Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen remains a titan in visual effect as his stop motion animation work set the big screen alight during his forty year career.
Through his special effects work he created some of the most iconic and memorable moments in cinema.
To celebrate the release of DVD Ray Harryhausen - Special Effects Titan we take a look at some of his most famous films.
- Jason and the Argonauts
If there is one Ray Harryhausen film moment that really stands out for a lot of fans then it is the skeleton army in Jason and the Argonauts.
Released way back in 1963 Jason and the Argonauts was a triumph from a technical perspective as they brought to the screen some ground breaking special effects.
Harryhausen's stop-motion scenes and the use of miniatures was pioneering for the time and inspired a generation of filmmakers.
The movie was directed by Don Chaffey and followed Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece.
Click here to buy Jason and the Argonauts on DVD
- Clash of the Titans
Clash of the Titans was released back in 1981 and Harryhausen returned soon after the movie was released.
By the time that this film was released stop motion animation was falling out of favour and it is really one of the last movies to use this technique for creating special effects.
Once again Harryhausen used stop motion animation to create the various creatures that feature in the film - none is more famous than Medusa and the Kraken.
This is perhaps one of the most complicated animations that Harryhausen did during his special effects career as he bowed out with a bang.
Click here to buy Clash of the Titans on DVD
- Sinbad Trilogy
Over nearly a twenty year period Harryhausen made three Sinbad movies and the first came in 1958.
This was his first film in colour and it took him a whopping eleven months to complete the animation sequences for the film.
For the film he created characters such as Cyclops and the cobra-woman all using stop motion animation technique called Dynamation.
The film was directed by Nathan H. Juran and saw Kerwin Mathews in the title role.
In 1974 he worked on The Golden Voyage of Sinbad - which was the best of his three Sinbad movies.
The movie saw him team up with director Gordon Hessler as he created some of his best characters of the trilogy of films - including the Griffin and centaur.
His work with Sinbad came to a close in 1977 with Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger - the third and final film.
In terms of plot and story this is perhaps the weakest of the three but Harryhausen's creations remain some of the most memorable moments in the film.
The giant Neanderthal man was supposed to appear in the second film but was instead pushed back for this. But one of the most memorable scenes in the film is that of Sinbad doing battle with a huge walrus on the ice.
- Mighty Joe Young
Mighty Joe Young was released back in 1949 and was the first film project for Harryhausen - he was brought on board by animator Willis O'Brien.
While O'Brien was supposed to do much of the work on the film it fell to Harryhausen after O'Brien dealt with other production problems.
This movie came hot off the heels of the success of King Kong but the animation was more sophisticated this time around and the models that were created were able to do more.
Mighty Joe Young was recognised by the Academy as it won the Best Visual Effects Oscar and really announced Harryhausen's film arrival.
Click here to buy Mighty Joe Young on DVD
Other terrific Ray Harryhausen projects include Mysterious Island, One Million Years B.C. and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.
Ray Harryhausen is as celebrated today for his work as it was at the height of his career. He was a trail blazer and a pioneer and influenced a generation of filmmakers that came after him.
Ray Harryhausen - Special Effects Titan DVD is out now.
Tagged in Clash of the Titans