Skeletons In His Closet


So, farewell Ray Harryhausen, the pioneering film animator who brought incredible stories to life - ancient and modern - with new ideas and modern techniques for his time, combined with a painstaking attention to detail.

Apparently Ray Harryhausen was inspired by a youthful visit to a New York cinema where he was completely blown away by the original 1933 version of King Kong - as a 10 year old boy.

Soon after, Harryhausen decided to devote the rest of his life to developing and improving 'stop animation' - which involved the laborious process of filming clay models one frame at a time before combining the scene with real actors and live action.

Arguably without Ray Harryhausen's devotion to his craft - not only would an incredible film like Jason and the Argonauts never have been made.

But more modern movies such as Lord of the Rings or Jurassic Park, with their amazing computer generated effects, might never have made it to the silver screen either.

To say that Ray Harryhausen had a few skeletons in his closet was a huge understatement.

Yet in his case it can be taken quite literally and is intended as a great compliment to a ground-breaking film maker with the passion and skill to bring the amazing tales of Greek mythology to life.

Because when Harryhausen first started out on his task it must have seemed as difficult and challenging as sending a man to the moon.

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