Movies and TV shows that Revolutionized special effects
by pgrass13 | created - 28 Mar 2012 | updated - 21 Feb 2014 | PublicThese are the movies that originated or revolutionized effects or methods that had not been used effectively before.
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1. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
TV-G | 13 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet
Votes: 55,661
Most successful early film and was innovative for its time.
2. The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ (1903)
45 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Jesus Christ from the proclamation of his Nativity to his crucifixion. Impressive scenes and dynamism of the actors prelude to the Italian colossal movies of the silent period.
Directors: Lucien Nonguet, Ferdinand Zecca | Stars: Madame Moreau, Monsieur Moreau
Votes: 671
Earliest know color short
3. A Sculptor's Welsh Rabbit Dream (1908)
Short
Sculptor dreams of fantastic dream in which the genie of the lamp appears to him .
Votes: 7
First clay animation short
4. With Our King and Queen Through India (1912)
126 min | Documentary
This early color film records the Indian celebrations relating to the coronation of King George V.
Stars: King George V, Queen Mary
Votes: 37
First color film (documentary)
5. The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1914)
50 min | Crime, Drama
A crooked lawyer schemes to dispossess the heir to a baronetcy.
Director: F. Martin Thornton | Stars: Frank Esmond, Stella St. Audrie, Wellington Briggs, Charles Carter
Votes: 30
First color fiction film
6. The Photo-Drama of Creation (1914)
480 min | Documentary, Drama, History
The Photo-Drama of Creation, is a four-part Christian film produced by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. The film presents the Bible's account of God's plan from the ... See full summary »
Director: Charles Taze Russell
Votes: 295
First major film to incorporate sound.
7. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
TV-PG | 195 min | Drama, History, War
The Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper
Votes: 26,320 | Gross: $10.00M
While mostly known for its racist theme, it was revolutionary for the time.
8. The Power of Love (1922)
60 min | Drama
Because of his financial trouble, Don Almeda (Noah Beery) promises his daughter, Maria (Barbara Bedford), to Don Alvarez (Albert Prisco). But Maria does not love Don Alvarez, and, in fact, ... See full summary »
Directors: Nat G. Deverich, Harry K. Fairall | Stars: Elliott Sparling, Barbara Bedford, Noah Beery, Aileen Manning
Votes: 76
First 3D film
9. The Jazz Singer (1927)
Passed | 88 min | Drama, Music, Musical
The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer
Votes: 11,064 | Gross: $7.63M
First feature length "Talkie"
10. Flowers and Trees (1932)
Approved | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A jealous stump threatens two trees that are in love by starting a forest fire. When the rain comes and puts out the fire the forest revives and celebrates the wedding.
Director: Burt Gillett | Stars: Clarence Nash, Esther Campbell, Pinto Colvig, Marion Darlington
Votes: 3,783
The first film to use the three color technicolor process.
11. Becky Sharp (1935)
Unrated | 84 min | Drama, Romance, War
Against the backdrop of Napoleon's Waterloo campaign, an ambitious woman from a family of entertainers begins a destructive climb up the social ladder.
Director: Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Miriam Hopkins, Frances Dee, Cedric Hardwicke, Billie Burke
Votes: 1,289
First live action three layer technicolor film
12. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Approved | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
Exiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.
Directors: William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen | Stars: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne, Roy Atwell
Votes: 215,196 | Gross: $184.93M
The first full length color movie (animated) and the first full length animated film. Disney made a big risk in making the film.
13. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.
Directors: Victor Fleming, King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr
Votes: 428,191 | Gross: $2.08M
One of the first full length color movie (live action) however it is book ended in Black and White. Revolutionized a number of special effects.
14. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Passed | 238 min | Drama, Romance, War
A sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil
Votes: 333,978 | Gross: $198.68M
One of the first full length color movie (live action) that is entirely in color, came out a few months after the Wizard of Oz. The longest film up to that point (almost 4 hours)
15. Forbidden Planet (1956)
G | 98 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.
Director: Fred M. Wilcox | Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens
Votes: 53,125 | Gross: $3.00M
Used many new techniques
16. The Ten Commandments (1956)
G | 220 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
Moses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.
Director: Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson
Votes: 77,752 | Gross: $93.74M
Used a number of techniques to increase the spectacle
17. Futureworld (1976)
PG | 108 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Upon uncovering the dirty secret of futuristic theme-park Futureworld, an ex-employee is killed after he tips off two other reporters who decide to do an undercover investigation.
Director: Richard T. Heffron | Stars: Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner
Votes: 11,773 | Gross: $8.72M
First film to incorporate CGI.
18. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Votes: 1,448,100 | Gross: $322.74M
ILM had to create a bunch of new effects
19. Babylon 5 (1993–1998)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the mid 23rd century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions and various wars over the course of five years.
Stars: Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Stephen Furst, Andreas Katsulas
Votes: 34,573
First TV show to make extensive use of CGI
20. Forrest Gump (1994)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance
The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Votes: 2,253,572 | Gross: $330.25M
The effects used in this movie (ie inserting him into historic footage) had not been used effectively before then.
21. Toy Story (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.
Director: John Lasseter | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
Votes: 1,067,325 | Gross: $191.80M
First full length fully CGI animated movie
22. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
PG-13 | 166 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with consequences.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond
Votes: 695,094 | Gross: $127.51M
In the same way Forrest Gump utilized effects that hadn't been used as successfully before.
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