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Birthday:
06-29-1920
Deathday:
05-07-2013 (92 years)
Birthplace:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raymond "Ray" Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American visual effects creator, writer, and producer who lived in London, England, from 1960 until his death in 2013.
He created a brand of stop-motion model animation known as "Dynamation." His most important works include the animation on Mighty Joe Young, with pioneer Willis O'Brien, which won the Academy Award for special effects (1949); The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, his first color film; and Jason and the Argonauts, featuring a famous sword fight against seven skeleton warriors.
Raymond "Ray" Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American visual effects creator, writer, and producer who lived in London, England, from 1960 until his death in 2013.
He created a brand of stop-motion model animation known as "Dynamation." His most important works include the animation on Mighty Joe Young, with pioneer Willis O'Brien, which won the Academy Award for special effects (1949); The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, his first color film; and Jason and the Argonauts, featuring a famous sword fight against seven skeleton warriors.
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Their works
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Beverly Hills Cop III
Act like Bar Patron
event1994 star_border 5.9
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When his boss is killed, Detroit cop Axel Foley finds evidence that the murderer had ties to a California amusement park called Wonder World. Returning to sunny Beverly Hills once more, Foley reunites with Detective Billy Rosewood to solve the case. Along with Billy's new partner, Detective Jon Flint, they discover that Wonder World is being used as a front for a massive counterfeiting ring.
Mighty Joe Young: A Conversation with Ray Harryhausen and the Chiodo Brothers
Act like Self
event2005 star_border 7
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Special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen is the honored guest star of this presentation, a bonus feature on the "Mighty Joe Young" DVD. The Chiodo brothers - three of them - all interview Harryhausen on the 50th anniversary of the film. The Chiodo brothers - Charles, Edward and Stephen - are modern-day special-effects movie men.
El hombre que quiso ser Segundo
Act like Self
event2014 star_border 6
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The extraordinary life of cinema pioneer Segundo de Chomón.
Mighty Joe Young
Act like Gentleman at Party
event1998 star_border 6.3
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As a child living in Africa, Jill Young saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser. Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic anomaly, is 15 feet tall. When Gregg O'Hara arrives from California and sees the animal, he convinces Jill that Joe would be safest at his wildlife refuge. But Strasser follows them to the U.S., intent on capturing Joe for himself.
Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror
Act like Self
event1994 star_border 7.4
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Explore the most legendary horror studio of all time with this fascinating, frightening journey hosted by terror titans Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. England's most successful independent film company, the "fear factory" of Hammer Studios, has a history filled with feuds, censorship battles and streaks of luck both good and bad. Now the legacy of horror returns, featuring interviews with such Hammer legends as Raquel Welch, Veronica Carlson, Caroline Munro, Ingrid Pitt, Jimmy Sangster, Hazel Court, Martine Beswicke, Freddie Francis, Val Guest and Ray Harryhausen. Plus you'll be treated to behind-the-scenes home movies and nonstop shock scenes from over 40 classic films, including Horror of Dracula, Curse of Frankenstein, The Devil Rides Out, Curse of the Werewolf and many more! It's the definitive study of one of the greatest names in horror!
Cave Bear & Dinosaurs
Act like (Commentary) (Voice)
event2006
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Early tests 1935 - 36. This black and white footage was shot by Ray in his backyard.
The Making of the Tortoise & the Hare
event2005
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Behind the scenes documentary about the stop-motion animation that began production 50 years ago, abandoned, and then picked up by two animators who worked with Harryhausen to complete the film.
War of the Worlds
event2006
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Early test 1949 - 50. After an introduction from Ray, we see a glimpse of another un-made Harryhausen film. Shows concept art and a film test of a Martian emerging from a crashed rocket.
Adventures of Baron Munchausen
event2006
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Early test 1950. After an introduction from Ray, we see a glimpse of another un-made Harryhausen film. The Baron has a conversation with a giant on the moon.
The Elementals
event2006
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Early test 1952. After an introduction from Ray, we see a glimpse of another un-made Harryhausen film. A test animation to encourage interest in this fantasy project, whereby a dragon-like being is attacking a man.
