Harryhausen

Hello all, first off I just wanted to say that I will be taking a break next week. It is getting closer and closer to my son’s due date. With that being said, I would love to continue this fun project of blog writing, but we will see it in the next few weeks! Anyways, my wife and I have been watching a documentary series on Netflix called “Movies That Made Us”. In this series, the creators of the movie discuss the various issues of how films were made. In the “Jurassic Park” episode, they give a lot of credit to computer-generated Imagery (CGI) and stop motion. Specifically, they name-drop Ray Harryhausen.

Ray Harryhausen was a pioneer in the film industry, specifically with special effects and animation. He is credited for being the inspiration to several filmmakers such as George Lucas, John Lasseter, John Landis, Henry Selick, J.J. Abrams, and Wes Anderson. I grew up watching Star Wars, Pixar, and do enjoy Wes Anderson’s weird story telling but Harryhausen always blows films out of the water. My mom introduced me to The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, and Clash of the Titans. These films may seem hilariously dated, but they are classics due to Harryhausen’s ability to create amazing monsters or creatures with stop motion.

Aside from his accolades, Harryhausen has an interesting story. He was born in California to a German family. As a young adult, he became fascinated with science fiction and fantasy. In the 1930s, he saw the original King Kong film and wanted to do more with film. So he combined his love of science fiction, fantasy, and film. His first job in film was helping out with George Pal’s Puppetoons. When World War Two broke out, he signed up to work on films within the U.S. Army. He was one of the many men behind the camera making various training, propaganda, or event reels for both military and civilians.

In the 1950s, Harryhausen became the lead in technical effects. His first major film was The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. In this project, he was able to animate pre-shot footage over into what was being filmed. His last movie was The Clash of the Titans. After that film, he did retire but would cameo in various movies such as Elf where he voiced a stop motion bear cub. Think of it as two screens on one film playing two things simultaneously. He continued to pioneer the film industry until his death in 2013. His wife, Diana, created a foundation that helps inspiring animators get into the film industry. Many filmmakers said that Harryhausen was the King of Stop Motion and continue to sing him praises to this day.

I hope you all enjoyed this blog post, if you find anything interesting, let me know! I need ideas! Also, let me know your favorite Harryhausen movie!