Top 10 Things We Thought Were CGI But Weren't

Look closer, because your eyes may be deceiving you. For this list, we’ll be looking at various movie special effects that we thought were CGI but were actually done practically. Our countdown includes “Spider-Man”, "Jurassic Park", “Inception”, and more! Were you fooled by any of these? Let us know in the comments below!
Watch more great CGI videos here:
Top 20 Worst CGI Movie Effects of All Time: • Top 20 Worst CGI Movie...
Top 20 Worst CGI Effects in Superhero Movies: • Top 20 Worst CGI Effec...
Top 10 Scariest CGI Movie Monsters: • Top 10 Scariest CGI Mo...
Test your Trivia Power!
www.watchmojo....
Have Your Idea Become A Video!
wmojo.com/suggest
Subscribe for more great content!
wmojo.com/watc...
Visit WatchMojo Club for Great Deals!
wmojo.com/Watc...
Your trusted authority for Top 10 lists, reviews, tips and tricks, biographies, origins, and entertainment news on Film, TV, Video Games, Comics, Celeb, Music and Superheroes.
#CGI
#PracticalEffects
#Movies
#SpecialEffects
#Effects
#Digital
#Computer
#Film
#Action
#SciFi

[@WatchMojo]

Were you fooled by any of these? Let us know in the comments below! For more CGI content, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWmvfJeumrOYaNU

[@TCCGRACE777]

Hi plz reply it will make my day

[@h.d.5194]

I'm gonna put some dirt in your eye

[@TCCGRACE777]

@@h.d.5194 What do you mean

[@h.d.5194]

@@TCCGRACE777 I was talking to watchmojo

[@maestromike91971]

The person posing as your company is back. Or it’s an organization? He leaves people messages and tells them they won a prize and to contact them to get it.

[@CCEnby85]

One of my favourite none-CGI moments is fairly simple but well done, and that was Bucky’s chase scene from Captain America Civil War. Props to the stunt team.

[@oldkitten8598]

That scene alone is worth the price of admission. SO much action took place between Bucky's apartment and the tunnel. The part when Bucky took the motorcycle from someone that was still riding it makes me geek out every time.

[@A_Turner]

That "magic carpet" they used was truly innovative, and gave a great final scene

[@CCEnby85]

@@A_Turner Yeah!

[@MKF30]

Surprised they didn't include The Dark Knight Rises, the opening plane scenes were real and in the air, which is nuts. That was far more impressive than the Iron Man scene honestly because of the multiple planes guys actually doing those insane stunts from plane to plane. Also, Nolan in TDK that entire truck chase sequence along with Batman taking out Joker's truck was all real, not CGI.

[@h.d.5194]

They could have made a top 10 list for just Christopher Nolan movies alone

[@h.d.5194]

@Mr Magician junior yeah but it's such an insane stunt that you would naturally be doubtful that it's real even if it looks it. Just like the avalanche scene in inception I thought they wouldn't actually trigger one for real would they

[@somegeekguy]

Exactly And what about mission impossible fallout scene

[@somegeekguy]

@Mr Magician junior facts idk why they didn’t have it tho lol that fallout scene was the most impressive stunt though. And the water one in rogue nation.

[@somegeekguy]

@Mr Magician junior yeah so maybe 1 scene on here would be nice with him. That’s like saying obviously Christopher Nolan uses a lot of practical effects which is true so why just have inception in here when he has TDK rises plane scene which I think is more impressive than Iron man 3, and even dunkirk has some amazing practical stuff.

[@tullochmacdonald4245]

Bill Skarsgard also worked with a contortionist so that the refrigerator scene would be more realistic. It was. Just a thought--practical affects don't always work either. A balanced and well-done mix can make a movie that much better.

[@stacys8729]

Loved this list! And i find practical effects amazing. Like in Terminater 2 with the mirrors and removing the chip from the terminator. Or Lord of the Rings with how the hobbits are smaller, perspective shots I think it's called.

[@mojo3318]

I enjoyed the video. I've seen "Spiderman", "Jurassic Park", and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and didn't know about CGI! It's scary how Pennywise can move one eye, how the boy could contort, and how there was a demon inside him! I got scared when Pennywise took a bite!

[@MadeofSteel6896]

The CGI in Jurassic Park is still considered masterful work and was ahead of it's time. I feel it has only aged a little. Only a little though. It is still considered it at par with modern CGI.