The Sci-Fi Boys
Act like Self
event2006 star_border 7
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Legendary all-stars of cinema bring to life the evolution of science-fiction and special effects films from the wild and funny days of B-movies to blockbusters that have captured the world's imagination. This is the story of the Sci-Fi Boys, who started out as kids making amateur movies inspired by Forrest J Ackerman's FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine and grew up to take Hollywood by storm, inventing the art and technology for filming anything the mind can dream.
El último truco
Act like Self
event2008 star_border 7.3
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Documentary film about visual effects master Emilio Ruiz del Rio. From his early works on films at 1942, to his last contribution at 2007, Emilio Ruiz talks on his film experiences and traditional trickery, using foreground miniatures, glass shots, and painted cut out miniatures. It shows interviews with some of the professionals he has worked with, like, Rafaela de Laurentiis, Ray Harryhausen, Guillermo del Toro, or Enzo Castellari
Attack of the 50 Foot Monster Mania
Act like Himself
event1999 star_border 7
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Hosted by everyone's favorite vamp, Elvira, this program is a lighthearted look back at the monster movies of the '50s. All the monsters that scared your parents make appearances here including Godzilla and King Kong. Also included are many interviews with the men behind the monsters including special effects wizards and directors. A special look at the monsters of Japan and Great Britain are included as well.
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan
Act like Self
event2012 star_border 7.5
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There’s only one person who so accurately personifies movie magic in the history of film, and that man is special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. Focusing on the man behind the landmark effects on films like Clash Of The Titans, One Million Years B.C., Jason And The Argonauts and many more, this in-depth film features interviews with the great man himself, and with an array of animators and directors influenced by his work including Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Terry Gilliam, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg. The film also features unseen footage of tests and experiments recently uncovered.
Hollywood Goes Ape!
Act like Himself
event1994 star_border 6
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A documentary covering the history of Apes in the movies. Written and Directed by Donald F. Glut.
Mighty Joe Young: Ray Harryhausen and Mighty Joe Young
Act like Himself
event2005 star_border 9
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Ray Harryhausen discusses the making of 'Mighty Joe Young' with the Chiodo brothers.
Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs
Act like Self
event1999 star_border 7
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A tribute to stopmotion supremo and special effects genius extraordinaire Ray Harryhausen, the man behind some of cinema's greatest fantasy films - The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Jason & The Argonauts and One Million Years BC. Featuring exclusive footage of Harryhausen at work on his first stopmotion for over 20 years, and contributions from many of Hollywood's top special effects directors and creators.
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
Act like Self
event1986 star_border 7.5
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Among the legends of Hollywood, George Pal takes his place as a true visionary, an innovator and a showman who profoundly shaped the art of motion pictures. A peer of Walt Disney, Pal pioneered stop motion animation and went on to virtually invent the modern science fiction and fantasy film genres. Pal's extraordinary genius molded a dazzling array of films, which earned an incredible total of eight Academy Awards and left a cinematic legacy that served as formative inspiration for the movies of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Gene Roddenberry.
Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad
Act like Self
event2008 star_border 7
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Documentary about the technical achievements of the 1940 film classic The Thief of Bagdad.
Monsters and Magic
Act like Self
event1972
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A behind the scenes look at the making of "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad".
20 Million Miles to Earth
Act like Man Feeding Elephant (uncredited)
event1957 star_border 6.1
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When the first manned flight to Venus returns to Earth, the rocket crash-lands in the Mediterranean near a small Italian fishing village. The locals manage to save one of the astronauts Colonel Calder, the mission commander. A young boy also recovers what turns out to be a specimen of an alien creature. Growing at a fantastic rate, it manages to escape and eventually threatens the city of Rome.
Dinosaur Movies
event1993 star_border 5
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Dinosaurs Vs. Apes: DINOSAUR MOVIES and HOLLYWOOD GOES APE! have been hailed as the definitive documentaries on the prehistoric and anthropoid creatures that have appeared on the silver screen. Filled with rare movie clips, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.
The Harryhausen Chronicles
Act like Self
event1997 star_border 6.5
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As an actor, director and producer, Ray Harryhausen has been a vibrant figure in Hollywood, working on everything from family films to mind-bending sci-fi. But his true genius lay in the creation of special effects for movies such as Mighty Joe Young and It Came from Outer Space. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and featuring appearances by George Lucas and Ray Bradbury, this film documents Harryhausen's remarkable life's work.
