I believe it was the 1986 Great Mouse Detective for the big ben part...right?
It will all depend on how you define it. If you are looking for the first time that a traditional animated Disney film used any CGI then Martin would be correct with the Black Cauldron in 1985. If you are looking for the first movie done by Disney then my answer would be correct.Well I mean disney animation in particular. I do know that tron back in 82 used it, yes
From what I remember they used a 3d wire frame akin to the trench run shown in the planning room on the moon of Yavin in Star Wars.Did 1979's The Black Hole use any or was that matte animation?
It was at the time, but it does not get the long term CGI cred that movies like Tron do.So looking at the Disney list, I think it's completely unclear.
List of Disney theatrical animated feature films - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I recently saw Black Cauldron and it was never lauded as a CG initiative.
However, B&B and Alladin were breakthrough, water-shed films toting the arrival of CGI to feature film by Disney.
It was early 1990's. This kind of CG wasn't doable on Desktop computer back then. Not just because of computing power, at that resolution (2k/4K) but also "know-how". So it really was a big deal and on all front cover of CGI World the premiere, Go-To Mag for 3D World. I may even still have the magazines.
Considering Little Mermaid was a big turn around for Disney Movie Goers and there was no CGI to talk about in that film. Then B&B ('91) and Alladin ('92) were publicized as having the "new big thing" in film making. ToyStory came out as that "Thing", the first full CGI feature. Mind you, it was not a Disney Film but a Pixar film from rejected, fired, ex-Disney animator and proponent of CG, John Lassetter.
Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.