[@trevorbrown6654]

The tube train crashing into the room towards 007 in Skyfall was a practical effect too. The terminator head being shot at point blank and being split in half in T2 has me confused though as I can't see how it can be done practically without some element of CGI involved.

[@setcheck67]

It's a jump cut where his body gets replaced with a fake one. I saw the prop in the extras of the DVD.

[@ScarysReviews]

the T-1000 split head was real, you can see the seam at the back, when the gun goes off, the puppetteer set the head to split, then when it reforms, it's cgi.

[@Miss_SkiPp_8812]

Was gonna say pretty much what they're already saying, the behind the scenes look is literally on KZbin. You can 100% look it up.

[@freddrog4689]

its hilarious if you can pause it the moment before the gunshot, his head looks massive and deformed before anything happens to it. around 11:36

[@victorhinojosa7370]

To be honest almost all of them, I never thought of them to be CGI

[@Kinseliplier]

How? They all clearly are impossible for most people.

[@mattsouth9531]

Almost but then the lies that we’re told about the conjuring 3….like are we blind and not knowing what fabric or skin look like?

[@Kinseliplier]

@@mattsouth9531 wdym? There was clearly a lot of cgi in conjuring 3 especially with the Valak Nun Character.

[@mattsouth9531]

@@Kinseliplier yeah I’m saying that there is, while this list said that this kid was mostly practical when it wasn’t. It shouldn’t be on this list is my point

[@Kinseliplier]

@@mattsouth9531 yeah it was. He was clearly practical. They said he was a contortionist and he also had a contortionist stand in. So the only cgi would be on the demonic look on his face, and the editing of his voice.

[@trinaq]

I was so impressed when I learned that the spinning hallway in "Inception" was a practical effect. It must have made the actors dizzy to film it, though!

[@linda10989]

The awesome score by Hans Zimmer still gives me goosebumps all these years later!

[@h.d.5194]

Nolan is determined to do things practical and it makes scenes timeless. Also the avalanche "kick" and even the scene where the room restaurant room tilts were all real. It's worth doing it for real because theres that more to love about his films

[@ShirleyABurton]

I knew about Skarsgard's lazy eye as the first movie came out. That's amazing as he saved some serious money on special effects for both movies.

[@BX138]

I heard the only CGI used in Fury Road was to pretty up the backgrounds, Furiosa's prosthetic arm and to remove the wires for the stunt guys

[@SensationalBanana]

... I'm even more scared of Pennywise now. Thanks for that.

[@olvialee7221]

Not CGI for sure but awesome. Nice moves, Tobey

[@LeonardoKlotz]

Gotta appreciate a movie that gives priority to practical effects

[@LeonardoKlotz]

This is what's been missing in the MCU nowadays The CGI is so excessive that anything can break the suspension of disbelief

[@Soraviel]

Lel 👀

[@Zooted504]

Go watch Kick Ass if you are looking for realism in superhero movies

[@TheWarmachine375]

0:48 Chad Parker's Flexing Moment

[@ShadowSora8491]

It's amazing what movie makers can pull off using practical effects

[@TheWarmachine375]

0:01 Edge of Tommorow - a really good adaptation of "ALL YOU NEED IS KILL" light novel.

[@24kRobot]

The Independence Day miniatures with the flame shooting up is my favorite practical effect. Edge of Tomorrow is super underrated, too. That is a great sci-fi flick!!

[@henri191]

Here imagining Maguire doing the "food catch" so many times until done it and if it's possible do the same thing at home

[@adad87821]

can you imagine the reaction if kristen messed up her line after he finally gets it perfect

[@trippyboi91]

I WISH y’all would have shouted out Nightmare on Elm Street rather than Inception. That scene STILL gives me chills and I find it more effective cause it comes at a time where you don’t know the rules of the film. With Inception, we’re used to how things are by that point imo so it honestly becomes less cool.

[@ZaraTGgirl]

The eye thing: my dad and I can both do that. We can also hold one eye in place, no movement at all, and spin the other eye in any direction. My dad can do it faster than I, but it makes me dizzy when I try to spin my eye faster. It can hurt. My dad says it doesn't. But I have eye problems, so my pain stems from that.

