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Creature Feature
The Monsters of Ray Harryhausen
Written By AL J. Vermette
Monsters! They are the stuff made of nightmares to most and yet to others they
are as wonderful as candy in your Halloween bag. For Ray Harryhausen he has
made his living creating some of movies biggest and smallest creatures to ever
grace the silver screen. He is the master of stop motion animation and no one
before or since could equal his artistry. Long before the advent of CGI and
computer made monsters that letter film making today, he brought wonderful critters
to life with nothing more than his hand made models and a steady hand.
Ok kids, here’s a lesson for you for those who are pre-computer CGI age. Before
CGI (Computer Generated Image) and even before and get this computers, people
created movie monster magic by taking a hand made puppet and by moving it one
half inch a film frame were able once the film was played back to make the creature
appear to be alive and moving. This now sadly dead art form was first used for the
classic silent film “The Lost World” in the 1920's by the father of all stop motion
Willis O’ Brien. His stunning work on that film led him to one of cinema’s greatest
monsters ever “King Kong.” It was O’ Brien’s work that brought the monster ape to
life that rampaged through New York City in 1933 and he did it with nothing more
then a two foot model made up of a metal armature and rabbit fur. Seated before
the screen watching Kong standing atop the Empire State Building knocking off bi-
planes was a young man named Ray with stars in his eyes. As he watched Kong in
action he wondered how the beast seemed so real, what was the magic that made
this giant gorilla come to life he thought as he sat there. Of all the people to sit in a
dark theater in 1933 paying witness to Kong’s rampage he was the one person who
would one day change the world of film making forever.
He was born in 1920 and at age 13 knew after seeing “King Kong” what he wanted
to do with his life. By way of some film articles on the making of Kong young Ray
Harryhausen started working on his own back yard films using his own hand crafted
creatures. He started with his first love dinosaurs and soon found that he too could
bring his little beasts to life one frame at a time. Unlike today’s CGI, doing it by
hand took hours or even days to make a creature seem to be living. His first test
footage was that of a bear made of wood and fur from an old coat. It led to more
and more tests and honing his new found craft.
Ray got the chance to meet Willis O’ Brien his hero in his youth when a meeting
was set up to meet the father of stop motion himself. Ray went with a suitcase of
his best dinos and showed them off to the man who brought Kong to life. The two
hit it off and years later when the chance come upon O’ Brien to do another big ape
movie he called the young and eager Ray to come and help out on the film. Like a
dream come true Ray was there and working side by side with the man who made
Kong come to life. The movie was “Mighty Joe Young” and years after seeing what
his hero did with Kong and Son of Kong as well, Ray was now working with that man
and helping him rekindle that same spark that made Kong so well done. Although
both men worked on bringing Joe to life….real Harryhausen fans can truly tell as to
which scenes Ray animated himself. The film “Mighty Joe Young”was Rays first big
chance to work on a Hollywood film but it was sure not his last.
The movie “King Kong” was the very first giant monster movie to come along and
when it was re-released in the year 1952 people again loved the beast that took
New York by storm and soon other giant monsters would soon join him. One movie
that was in development was a film again about a giant creature running wild in
streets The Big Apple. This time the beast was that of a dinosaur and based on a
short story by another Ray, Ray Bradbury. In this tale a giant beast attacks the city
and ends up in Coney Island where like in all monster movie fashion is killed off at
the end of the movie. The beast itself was Ray’s first big chance to work alone and
show what he can really do. “The Beast From 20.000 Fathoms” became Ray’s first
Hollywood movie and soon he was called upon for every and any film project that
called for monsters, dinos and any other creature under the sun or that lurked
under the sea.
