This article is about 2000s decade in film.
Thousands of full-length films were produced during the first decade of the 21st Century. Building on developments in the 1990s, computers are used to create effects that would have previously been more expensive, from the subtle erasing of surrounding islands in Cast Away (leaving Tom Hanks' character stranded with no other land in sight) to the spectacular battle scenes such as those in Gladiator, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Matrix and 300.
In addition, film genres not known for their popular appeal in North America became increasingly attractive to filmgoers: films in foreign languages like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Passion of the Christ and Letters from Iwo Jima; and documentary films like An Inconvenient Truth, March of the Penguins, Super Size Me, and Fahrenheit 9/11, became very successful.
Also gaining popularity was the use of Computer-generated imagery (CGI) to produce films. These types of films were originally seen in the 1990s with the likes of Toy Story and its sequel Toy Story 2, but CGI films became more popular in 2001 with the release of Shrek. Other popular CGI films include Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc. and Ratatouille. In addition, Up became the second animated feature ever to receive an Oscar nomination for The Best Picture.