Generations of children were introduced to the magic and fantasy of cinema by one man. And among those inspired were some of the biggest names working in Hollywood — Spielberg, Jackson, Lucas and Cameron. Ray Harryhausen, the genius of stop-motion animation, is a unique talent who helped to shape the path of action cinema. To mark his 90th birthday, we pick his finest moments. All films available on DVD.
The skeleton battle (Jason and the Argonauts, 1963) Three men do battle with seven animated skeletons — the logistics are mind boggling. Harryhausen, who worked alone, produced less than a second’s footage a day. The skeletons have proved to be among the most popular of Harryhausen’s creations, so whenever he makes a public appearance he travels with one of them in a specially made coffin-shaped carry-case.
Medusa (Clash of the Titans, 1981) Another of Harryhausen’s greatest technical challenges was Medusa, a fearsome creature with the torso of a woman, a reptilian tail and a head covered in individually animated snakes. There were 24 separate movements on the head alone — so Medusa proved to be something of a memory test, particularly if Harryhausen had to leave his desk to answer the call of nature.
Cyclops (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 1958) With his goat legs, cloven hooves and voracious appetite for stray sailors, Cyclops is a perennial favourite with fans, and with Harryhausen himself. The best sequence comes when Cyclops decides to fire up a barbecue and roast a sailor for lunch. He pulls up a stool and licks his lips in anticipation. This proved to be too much for the UK censors, who cut the scene, fearing that it would scare children — which was kind of the point, surely?
Giant octopus (It Came from Beneath the Sea, 1955) The monstrous cephalopod wrought havoc on the San Francisco Bay Area, smashing the Golden Gate Bridge and snapping the harbour clock tower as if it were a biscuit. Because of budgetary constraints the customary eight legs were deemed to be too expensive so Harryhausen had to dispense with two, making the octopus a “sextopus”.
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Giant gorilla (Mighty Joe Young, 1949) Harryhausen’s first job on a film came courtesy of his childhood hero, Willis O’Brien (King Kong). O’Brien supervised but the young Harryhausen did most of the animation, including a memorable scene in which Joe the gorilla gets drunk and rampages through a nightclub. The effects won an Oscar.