Ray was now in big demand and he turned out movie after movie with more and
more stunning effects with each project. Not only did this man design all his critters
but also hand crafted each one and then move them one frame at a time to achieve
the movement of the creatures. Ray for the most part worked alone in his own little
studio where he not only made his monsters but also built all the sets and
landscapes that they would roam within. Classic films such as “It Come From
Beneath The Sea,” “20 Million Miles To Earth,” and “First Men In the Moon” would
not be the movies they are without the work of Ray Harryhausen. But Ray didn’t
just hold all his work for just monsters alone oh no. He even made and flew the
UFOs in the film “Earth vs The Flying Saucers” and with all this the master of stop
motion was only getting started.
In 1958 Ray was signed on to work on a new fantasy film. The now very classic and
one of this writers most beloved films “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.” For this new film
Ray had to do something that he never had to deal with before…..work in Living
Color! The thought of working his magic in the bright light of full movie color at first
had the animator a little worried. Could and would his creatures look just as good
with the still new technology of full color. Sure films had been made in color going
back to the 30s in rare use but would his creatures fair well. They did and what
ended up being his biggest fear turn out to be one of his best film works ever. Not
only was “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” a hit but his creatures featuring his Dragon,
skeleton Warrior and you can’t forget his crown jewel The Cyclops turned this film
into a block buster and film master piece.
Ray would return to do two more Sinbad film with again my most beloved film “The
Golden Voyage of Sinbad” and “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.” In Golden Ray’s
ending battle of the Gryphon and one eyed Centaur was the most amazing thing
ever and it would be something Ray would use for many of his films. The battle of
creatures to the death. That idea started with “20 Million Miles To Earth” when the
space creature named The Ymir did battle with a stop motion elephant. This theme
would carry into other films with creatures that could face off and fight. This again
stems all back to Kong when the big ape did battle with the T-Rex when still on Skull
Island.
Ray took creatures of myth and legend to all new heights with the release of “Jason
and The Argonauts.” As he did in 1958 with his Skelton Warrior that fought Sinbad
in 7th Voyage, this time Ray used a whole skeleton army to fight Jason and his men
in the classic Greek tale. The ending is that of movie legend as undead warriors
wage war on upon the living welding swords and shields. The amount of time to
shoot this took weeks as the stop motion six inch models were incorporate into the
live footage of the actors. Something that is done today with the use of computers
were all done then with rear screen projection and a form of shadow boxing made
the actors and creatures seem to be in the same frame. Stunning even in today’s
CGI world.
Some of Ray’s best and known creatures would be that of the Cyclops, The Ymir,
The Gryphon, The Centaur and his Rhedosaurs from “Beast From 20,000
Fathoms.” His man of bronze Talos from Jason and The Argonauts is still one of
movie classic lore. Ray even had a raging Allosaurus fighting of all things cowboys
in the movie “Valley of Gwangi” and a monster octopus pulling apart the Golden
Gate Bridge. There was little that Ray could do and he used any creature be it
something real, from myth, space or something from Earth long, long past.
Dinosaurs were use to a great deal in his films. Ray would use them in movies such
as “One Million Years BC,” “Valley of Gwangi” and “The Beast From 20,000
Fathoms.” Jason and his Sinbad films saw Ray’s use to great delight use of
creatures from mythology. His Medusa from his last film “Clash of the Titans” was
just stunning and used to her creepy best in the remake of Clash that as of this
writing is now in theaters with all new CGI creatures.
For over 35 years Ray Harryhausen was the man all of Hollywood turned to when a
monster or any creature was needed that could not be done live on set. His last
film was 1981's “Clash of the Titans” where Ray said that he gave all he had and
took a well needed retirement. His years and body of work can still be seen in films
today and even in this new digital age of computers and CGI images his work is still
reflected over 30 years now after he moved his last model creature from pose to
pose. At almost 90 years of age now as of this writing Ray can look back on a long
and wonderful career and know that all the movie monsters that grace the screens
now even though they are no longer moved a frame at a time as in his day the
world is a better place for having Ray and his monsters. For what would all those
films have been with Ray’s work, his steady hands and his devotion to his art form.
Filmmaking has forever been change by this man and film to come even in the
digital age still stir of his echo’s of his work.
