There’s a pretty good chance that your kids (if you’re lucky enough to have one or a bunch) are well aware of the Harryhausen name. The special effects and stop-motion pioneer was honoured in Pixar’s Monsters Inc. when Mike and Celia go on a date to Harryhausen’s restaurant. With a little tribute like that, in an animated kids movie, it says it all really.
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen was born on the 29th June 1920 and had a passion for all things dinosaurs and fantasy. Barely five years old, Ray was brought to the cinema to see The Lost World in 1925 and it was there that his future career and passion would ignite. In 1933, that passion exploded within him when he saw King Kong. That version, in my opinion, is the best Kong that is available to watch and the charm contained within, is breath taking. It was Kong that propelled Ray into seeking some answers on how these amazing creations came to life. And the rest as they say is history.
My first experience with Ray Harryhausen’s was Jason and the Argonauts, and the scene that stuck out in my mind, and still does today was that incredible battle with the skeletons. That particular sequence took over four months to photograph and estimations reckon that Ray executed a whopping 184, 400 movements.
The one thing that struck me and has always struck me with Harryhausen’s work is the charm and personality that each of his creations had. The mannerisms and subtleties were simply incredible. And it all comes down to his incredible passion for what he loved. For anybody that has ever seen the 1933 version of King Kong, you’ll know exactly the inspiration Harryhausen took from it. Not only that though, it took an immense amount of skill and passion to equal and better what Willis O’Brien had created all those years previous.
His influence can be seen in countless movies time and time again and the likes of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson and George Lucas all credit the pioneer with providing inspiration. Lucas himself said today “Without Ray Harryhausen, there would likely have been no Star Wars."
Ray Harryhausen once said “I'm very happy that so many young fans have told me that my films have changed their lives. That's a great compliment. It means I did more than just make entertaining films. I actually touched people's lives -- and, I hope, changed them for the better”
That you have Sir, that you have. Rest in peace.