[@shadysidesmoke]

That's wild

[@MKF30]

I can just cross my eyes and make my eyes white looking up or down(most people don't look down but up naturally regardless if it's a natural reason or acting but I can look down if I want but if I do it too much hurts my eyes a little. But yeah the fact that Bill can do that is pretty wild, in an interview I saw him do it and it freaked out the audience haha

[@prathameshbhonkhade7801]

It may be a eye disorder

[@crystalheart9108]

That's super cool!

[@sadie9728]

I can do it too; it's called a lazy eye. Some people have more control over their janky eye than others but you usually have vision issues (as the brain shuts off information from that eye) unless it's addressed early.

[@j.h.6081]

It's crazy what the movie industry managed to do with CGI in the 90s. It looked so good in Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, and Independence Day. I don't know what happened, but CGI seems to look less realistic now IMO.

[@KirbyZilla]

That's because they had balanced cgi

[@IrishCat04]

The giant spinning hallway will forever be a spectacle, whether you like the film or not

[@ShadowSora8491]

That was such an awesome scene, and I'm so glad they used a spinning hallway, rather than CGI

[@19Alice96]

I knew JP was animatronics, still amazes me today how amazing it looks

[@crimsoncrusader518]

Another example of non cgi effects are in, and I’ll say it, Charlie and the chocolate factory, they actually made sure to not use cgi as much as possible in that movie. They even made the chocolate River without cg.

[@olvialee7221]

Like wow. I didn’t know that. Still creepy to go out with a great horror beginning.

[@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom]

I remember when Force Awakens trailer was 1st released, when BB8 showed up, people immediately trashed its "CGI", not knowing it's a prop.

[@nighmeansnear]

I believe that 6:49 is quite famously a CGI shot. A historically significant one I think. There was a Corridor Crew about it.

[@brandoncruise6398]

The scene where you see the entirety of the T-Rex walking out of the paddock was CGI. Every scene where it destroys a vehicle was robotic.

[@nighmeansnear]

@@brandoncruise6398 You mean the specific shot I time-stamped?

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

They went full anime with Edge of Tomorrow and made practical Mechsuits, and I am all for it.

[@olvialee7221]

I feel like the actor from Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. He thought the animals were real and I thought all of this was real

[@nightponyinrface6009]

5:32 . . . Holy shit. So that kid's body shifting in that movie was NOT, CGI ?!

[@datsapaddlin]

All these scenes looks better than most CGI

[@timdatanuki2375]

The plane crash scene from Tenet was done practically, with a decommissioned 747 being used.

[@jerkmeoff64]

Nerd

[@kidz4p509]

How did they get their hands on a decommissioned 747?

[@nubnitwit]

@@kidz4p509 well, some guys have a lot of money

[@daisaq]

@@kidz4p509 they bought it and it was way cheaper than CGI or building miniature.

[@kidz4p509]

@@nubnitwit Considering the prices of planes, that would’ve taken a huge chunk in the budget.

[@joenesvick7043]

They called the Lion King remake "live action" when all the characters are CGI, none of the animals are real, that would be good for the opposite of this list lol 😝 A lot of people think the Xenomorph in David Fincher's Alien 3 is CGI, but the bonus materials would tell you otherwise. People tend to hate that movie just for killing off Newt when Carrie Henn was retired anyway, but at least Hicks survived according to a video game people hate and I never played (but surely that's the game's redeeming factor right). That Assembly Cut sure was something special, but many will only judge the theatrical version like they tend to do so many times I got the director's cut of ID4 and the extended special edition of T2 on blu ray. I'm still waiting for the next Mad Max, so when does it come out 🤔

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

@Joe Nesvick SHUT THE DOOR! Animals can speak. They just haven't much to say to humans, which is the reason that 2,642 years ago, they elected cats to be the communications representatives for the non-human collective community. Obviously, they chose wisely. 🐱

[@oldskoolrasleingfan]

Honorable mention Terminator II - Removing the cpu. No cgi was used while removing the cpu from the T-800 they removed the mirror & had a rear view of Linda Hamilton's twin sister Leslie Hamilton with a dummy of Arnold on one side, while in the mirror's reflection was Linda Hamilton with Arnold facing the camera

[@joheljimenez696]

I known that the actor that plays penny wise was very attractive man but knowing he could make his eyes go on side now that's talent bravo to the actors for not using CGI

[@maddog6620]

Super cool 😎 video

[@Thelodis]

Also from Spider-man, the scene where Peter realizes his powers and star jumping between buildings isn't CGI either. He's actually jumping between buildings, it just took over 150 tries for him before he could jump far enough.