Elf
Act like Polar Bear Cub (voice)
event2003 star_border 6.7
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When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic.
Aliens, Dragons, Monsters & Me
Act like Himself
event1983 star_border 8
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Documentary about the life and work of Ray Harryhausen.
Spies Like Us
Act like Dr. Marston
event1985 star_border 6.2
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Two bumbling government employees think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys for nuclear war.
Behind the Tunes: Once Upon A Looney Tune
Act like Himself
event2007 star_border 6.3
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A look at the fairy tale-based Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, starring characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Elmer Fudd, and more.
Ray Harryhausen: Movement Into Life
Act like Himself
event1990
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Oscar-winning animator Ray Harryhausen gives an exclusive insight into cinema's most famous monster creations and special effects secrets with the actual models used in such classics as Clash of the Titans.
Burke & Hare
Act like Distinguished Doctor
event2010 star_border 6.1
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Two 19th-century opportunists become serial killers so that they can maintain their profitable business supplying cadavers to an anatomist.
From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic
Act like Self
event1999 star_border 8.1
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The incredible evolution of George Lucas' special effects dream factory, including an inside look at "Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace."
The Sky Is Falling: Making 'The War of the Worlds'
Act like Self
event2005
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Behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the 1953 sci-fi classic "The War of the Worlds". Included are interviews with some of the cast and crew and unreleased footage from the film itself.
The Boneyard Collection
Act like Ray Harryhausen (segment "Her Morbid Desires")
event2008 star_border 5.4
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A quirky anthology, consisting of four separate short films connected by host segments. The first one, BOOGIE WITH THE UNDEAD, has an all girl rock band booked to play a gig in a town overrun by flesh-eating zombies. In the second one, THE DEVIL'S DUE AT MIDNIGHT, a coven of beautiful witches conjure up Brad Dourif as The Devil, and endures the inept attacks of witch killer Ken Foree. In the first long segment, HER MORBID DESIRES, an actress gets the lead role in a vampire movie, only to discover that starlets are being murdered on the set. The other long segment, CRY OF THE MUMMY, has the reincarnated mummy, formerly the last Pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty, looking to sue the movie studios because he can't get work as a mummy. His new lawyer offers to represent him as an agent, but the mummy will only work in film if he can direct.
Return to the Valley
Act like Himself
event2003
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Ray Harryhausen discusses his animation of the eohippus and allosaurus in The Valley of Gwangi (1969), especially the difficult lassoing scene. Meanwhile, five Industrial Light & Magic animators relate how Ray's pioneering work has inspired and influenced their careers: they view him as the father of visual effects.
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
Act like Self
event2007 star_border 9
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Famous Monster takes a fast-paced, colorful look at the life of science fiction's greatest fan - Forrest J. Ackerman, whose 85 year love affair with the genre helped bring it into the mainstream and shape the way we view science fiction today.
Comic Book: The Movie
Act like Ray Harryhausen
event2004 star_border 6
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Hugh Hefner, Stan Lee, Mark Hamill and Kevin Smith journey into the world of comic book fandom! Documentary filmmaker Donald Swan heads to the world's largest comic book convention where he encounters a culture of craziness that he's totally unprepared for.
The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood
Act like Self (1 ep.)
event1987 star_border 8
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Ed Asner tells the story of RKO Pictures from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Clash of the Titans
Producer (1 ep.)
event1981 star_border 6.9
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To win the right to marry his love, the beautiful princess Andromeda, and fulfil his destiny, half-God-half-mortal Perseus must complete various tasks including taming Pegasus, capturing Medusa's head and battling the feared Kraken.
The 27th Day
Special Effects (1 ep.)
event1957 star_border 6.2
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Five individuals from five nations, including the USA, USSR, and China, suddenly find themselves on an alien saucer, where an alien gives each a container holding three capsules. The alien explains that no power on earth can open a given container except a mental command from the person to whom it is given, then anyone may take a capsule and, by speaking a latitude and longitude at it, cause instant death to all within a given radius: thus each of the five has been provided with the power of life and death. Then, they are given 27 days to decide whether to use the capsules, and returned to the places from which each one came...
