The Thief of Bagdad (1924) is credited with being the first film to use a matte painting, which is a painted background that is composited with live action footage.

Ray Harryhausen is considered to be the father of modern special effects for his pioneering work in stop-motion animation, which he used to create realistic creatures and monsters for films such as The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963).

Tron (1982) was the first film to use computer-generated imagery (CGI), which is the use of computer graphics to create realistic images in a film.

King Kong (1933) won the first Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for its groundbreaking use of stop-motion animation and matte paintings.

Jurassic Park (1993) is credited with popularizing the use of CGI in mainstream cinema for its groundbreaking use of computer-generated dinosaurs.

Toy Story (1995) won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film for its groundbreaking use of computer-generated animation.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) is credited with being the first film to use motion capture technology to create realistic character animations.

Titanic (1997) won the first Academy Award for Best Visual Effects after the category was renamed from Best Special Effects for its groundbreaking use of computer-generated imagery and other visual effects.

Avatar (2009) is credited with popularizing the use of 3D technology in mainstream cinema for its groundbreaking use of 3D cameras and other 3D technology.

Geri's Game (1997) won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for its groundbreaking use of computer-generated animation.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is credited with being the first film to use a digital intermediate, which is the process of converting a film from film to digital format.

Life of Pi (2012) won the first Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for its groundbreaking use of computer-generated imagery and other visual effects.

Avatar (2009) is credited with popularizing the use of motion capture technology in mainstream cinema for its groundbreaking use of motion capture cameras and other motion capture technology.

Frozen (2013) won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film after the category was renamed from Best Animated Film for its groundbreaking use of computer-generated animation.

The Martian (2015) is credited with being the first film to use a virtual reality camera, which allowed viewers to experience the film in a 360-degree virtual reality environment.