[@corymorimacori1059]

1:44 “You’re a sewer troll that Steven king wrote between his lines.” Joker

[@cssfbruno]

ERB for the win!

[@corymorimacori1059]

11:36 “Freeze! I suggest you use the right to remain silent, before I show your gobot a** some Detroit violence.” Robocop

[@TheWickedLep]

Whatever you say X-wing commander

[@grahamcann1761]

Honorable mention: James Bond's Lotus Esprit Submarine. As I recall there were several models used for the film. In the 70s, at a car show, I actually got to sit in a version used for underwater filming. It was all rollbars and wires on the inside, with just the exterior used for filming. As always thank you so very much for the video.

[@gabrieldiaz9095]

I don’t get why most movies never use miniature sets looks amazing

[@staticlegend354]

OGS would know they changed the thumbnail from Peter Parker to Pennywise.

[@salvatorecorleone1008]

Wait wait wait… you mean that black and white explosion over Japan in the 1940s wasn’t CGI? That’s incredible! 😂

[@cadeevans4623]

Awesome video love cgi great scenes their better than actual cgi

[@Kinosho_Kawakami]

i'm glad more and more movies are returning to using practical effects. hopefully they never stop using them and rather improve on them instead.

[@TheRealSolidSnake]

Any highlight of any mission impossible or any other movie starring Tom Cruise? Burj Khalifa, Halo Jump, Helicopter Fight, Knife in the Eye (MI:2), Deep Dive holding breath for nearly an eternity? I think he needs his personal top 10 stunts video

[@TheRealSolidSnake]

Damn WatchMojo my bad you’ve already made a recent top 20, thought u only had the one from 4 years ago, gj

[@Crewgasm]

You arent going to explain how the terminator was not CGI? or did they just blast his head open

[@erictalbert4633]

I was fooled I thought most of these were CGI. They did a great job on these

[@rmannayr2129]

WOW IT'S REAL!

[@nathanielpreston5377]

In Spider-Man (2002) some of the Green Goblin flight scenes were CGI but most of it was Willem Dafoe doing 90% of his own stunts. In Spider-Man 2 Doc Ock's mechanical arms weren't CGI, they were puppets.

[@nellurban7826]

just to give some credit where it's due, Margaret Sixel was the one who edited Mad Max Fury Road

[@micah4029]

Yup, and George Miller wanted her to do it because she had never edited an action movie before, and so Fury Road wouldn't look like every other action movie.

[@davidfisher8870]

Talk about the practical effects dinosaurs but shows the CGI versions...

[@TheWarmachine375]

Did you know that during filming, Bill Hader approached Bill Skarsgård in full Pennywise costume and make-up and asked how they achieved the effect of Pennywise's eyes moving in different directions? Only to learn that it is not an effect; Skarsgard can actually do that. His response: "Oh, you mean this?" And Hader completely freaked out when he saw it up close.

[@JX1804]

Guess you didn't watch the whole clip, yet 😕

[@TheAllSeeingEye2468]

Practical effects will always trump cgi any day

[@thebadger7043]

The dark knight truck flip and dark knight rises plane scene was quite impressive they were done practical

[@stephenchase2537]

"Spider-Man" (2002) should be number 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Ecl1pse09]

You could literally make an entire list out of Christopher Nolan’s movie Breaking News: movie director, Christopher Nolan, drop an actual A-bomb for his movie, Oppherheimer.

[@asmaashospitality1498]

Thank you for this video

[@revitalizationprod]

For a long time, I thought the opening disaster in Final Destination 4 was cgi because of how digital it looked. They had a real car, on real fire, drive down a green screen track and into a pillar and dummy.

[@leesashriber5097]

These were super interesting! Thank you!! 😊

[@Vampiricspektor2]

ano baka!!!!!! telling us the behind the scenes secrets behind the films i love....TAKES ALL THE FUN OUT OF THE DAMN MOVIES i love!

[@maddog6620]

You are awesome 😎

[@marcjameswhelan]

Spam much ?

