Stereo sound	Inspector Gadget
1985	Feature-length clay-animated film	The Adventures of Mark Twain
1988	First feature film to have live-action and cartoon animation share the screen for the entire film	Who Framed Roger Rabbit
1989	TV cartoon to be broadcast in Dolby Surround sound.	Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration
1990	First computer-animated feature (produced without a camera) Feature film using digital ink and paint	The Rescuers Down Under	First feature film completely produced with Disney's Computer Animation Production System
1991	First animated film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture	Beauty and the Beast	As of 2023, no animated film has won the Best Picture Oscar yet.
1993	CGI-animated series	VeggieTales	Christian animated series released on home video
1994	CGI-animated series for television	Insektors
1995	First "3D" style (wire-frame) computer-animated feature First CGI and G-rated Pixar CGI feature film	Toy Story
	Animated television series to be broadcast in Dolby Surround	Pinky and the Brain
1996	First entirely CGI feature film (without using rotoscopy)	Cassiopéia	Released 3 months after Toy Story, this Brazilian film does not use anything that was not created within CGI software
1997	First animated series produced for the Internet[20] Animated series	The Goddamn George Liquor Program
1998	PG-rated CGI animated film	Antz
1999	First animated IMAX feature	Fantasia 2000
2001	Motion-capture animation PG-13-rated CGI animated film	Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
	First Academy Award for Best Animated Feature	Shrek	Monsters, Inc. and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius were also nominated.
2002	First Flash-animated television series	¡Mucha Lucha!
2003	First Flash-animated film	Wizards and Giants
2004	Cel-shaded animation	Appleseed
	First primetime CGI-animated sitcom First animated series to entirely use feature film quality CGI	Father of the Pride
	First motion capture animated movie	The Polar Express
2005	Feature shot with digital still cameras	Corpse Bride
2007	Feature digitally animated by one person	Flatland
	Presented in 7.1 surround sound	Ultimate Avengers	Blu-ray release
2008	Feature film designed, created and released exclusively in 3D	Fly Me to the Moon
2009	Stop-motion character animated using rapid prototyping	Coraline
	First feature film directly produced in stereoscopic 3D rather than converted in 3D after completion using InTru3D	Monsters vs. Aliens
2010	Feature film released theatrically in 7.1 surround sound	Toy Story 3
2012	Stop-motion film to use color 3-D printing technology for models	ParaNorman
2016	First R-rated 3D computer-animated film	Sausage Party
2017	First fully-painted animated feature film	Loving Vincent	75% of animated using paint and brush to canvas in present after van Gogh's death, while the other 25% also animated using paint and brush through rotoscoping.[21]
2022	Animated feature film to aspect ratio opened up in IMAX	Lightyear	It opened up from 2.39:1 to 1.43:1 for select sequences of the film.[9]
2023	First silent, non-narrative and fully-developed RPG Maker animated feature film	Distortion	The film is entirely non-narrative without the use of story and dialogue, only multiple scenes dissolve each other, one-by-one; all scenes from RPG Maker MV as a test demo shot in Bandicam.
2024	First animated feature film made completely with AI First anime feature film made completely with AI	DreadClub: Vampire's Verdict	All visuals, performances, sound, music, and animation are AI. July 2024.[22]
	First AI-augmented CGI animated feature film	Where The Robots Grow	First film to utilize AI tools with traditional CGI and motion capture techniques, October 2024.
	Animated series with IMAX aspect ratio	Max & the Midknights	Opened from 2.39:1 to 1.43:1 for select sequences.
	First Pixar feature film to feature hand-drawn characters.	Inside Out 2	Currently 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. It featured Bloofy and Pouchy as hand-drawn characters in a computer-animated Pixar film.
	First animated feature film converted from planned TV series.	Moana 2	Originally planned as Disney+ series, converted to film due to first film's 2023 streaming success.

Box office records

Year	Milestone	Film	Notes
1992	First animated feature to earn $500 million worldwide[23]	Aladdin
1994	First animated feature to earn $750 million worldwide[24]	The Lion King
2010	First animated feature to earn $1 billion worldwide[25]	Toy Story 3	It is currently the highest-grossing G-rated film from 2010 to 2019, only to be surpassed by another sequel, Toy Story 4.
2013	First animated feature to earn $1.25 billion worldwide	Frozen
2019	First animated feature to earn $1.5 billion worldwide	The 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.[26] Other sources deemed it to be animated based on specified criteria.[27]
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.[28] It only occurs an non-American animated film to topped the global box office for five years.
2024	First animated feature film to earn $1.6 billion worldwide.	Inside Out 2	Currently 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 weekend.	Moana 2	It 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 2	It earned $2 billion in China and worldwide and is currently the highest-grossing animated feature film of all time.

See also

• History of animation