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Ray Harryhausen

Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American artist, designer, visual effects creator, writer and producer who created a form of stop-motion model animation known as “Dynamation”.

His works include the animation for Mighty Joe Young (1949), with his mentor Willis H. O’Brien, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects; his first color film, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958); and Jason and the Argonauts (1963), which featured a sword fight with seven skeleton warriors. His last film was Clash of the Titans (1981), after which he retired.

Harryhausen moved to the United Kingdom, became a dual U.S.-U.K. citizen and lived in London from 1960 until his death in 2013. During his life, his innovative style of special effects in films inspired numerous filmmakers. In November 2016 the BFI compiled a list of those present-day filmmakers who claim to have been inspired by Harryhausen, including Steven SpielbergPeter JacksonJoe DanteTim BurtonNick ParkJames Cameron, and Guillermo del Toro. Others influenced by him include George LucasJohn LasseterJohn LandisHenry SelickJ. J. Abrams, and Wes Anderson.

Ray Harryhausen
The famous stop-motion artist Ray Harryhausen at Forbidden Planet, London.
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