Landmark animated movies

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1938
The first full length, colour, animated feature released in threatres, this film truly launched animated films as we know them. It was also among the first to include humans as animated characters.

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Pinocchio, 1940
With stunning effects all done by hand, this film was an early attempt to appeal to both adults and children, with dark moments and tough life lessons.

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Bambi, 1942
Walt Disney went in search of realism for this film. While Bambi pre-production began in 1936, it wasn�t released for six years, and was a pioneer in its portrayal of the lives of animals.

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988
It won Oscars for sound effects editing, visual effects and film editing, and also took home a special achievement award for animation direction and creation of the cartoon characters, among other accolades. The combination of live action and animation remains a feat that is admired to this day.

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Beauty and the Beast, 1991
One of the first 2D movies to incorporate 3D technologies, this film truly blended traditional and computer animation and marked the resurgence of Disney animation. The Oscar winner also remains one of the only animated film to be nominated for Best Picture.

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The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993
This stop-motion animation film was based on a three page poem by Tim Burton, and was one of the originals to mark the resurgence of this genre of filmmaking.

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The Lion King, 1994
The movie was a culminating achievement for Disney in the 1990s, and both 2D and 3D technology were used to give the sweeping vistas in the film depth and life.

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Toy Story, 1995
The first completely 3D animated feature, the wildly popular film put Pixar on the map, and spurred other studios to join the march towards 3D.

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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, 2001
Widely considered to have some of the most exciting CGI characters to hit the screen, this little-known video game adaptation further blurred the line between CGI and live-action characters.

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Shrek, 2001
The heart-warming tale of a green ogre put DreamWorks on the animation map in 2001. It also featured an incredible array of unique locations for a computer-animated movie, more than any other film at the time.

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Finding Nemo, 2003
3D technology was used to enhance the brilliant colours of the undersea world in this box office blockbuster that once boasted the highest grossing opening weekend for an animated movie.

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WALL-E, 2008
This film, which has a lengthy opening with no dialogue, was considered a big risk for the studio, and was among the most complex it has undertaken. The creators had to find ways to express emotions without words.