Possibly one of the greatest special effects artists who ever lied passed away today. Ray Harryhausen was a big part of my childhood, and a big part of my adulthood. He influenced so many people, and in turn, he was influenced by another genius, Willis O'Brien, whose work in stop motion animation made
King Kong the classic film, and the classic character he is today. He learned at the master's side and took that art even higher. Harryhausen was one of the greats.
I can't even guess how many times I've seen
Jason and the Argonauts. I seriously think a hundred times would be a conservative guess. There's nothing by Harryhausen that I didn't love (and that includes oddities like
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and the Puppetoons), but
Jason is probably my favorite. I remember as a kid, channel 29 had the rights to it, and I never missed it when they aired it. The film is a beautiful piece of art, from start to finish, and it fueled my early love of the Greek myths.
I love the Sinbad films,
20 Million Miles to Earth,
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and
It Came from Beneath the Sea. I watch them relentlessly when they air. Harryhausen's involvement in
Beast led to a semi-rational hatred of the Godzilla films, which he felt both ripped off and cheapened his work. His statements to that effect didn't lessen my respect and awe for his work, but man oh man, it did hurt this Godzilla fan.
I was never really a fan of
Clash of the Titans, as by then, his age, and the amount of time it took to do his Dynamation, made him begin to cut corners and it just didn't look as good any more, to me at least. But then again, Harryhausen cutting corners was nothing new, as 1955's
It Came from Beneath the Sea featured a five-tentacled octopus.
None of that diminishes Harryhausen's accomplishments and my love for his films. We have lost one of the living legends of Hollywood, and a master of an animation style that may never be the same again. Ray Harryhausen will be missed.
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