The document traces the history of 3D animation from its early pioneers like William Fetter who created 3D models for Boeing in the 1960s, to major milestones like Futureworld in 1976 being the first feature film to use CGI, and Toy Story in 1995 being the first fully computer animated feature film. It highlights influential people like Edwin Catmull who contributed to many advances in computer graphics and became president of Pixar, and how films like Star Wars, Tron, Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park revolutionized visual effects through groundbreaking 3D animation techniques.