The Monsters of Ray Harryhausen
Written By AL J. Vermette
Monsters! They are the stuff made of nightmares to most and yet to others they
are as wonderful as candy in your Halloween bag. For Ray Harryhausen he has
made his living creating some of movies biggest and smallest creatures to ever
grace the silver screen. He is the master of stop motion animation and no one
before or since could equal his artistry. Long before the advent of CGI and
computer made monsters that letter film making today, he brought wonderful critters
to life with nothing more than his hand made models and a steady hand.
Ok kids, here’s a lesson for you for those who are pre-computer CGI age. Before
CGI (Computer Generated Image) and even before and get this computers, people
created movie monster magic by taking a hand made puppet and by moving it one
half inch a film frame were able once the film was played back to make the creature
appear to be alive and moving. This now sadly dead art form was first used for the
classic silent film “The Lost World” in the 1920's by the father of all stop motion
Willis O’ Brien. His stunning work on that film led him to one of cinema’s greatest
monsters ever “King Kong.” It was O’ Brien’s work that brought the monster ape to
life that rampaged through New York City in 1933 and he did it with nothing more
then a two foot model made up of a metal armature and rabbit fur. Seated before
the screen watching Kong standing atop the Empire State Building knocking off bi-
planes was a young man named Ray with stars in his eyes. As he watched Kong in
action he wondered how the beast seemed so real, what was the magic that made
this giant gorilla come to life he thought as he sat there. Of all the people to sit in a
dark theater in 1933 paying witness to Kong’s rampage he was the one person who
would one day change the world of film making forever.
He was born in 1920 and at age 13 knew after seeing “King Kong” what he wanted
to do with his life. By way of some film articles on the making of Kong young Ray
Harryhausen started working on his own back yard films using his own hand crafted
creatures. He started with his first love dinosaurs and soon found that he too could
bring his little beasts to life one frame at a time. Unlike today’s CGI, doing it by
hand took hours or even days to make a creature seem to be living. His first test
footage was that of a bear made of wood and fur from an old coat. It led to more
and more tests and honing his new found craft.
Ray got the chance to meet Willis O’ Brien his hero in his youth when a meeting
was set up to meet the father of stop motion himself. Ray went with a suitcase of
his best dinos and showed them off to the man who brought Kong to life. The two
hit it off and years later when the chance come upon O’ Brien to do another big ape
movie he called the young and eager Ray to come and help out on the film. Like a
dream come true Ray was there and working side by side with the man who made
Kong come to life. The movie was “Mighty Joe Young” and years after seeing what
his hero did with Kong and Son of Kong as well, Ray was now working with that man
and helping him rekindle that same spark that made Kong so well done. Although
both men worked on bringing Joe to life….real Harryhausen fans can truly tell as to
which scenes Ray animated himself. The film “Mighty Joe Young”was Rays first big
chance to work on a Hollywood film but it was sure not his last.
The movie “King Kong” was the very first giant monster movie to come along and
when it was re-released in the year 1952 people again loved the beast that took
New York by storm and soon other giant monsters would soon join him. One movie
that was in development was a film again about a giant creature running wild in
streets The Big Apple. This time the beast was that of a dinosaur and based on a
short story by another Ray, Ray Bradbury. In this tale a giant beast attacks the city
and ends up in Coney Island where like in all monster movie fashion is killed off at
the end of the movie. The beast itself was Ray’s first big chance to work alone and
show what he can really do. “The Beast From 20.000 Fathoms” became Ray’s first
Hollywood movie and soon he was called upon for every and any film project that
called for monsters, dinos and any other creature under the sun or that lurked
under the sea.