One Million Years B.C.
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1966 star_border 6.1
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As the Earth wrestles with its agonizing birth, the peoples of this barren and desolate world struggle to survive. Driven by animal instinct they compete against the harsh conditions, their giant predators, and warring tribes. When two people from opposing clans fall in love, existing conventions are shattered forever as each tribe struggles for supremacy and Man embarks on his tortuous voyage of civilization.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
Producer (1 ep.)
event1977 star_border 6.6
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Princess Farah refuses to marry Sinbad until Prince Kassim, her brother, is able to give his consent. However, the Prince's wicked stepmother, Queen Zenobia, has changed Kassim into a baboon in order to have her own son crowned as caliph. Sinbad, his crew, the Princess and the transformed Prince travel to a distant land, fighting every obstacle Zenobia places in their path, to seek the advice of a legendary wise man who can possibly tell how to end the spell.
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Story (1 ep.)
event1958 star_border 6.9
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When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
Producer (1 ep.)
event1973 star_border 6.7
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Sinbad and his crew intercept a homunculus carrying a golden tablet. Koura, the creator of the homunculus and practitioner of evil magic, wants the tablet back and pursues Sinbad. Meanwhile, Sinbad meets the Vizier who has another part of the interlocking golden map, and they mount a quest across the seas to solve the riddle of the map.
The Animal World
Special Effects (1 ep.)
event1956 star_border 6.6
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A documentary showcasing the world's many different animal species, both past and present.
The Story of King Midas
Director (1 ep.)
event1953 star_border 6.5
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A greedy King Midas is visited one day by a mysterious visitor who grants him the ability to turn all things he touches to gold. He learns his lesson when the food he tries to eat and his own daughter are turned to gold as well. The visitor reappears and offers him the opportunity to return to his old self, which he gladly does. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2004.
The Story of Little Red Riding Hood
Director (1 ep.)
event1949 star_border 6
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A classic tale retold with Harryhausen's trademark animation. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2004.
Nursery Rhyme Review
Director (1 ep.)
event1946 star_border 6.3
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A compilation of four Mother Goose stories "photographed in three-dimensional animation" and unified by a prologue and an epilogue with Mother Goose herself magically setting up a projector to show the films. The familiar nursery rhymes are "Little Miss Muffet," "Old Mother Hubbard," "The Queen of Hearts," and "Humpty Dumpty." Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2004.
The Story of Hansel and Gretel
Director (1 ep.)
event1951 star_border 6
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Stop-motion puppetry version of the classic fairy tale. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2004.
The Story of Rapunzel
Director (1 ep.)
event1951 star_border 6.8
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This is one of four fairy tales master animator Ray Harryhausen made between 1949 and 1953 by hand, using stop-motion photography perfected as an apprentice under mentor Willis H. O'Brien of "King Kong" fame.
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1960 star_border 6.5
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Doctor Gulliver is poor, so nothing - not even his charming fiancée Elisabeth - keeps him in the town he lives. He signs on to a ship to India, but in a storm he's washed off the ship and ends up on an island, which is inhibitated by very tiny people. After he managed to convince them he's harmless and is accepted as one of their citizens, their king wants to use him in war against a people of giants. Compared to them, even Gulliver is a gnome.
The Valley of Gwangi
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1969 star_border 7.1
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A turn of the century wild west show struggling to make a living in Mexico comes into the possession of a tiny prehistoric horse. This leads to an expedition to the Forbidden Valley where they discover living dinosaurs. They capture one and take it back to be put on display, leading to inevitable mayhem.
Jason and the Argonauts
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1963 star_border 7.2
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Jason, a fearless sailor and explorer, returns to his home land of Thessaly after a long voyage to claim his rightful throne. He learns, however, that he must first find the magical Golden Fleece. To do so, he must embark on an epic quest fraught with fantastic monsters and terrible perils.
Mysterious Island
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1961 star_border 6.5
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During the US Civil War, Union POWs escape in a balloon and end up stranded on a South Pacific island, inhabited by giant plants and animals. They must use their ingenuity to survive the dangers, and to devise a way to return home. Sequel to '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' .
