Ray Harryhausen RIP
Ray Harryhausen, special effects pioneer and movie visionary, has sadly passed away at the age of 92.
Anyone who is a fan of film will instantly recall his groundbreaking special effects on such films as Jason and the Argonauts, One Million Years BC and Clash of the Titans thanks to the creature creations he brought to life on the silver screen.
Born in Los Angeles in June 1920, Ray developed a love for films at an early age and was inspired by the likes of The Lost World and King Kong to develop his own skill of stop motion for films.
For all of his work on films in over three decades, it is perhaps Jason and Argonauts that he will be most fondly remembered for. It was this kind of passion that fans of the 60s (and even to this day) still stare in awe at his dedication to bringing a horde of skeletons to fight against humans; or have the bronze titan Talos pick up a sailing ship from the water and literally shake it until it breaks in his bronze hands, and let’s not forget those flying harpies!
Denis Murren, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have previously stated that it was Ray’s creations that inspired them to dream up their own wondrous creations. Indeed, you only need to watch the holographic chess game in Star Wars or the AT-AT attack on the rebel Hoth Base in The Empire Strikes Back to see that the boffins of Industrial Light and Magic were inspired directly by Ray.
For his unique cinematic creations and for further developing the use of stop motion techniques in the motion picture industry, we at FTN bid a very tearful farewell to the great Ray Harryhausen.
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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