[@trcslythriller1128]

The con pods from pacific rim were all practical effects, they pretty much made a room that could drop a story and could spew water everywhere

[@maddog6620]

Yes I was fooled by The Spider-Man food catch

[@beastbendyzilla8998]

You forgot Godzilla against mechagodzilla (2003)

[@sadalien9049]

I think the main reason Jurassic Park is still a really good, beloved movie and not corny is because of the animatronics. ❤

[@BlackBlood3K]

With the Pennywise eye thing I can actually do that and really well.

[@shaliseshaw9385]

Top 10 More Animals That Are Dangerous, Top 10 Deleted Disney Songs, Top 10 Worst Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends Episodes, Top 10 Disney Channel Shows We Miss, Top 10 Music Informercials, Top 10 More Animated Disney Movies That Don't Need The Remake Treatment, Top 10 Horror Movie Remakes That We're Unnecessary, etc. 🎥🎥🎬🎬🎬📺

[@aaronbarrea8922]

I remembered where in Goosebumps, the garbadged version of Madison has no CGI with the frozen people mannequins.

[@RedDadRedemption]

This blew my mind. The horse is awesome.

[@dipenchavda6988]

I couldn;t have imagined thhat iron man 3 scene was filmed for real by stunt performers, WTF.

[@rmannayr2129]

THAT'S NOT CGI!

[@cooperbourke7717]

I forgot about that scene from Iron Man 3. One of the MCU's most underrated films.

[@mlggamer5296]

Oh wow so they essentially made a zombie horse real I would have never known because I haven't seen the movie yet. It's a smart way of doing it

[@Naruto0s44]

You guys forgot the skydiving scene in Transformers 3 because those were real skydivers

[@marcomacias3960]

i wonder what about the helicopter at the end of Sudden Death? they said they actually drop a chopper down an arena. i thought it looked either CGI or miniature, but it turn out to be real.

[@cari_esta]

I'm glad no dinosaurs were harmed when filming JP franchise.

[@freddrog4689]

Buster Keaton: 'aw that's cute'

[@CodyFairlessLee]

I like INDEPENDENCE DAY and I love Tobey Maguire’s SPIDER-MAN trilogy, EDGE OF TOMORROW, JURASSIC PARK, and INCEPTION!

[@chelseacanales8763]

Bill actually show how to do the eye trick in the interview and *shutter* creepy good and the lip thing as well.

[@NCTStudio]

Well, Nolan has done it again with the upcoming Oppenheimer movie, having made nuclear explosions practically instead of CGI-ing them

[@myborgrs8846]

I love Wayne Knights scene in Jurassic Park, "Ah no wonder you're extinct, I'm gonna run you over on my way back down!"

[@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom]

That plane scene in IM3 is underrated.

[@SipheDlamini]

What about the aliens 👾 from the horror movie "the thing"? 🤔

[@davidchism6081]

I knew number 8 already. Hello boys, I'm **BBBAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

[@bennymora3086]

In #9, the character Dean appears to have a lazy eye, like Pennywise. Does the kid also has the ability to do that eye movement like Bill Skarsgård?👀🤡

[@MADBD619]

Oh, CGI Animation. Looks what you made us do!

[@davidanderson_surrey_bc]

I'll always be amazed at how they got a Boeing jet to hang off the side of Tom Cruise.

[@systemshocker2875]

2:22 DAMN!!!

[@videogamelover2006]

My Favorite was Bill Skarsgårds eyes

[@LeonardoKlotz]

PRACTICAL EFFECTS BEFORE CGI That's my motto

[@Reaperguy67]

Well said. I do argree with you

[@valtheemokid4005]

Actually it should be a mixture

[@h.d.5194]

@@valtheemokid4005 only if it isn't possible/ way too expensive to do for real

[@valtheemokid4005]

I can do Pennywise's eye on command or randomly. It's cool to creep out your friends but sometimes it messes with my vison lol

[@equusquaggaquagga536]

Enchanted - the mice in the happy working song were not cgi but the toiletries on their heads were

[@josiemarie3202]

I can make my eyes do the same thing, it always freaks people out. when I was younger I done it so much, they kept saying that my eyes would stick like that lol

[@davidle4936]

Not a surprise to me anymore!

[@Snowwinterie]

number 8 if any of you watched movie magic on discovery channel you would know that it was model buildings

[@caetmoniza8907]

Honorable Mention also goes to Squirrels from “Charlie and the Chocolate factory” (2005). At that time, most people believed that the squirrels there are CGI before more information about this was shown