“Some people say Casablanca or Citizen Kane. I say Jason and the Argonauts is the greatest film ever made”– Tom Hanks, at the ceremony where Ray Harryhausen was presented with the Gordon E. Sawyer Lifetime Achievement Academy Award™.
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American stop-motion animator and special effects artist who created worlds of imagination through his work in films like Mighty Joe Young, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, It Came From Beneath The Sea, 20 Million Miles To Earth, Mysterious Island, First Men In The Moon, Jason and The Argonauts, his trio of amazing Sinbad films, and Clash Of The Titans, just to name a few highlights.
So influential was his work on The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms that it inspired Japanese filmmakers Ishirō Honda, Takeo Murata, Tomoyuki Tanaka, and Eiji Tsuburaya to create Gojira (aka Godzilla, 1954), launching the entire kaiju eiga film genre, still wildly popular today.
Struck by a lightning bolt of creative inspiration when he saw King Kong at the age 13 years old, Ray began experimenting with single-frame-advance animation techniques. A Los Angeles native, he was able to meet Kong animator Willis O’Brien, who encouraged him to pursue an art education, and eventually hired him as an assistant animator on Mighty Joe Young (1948). Much of Joe’s personality and characteristic movements were invented and animated on-set by Ray.
Serving in World War II under Colonel Frank Capra in the US Army’s Special Services Division, Ray learned the craft of filmmaking on a larger, more technical scale while making training films, which would inspire his later efforts to improve optical processing effects, including front and rear projection techniques and traveling mattes. He would put these processes to good use in many of his films.
A humble genius, Harryhausen embodied not only the identity of a creative artist who sparked the imaginations of millions with his vision, but also the essence of the craftsman; he worked with both his mind and his hands, and exhibited amazing skill with both. He left a legacy of works of fantasy that continue to entertain and inspire generations of film viewers.
Monsterama is proud to present our special CelebRAYtion of Harryhausen’s works and of Ray himself this year. 2027 also marks the 50th anniversary of Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger, Ray’s final foray into the world of the heroic sailor. We will be screening films, hosting panels, presenting guests who worked with Ray, and creating our own recreations of his handiwork for displays and photo opportunities.
Please join us August 6-8, 2027 for a visit to the Land Beyond, Beyond… and Beyond Belief to pay homage to the Fantasy Master, Ray Harryhausen!
