Animation Turnaround #3: Toy Story (1995)

If there's a film that deserves the title of "Turnaround," it's Toy Story. The film completely and single-handedly changed the animation industry and its repercussions are still felt today. Just as Snow White introduced the animated feature film in 1937, Toy Story introduced a new way of making these films and now most mainstream animated films are done that way. CG animation was almost non-existent before Toy Story, mostly relegated to backgrounds, environments or creatures (for example, the stampede scene in The Lion King or the ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast), but a fully CG animated film was thought an impossible task. Not only did Toy Story prove that notion wrong, but it also launched Pixar Animation Studios, one of the most highly regarded studios in the world. Toy Story came as a breath of fresh air for audiences and was a direct answer to Disney's Broadway formula, which by that time was starting to show signs of exhaustion.

Animation Turnaround #2: Coraline (2009)

Previously: Animation Turnaround #1: Shrek (2001)

Laika made a splash in 2009 when they released their first animated film, Coraline. Done entirely in stop-motion, the film is a rarity in mainstream animation, because it's one of the few truly spooky family films that has appeared on the big screen. Based on the famous novel by Neil Gaiman, Coraline represented a rebirth for the stop-motion format and a glorious return for director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), who crafted a lovingly terrifying world and made Laika a force to be reckoned with.

Animation Turnaround #1: Shrek (2001)

Welcome to Animation Turnarounds, a new section where I will review animated films that, for one reason or another, represented a change of direction for their respective animation studios and the industry in general. Unlike the Disney Retrospectives, these reviews won't be in chronological order and will feature a variety of films from different studios and nationalities. So, join me in celebrating these films that have made a dent in the animation industry, starting right now with Shrek: