The Amazing Creatures of Ray Harryhausen

Recently I was wandering the shelves of Barnes and Noble with glee, when I noticed something that made my film-nerd heart nearly jump out of my throat. There it was; the box set I had always wanted-The Ray Harryhausen Monster Collection! If you are a special effects guru and longtime fantasy film fan, you probably know who I am talking about. In case you don't, let me fill in you hideously normal people. Ray Harryhausen created special effects for films from about the late forties until his last film, The Original Clash of the Titans, in 1981. His claim to fame was his amazing stop motion animated monsters. Many of his films were a huge success in his time, and lived on for subsequent generations when they were shown on television. A laundry list of A list special effects people in Hollywood, and other creative professionals list his work as an inspiration.

His films were known for their unique storybook fantasy quality that drew one into a world that was clearly not real, yet somehow believable. Watching one of his movies is almost like listening to someone read a fairytale when you were a child. Some of his most famous and endearing works include Jason and the Argonauts, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, One Million Years BC, Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, and most notably the Original Clash of the Titans. You can see some more clips from his movies below.



Harryhausen made his monsters by hand with some help, then animated them painstakingly frame by frame to achieve the illusion of movement on screen. A born special effects genius, Harryhausen experimented with the process after seeing the original King Kong. That film employed the same stop motion animation process Harryhausen would master, but was done by
the pioneer of the art, Willis O Brien. O Brien meet with a young enthusiastic Harryhausen when he was just starting out, and critiqued his early experiments. O Brien encouraged the young man to attend art school and pursue his dream. Later, Harryhausen would work on his first feature film with O Brien, Mighhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifty Joe Young.



The box set I purchased is available once in a while retail stores, but easier to find online. It can be purchased from Amazon.com, and features some of Harryhausen's best work. This set includes Jason and the Argonauts, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, the Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Sinbad and the eye of the Tiger and The Three Worlds of Gulliver. My personal favorite is Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, but the set is worth it for the combination of any of the Sinbad films and the adventure classic Jason and the Argonauts. Gulliver's Travels is perhaps the weakest film in the set, but amusing and an added bonus for your purchase. If you are a fan of Harryhausen, fantasy films, or classic monster movies, the Sinbad films and Jason and the Argonauts make this purchase well worth your money. All of the DVD's include special features and documentaries which include interviews with Harryhausen and rare footage of his early work. This is a must have for fans of fantasy films.

The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Monster Series (Jason and the Argonauts / The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad / The Golden Voyage of Sinbad / Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger / The 3 Worlds of Gulliver) is available on Amazon.com, as well as the original Clash of the Titans (Keep Case Packaging)