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| Ray and his two bodyguards. |
It pains me to think that the world has lost one of the greatest visual f/x artists of all time; Ray Harryhausen was "movie magic" personified. To be certain, no one lives forever (Dick Clark proved that when he shuffled off this mortal coil just over a year ago), but it is still a shock to the system when someone you respect and love passes on. I never met Ray Harryhausen, but I've always wanted to.
Had I ever had the chance to cross paths with the once living legend, I would have feverishly shook his hand and thanked him immensely. His divine stop-motion creations unlocked my imagination, and brought me so much joy and excitement in my formative years. In a period of my life where liking monster movies, horror flicks, comic books, and anything similar was frowned upon (i.e. before it all became the norm... curse this generation!), the films that featured Harryhausen's creations were a secret safe haven for me.
Years later, I still find solace in the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor, and enjoy the wanton destruction of major landmarks in classics like IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA and EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS. It satisfies the child within me, and takes me back to a simpler time, before the full time job, and bills, and debt, and all the other day to day bullsh*t that makes up this thing called adulthood. It's also a welcome break from all the CGI-heavy films coming out these days. I'm not going to sit here and bad mouth CGI f/x artists; they work hard and their job is not as easy as "cut, paste, render, repeat" like many people think.
However, I will say that they do have to put in far less effort as Ray Harryhausen (and other visual f/x artists like him, such as his mentor, Willis O'Brien) did, because stop-motion animation is one of the most difficult and painstaking types of f/x work you could ever attempt. (I should know, I filmed a stop-motion animated Godzilla film for a high school project well over a decade ago, and it took me a month to get about fifteen minutes of viable footage.)
It's a skill that is not easily mastered and takes the patience of Job to accomplish, and Ray Harryhausen was the king of the craft. Unlike the animation I've seen in so many other films, Ray had the ability to pull it off rather smoothly, and imbue his creations with an actual personality. I grin every time the Rhedosaurus from BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS snaps up a cop head first, because the officer was annoying it with small arms fire.
I cheer on the Cyclops when he battles the Dragon in THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (even though I already know the outcome); I pity the poor Ymir from 20,000,000 MILES TO EARTH because its a rather docile stranger in a strange land that is forced by various tormentors to become a marauding monster; I simply marvel at the skeletal warriors, Talos, and the mutli-headed Hydra from JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, as well as the multi-limbed Kali from GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD. And is anything truly cooler than seeing cowboys rope and wrangle a raging T-Rex in VALLEY OF GWANGI?
Everything Harryhausen created is solid gold in my eyes and thankfully his work will live on for many years to come as we enter an increasingly digital age. The man is gone, but he left behind a legacy that will continue to ignite the imaginations of youngsters, and inspire others to follow their dreams of being animators and filmmakers. Ray Harryhausen will be sorely missed, but he had a damned good run. He created Dynamation (a technique still used by animators today), earned a Lifetime Achievement Oscar, and inspired a generation of some of cinema's greatest directors and effects artists, including: Steven Spielberg, Phil Tippett, John Landis, Tim Burton, Rick Baker, David Allen, Mick Garris, George Lucas, James Cameron, and so many others.
Few have managed to capture the hearts, minds, and the imaginations of so many. So thank you Ray, and may you rest in peace good sir.
P.S. - Regardless of what anyone says.... I still think Bubo is awesome!
There's been a SLEW of Ray Harryhausen love out on the web since his passing. CLICK HERE to start watching some cool video tributes to Ray on Youtube.
CLICK HERE to read my Top Ten List of favorite Ray Harryhausen creations.
CLICK HERE to read my review of THE VALLEY OF GWANGI!
CLICK HERE to like the Official Ray Harryhausen Facebook page, and share your condolences or just chat it up with fellow Harryhausen fans.
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