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1953 star_border 6.6
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The controlled explosion of an atomic bomb in the Arctic Circle awakens a frozen dinosaur that will wreak havoc in New York City.
Mighty Joe Young
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1949 star_border 6.3
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A young woman, Jill Young, grew up on her father's ranch in Africa, raising a large gorilla named Joe from an infant. Years later, she brings him to Hollywood to become a star.
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1956 star_border 6
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Test space rockets exploding at liftoff and increased reporting of UFO sightings culminate in a direct attempt by alien survivors of a dead, extra-galactic civilization to invade Earth from impervious flying saucers, using ray-weapons of mass destruction.
It Came from Beneath the Sea
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1955 star_border 5.5
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A giant octopus, whose feeding habits have been affected by radiation from H-Bomb tests, rises from the Mindanao Deep to terrorize the California Coast.
Commercial Demo
Director (1 ep.)
event2006
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Ray Harryhausen's attempt to show the potential of three dimensional animation in television commercials after World War II, as seenin this Commercial Demo from 1946. Featuring dancing packets of Lucky Strike cigarettes in stop-motion, this was not actually used by the company as a television advertisement. It was created solely to demonstrate the animator's skills.
Color, Split Screen and Rear Projection Tests
Director (1 ep.)
event2006
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Early tests 1937 - 49. Shows two examples: the first has a man cowering from two huge fighting monsters, the second shows a glimpse of ancient man.
Tulips Shall Grow
Animation (1 ep.)
event1942 star_border 6.8
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In this Puppetoon animated short film (an Academy Award Best Short Subject, Cartoons nominee), a young Dutch couple find their idyllic countryside being overrun by unfeeling, unthinking mechanical men and machines that lay waste to everything in their path. In 1997 this film, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
The Story of The Tortoise & the Hare
Director (1 ep.)
event2002
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The classic Ray Harryhausen tale that still proves "slow and steady" wins the race.
First Men in the Moon
Visual Effects (1 ep.)
event1964 star_border 6.3
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The world is delighted when a spacecraft containing a crew made up of the world's astronauts lands on the moon, but are shocked when the astronauts discover an old British flag and a document declaring that the moon is taken for Queen Victoria proving that the astronauts were not the first men on the moon.
Unsung Maestros: A Directors Tribute
Thanks (1 ep.)
event2007 star_border 6
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The titular directors discussed are: Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising (1930-1933), Jack King (1934-1936), Ub Iwerks (1937), Ben Hardaway (1934-1940), Norm McCabe (1940-1943), and Art Davis (1945-1949)
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection
Director (1 ep.)
event2005 star_border 8
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For over a half century, Ray Harryhausen has amazed and inspired countless filmmakers and fans around the world with his breathtaking motion picture effects and stop-motion animation. Presented here for the first time ever is the authorized collection of his earliest work, along with hours of supplemental features.
The Jupiterian
Director (1 ep.)
event2006
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An unrealised film project by Ray Harryhausen. The film was to have depicted a six-limbed alien Jovian attacking ships, people and prehistoric beasts, but unfortunately only one minute of test footage was shot.
Wonderful Tales by Ray Harryhausen
Director (1 ep.)
event2018
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Thanks to a partnership between Carlotta Films and the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation, Ray Harryhausen's fairy tales and fables are being shown in cinemas for the first time in France. Discover this major work in the history of animation, performed by a legend of the 7th Art that will inspire Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Avatar.
How to Bridge a Gorge
Cinematography (1 ep.)
event1942
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An instructional video that teaches, through stop-motion animation, how to build a bridge over a gorge that can hold heavy military equipment. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2004.
Evolution
Director (1 ep.)
event1940 star_border 6.3
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Test footage for an uncompleted Ray Harryhausen project showcasing dinosaur animation. A glimpse of daily life during the Age of Dinosaurs is revealed. A brontosaurus roams a dangerous remote island searching for food before a vicious tyrannosaurus rex and a triceratops battle to the death during the Cretaceous period.
Guadalcanal
Cinematography (1 ep.)
event1943 star_border 5
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A stop-motion animated account of the 1942 Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2004.
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