Posted on 05/07/2013 10:06:38 AM PDT by Borges
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen Born: Los Angeles 29th June 1920 Died: London 7th May 2013.
The Harryhausen family regret to announce the death of Ray Harryhausen, Visual Effects pioneer and stop-motion model animator. He was a multi-award winner which includes a special Oscar and BAFTA. Ray’s influence on today’s film makers was enormous, with luminaries; Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, John Landis and the UK’s own Nick Park have cited Harryhausen as being the man whose work inspired their own creations.
Harryhausen’s fascination with animated models began when he first saw Willis O’Brien’s creations in KING KONG with his boyhood friend, the author Ray Bradbury in 1933, and he made his first foray into filmmaking in 1935 with home-movies that featured his youthful attempts at model animation. Over the period of the next 46 years, he made some of the genres best known movies – MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949), IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955), 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957), MYSTERIUOUS ISLAND (1961), ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966), THER VALLEY OF GWANGI (1969), three films based on the adventures of SINBAD and CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981). He is perhaps best remembered for his extraordinary animation of seven skeletons in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) which took him three months to film.
Harryhausen’s genius was in being able to bring his models alive. Whether they were prehistoric dinosaurs or mythological creatures, in Ray’s hands they were no longer puppets but became instead characters in their own right, just as important as the actors they played against and in most cases even more so.
Today The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation, a charitable Trust set up by Ray on the 10th April 1986, is devoted to the protection of Ray’s name and body of work as well as archiving, preserving and restoring Ray’s extensive Collection.
Tributes have been heaped upon Harryhausen for his work by his peers in recent years.
“Ray has been a great inspiration to us all in special visual industry. The art of his earlier films, which most of us grew up on, inspired us so much.” “Without Ray Harryhausen, there would likely have been no STAR WARS” George Lucas.
“THE LORD OF THE RINGS is my ‘Ray Harryhausen movie’. Without his life-long love of his wondrous images and storytelling it would never have been made – not by me at least” Peter Jackson
“In my mind he will always be the king of stop-motion animation” Nick Park
"His legacy of course is in good hands Because it’s carried in the DNA of so many film fans." Randy Cook
"You know I’m always saying to the guys that I work with now on computer graphics “do it like Ray Harryhausen” Phil Tippett
“What we do now digitally with computers, Ray did digitally long before but without computers. Only with his digits.” Terry Gilliam.
"His patience, his endurance have inspired so many of us." Peter Jackson
"Ray, your inspiration goes with us forever." Steven Spielberg
"I think all of us who are practioners in the arts of science fiction and fantasy movies now all feel that we’re standing on the shoulders of a giant. If not for Ray’s contribution to the collective dreamscape, we wouldn’t be who we are." James Cameron
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The world became a less adventurous place today. Thank you Mr. Harryhausen for all the popcorn I ate as a yute, and all the pleasure I’ve had watching your re-runs on TV ever since.
Seeing “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” at my little, atmospheric 1940s-vintage neighborhood theater (before it was closed down and demolished) remains a very pleasant childhood memory of mine.
‘Valley of the Gwangi’ is a personal favorite.
R.I.P.
Your magnificent innovations greatly brightened the world of film.
The music is awful but his effects shine.
Fairway, Harryhausen, man you were cool!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyvbZwPiWtQ
Trivia question, which Pixar movie paid tribute to Harryhausen, and how did they do it?
A pioneer. Never saw 20 million miles to earth though.
Monsters Inc.
The restaurant where Mike and his Schmoopsie-poo were on a date when James showed up with a duffel-full of Boo.
Winner!
Harry Hausen’s Restaurant!
And mine.
RIP.
It was the only movie Ray made with one central character. I have it on DVD and Colorized blu-ray. Great effects for 1957. I remember seeing “One Million Years BC” when it came out in 1966. I begged my dad to take me and he finally relented. The Allosaurus scene is the best!
Thank you, Mr. Harryhausen, for sharing your gift. I spent many a Saturday night watching your movies on one late night theatre after another. I’ll have to watch some of your classics today. RIP.
RIP Mr. Harryhausen.
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