Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story (1995) pioneered fully computer-animated filmmaking with 400,000 frames of digital rendering, launching a cinematic revolution that remains 30% cheaper per minute than traditional cel animation. Its witty script and genuine emotional depth proved CGI could rival any medium, outperforming #5 Princess Mononoke's hand-drawn approach in box office efficiency—earning $394 million on a $30 million budget. The film's revolutionary RenderMan software, still used today, gave Woody's pull-string a tactile realism that beat the average animated character's stiffness. Randy Newman's score and Tom Hanks' voice anchored a narrative where toys' fear of obsolescence mirrored human anxieties, a nuanced theme that predates #8 Ratatouille's artistic critique by 12 years.