The first use of CGI in a movie came in 1973 during a scene in "Westworld."

When did CGI become popular?

Until the late 1990s CGI was used sparingly, but in 1995 Toy Story became the first full-length CG feature. With only a small team of animators, our favourite characters, from Woody to Buzz Lightyear, came to life.

Did CGI exist in the 80s?

1980s. First computer-generated model of a whole human body. ... The New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab premiered a trailer at SIGGRAPH for their CGI project. This would have been the first feature-length CGI film, but it was never completed.