Ray was now in big demand and he turned out movie after movie with more and
more stunning effects with each project. Not only did this man design all his critters
but also hand crafted each one and then move them one frame at a time to achieve
the movement of the creatures. Ray for the most part worked alone in his own little
studio where he not only made his monsters but also built all the sets and
landscapes that they would roam within. Classic films such as “It Come From
Beneath The Sea,” “20 Million Miles To Earth,” and “First Men In the Moon” would
not be the movies they are without the work of Ray Harryhausen. But Ray didn’t
just hold all his work for just monsters alone oh no. He even made and flew the
UFOs in the film “Earth vs The Flying Saucers” and with all this the master of stop
motion was only getting started.
In 1958 Ray was signed on to work on a new fantasy film. The now very classic and
one of this writers most beloved films “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.” For this new film
Ray had to do something that he never had to deal with before…..work in Living
Color! The thought of working his magic in the bright light of full movie color at first
had the animator a little worried. Could and would his creatures look just as good
with the still new technology of full color. Sure films had been made in color going
back to the 30s in rare use but would his creatures fair well. They did and what
ended up being his biggest fear turn out to be one of his best film works ever. Not
only was “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” a hit but his creatures featuring his Dragon,
skeleton Warrior and you can’t forget his crown jewel The Cyclops turned this film
into a block buster and film master piece.
Ray would return to do two more Sinbad film with again my most beloved film “The
Golden Voyage of Sinbad” and “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.” In Golden Ray’s
ending battle of the Gryphon and one eyed Centaur was the most amazing thing
ever and it would be something Ray would use for many of his films. The battle of
creatures to the death. That idea started with “20 Million Miles To Earth” when the
space creature named The Ymir did battle with a stop motion elephant. This theme
would carry into other films with creatures that could face off and fight. This again
stems all back to Kong when the big ape did battle with the T-Rex when still on Skull
Island.
Ray took creatures of myth and legend to all new heights with the release of “Jason
and The Argonauts.” As he did in 1958 with his Skelton Warrior that fought Sinbad
in 7th Voyage, this time Ray used a whole skeleton army to fight Jason and his men
in the classic Greek tale. The ending is that of movie legend as undead warriors
wage war on upon the living welding swords and shields. The amount of time to
shoot this took weeks as the stop motion six inch models were incorporate into the
live footage of the actors. Something that is done today with the use of computers
were all done then with rear screen projection and a form of shadow boxing made
the actors and creatures seem to be in the same frame. Stunning even in today’s
CGI world.
Some of Ray’s best and known creatures would be that of the Cyclops, The Ymir,
The Gryphon, The Centaur and his Rhedosaurs from “Beast From 20,000
Fathoms.” His man of bronze Talos from Jason and The Argonauts is still one of
movie classic lore. Ray even had a raging Allosaurus fighting of all things cowboys
in the movie “Valley of Gwangi” and a monster octopus pulling apart the Golden
Gate Bridge. There was little that Ray could do and he used any creature be it
something real, from myth, space or something from Earth long, long past.
Dinosaurs were use to a great deal in his films. Ray would use them in movies such
as “One Million Years BC,” “Valley of Gwangi” and “The Beast From 20,000
Fathoms.” Jason and his Sinbad films saw Ray’s use to great delight use of
creatures from mythology. His Medusa from his last film “Clash of the Titans” was
just stunning and used to her creepy best in the remake of Clash that as of this
writing is now in theaters with all new CGI creatures.
For over 35 years Ray Harryhausen was the man all of Hollywood turned to when a
monster or any creature was needed that could not be done live on set. His last
film was 1981's “Clash of the Titans” where Ray said that he gave all he had and
took a well needed retirement. His years and body of work can still be seen in films
today and even in this new digital age of computers and CGI images his work is still
reflected over 30 years now after he moved his last model creature from pose to
pose. At almost 90 years of age now as of this writing Ray can look back on a long
and wonderful career and know that all the movie monsters that grace the screens
now even though they are no longer moved a frame at a time as in his day the
world is a better place for having Ray and his monsters. For what would all those
films have been with Ray’s work, his steady hands and his devotion to his art form.
Filmmaking has forever been change by this man and film to come even in the
digital age still stir of his echo’s of his work.