The milestone was a feature-length production, not the invention of computer animation.
At a glance
Released in 1995, Toy Story was the first fully computer-animated feature film and Pixar's first feature release.
Why this matters
Computer animation existed before Woody and Buzz appeared on screen. Artists and studios had experimented with digital images and animated shorts. What made Toy Story a turning point was bringing the method through an entire theatrically released feature, with characters, environments and a story that had to hold together from beginning to end.
The Academy's collection identifies the film as Pixar's debut feature and records a Special Achievement Award alongside three Oscar nominations. Those distinctions describe separate things: a production milestone, industry recognition and the film's audience reception. None of them means the movie was the first to use computers for any animation at all.
This distinction matters when technological firsts are retold. A short proof of concept can show that something is possible. A full feature has to solve recurring production problems at scale while remaining compelling to watch. Toy Story demonstrated that a wholly computer-animated film could work as a commercial feature, which is narrower and more informative than saying it invented digital animation.
What to keep in mind
The Academy's claim is specifically about the first computer-animated feature. Earlier films and shorts used computer imagery in other ways.
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