Learn more about this prop and check out the full Propstore catalog at: bit.ly/propstore_tested2024 The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation: www.rayharryhausen.com/
Jason & The Argonauts is a timeless classic! Amazing how RH made Talos look so huge and intimidating! That blank faced head-turn never loses its impact!
I met Ray Harryhausen -96 at a cgi event in London. He held a talk about his work for us computer graphics nerds. Talked with him a bit after his talk and he let us have a close-up look at his Medusa puppet. It was absolutely incredible. He was almost as enthusiastic about cgi as we were about his works. An absolutely gem of a man.
That is so neat to hear that he felt CGI was a continuation of his craft and not a replacement. So many people would feel threatened or insecure, he just wanted to put impossible things on screen using Movie Magic to entertain people and see dreams come to life
I’ve been lucky to be an ambassador of the Foundation and a lifelong Harryhausen fan. I’ll treasure the moment I met the man himself in 2008 at the Edinburgh Film Festival. The Titan of Cinema exhibition in Edinburgh was incredible, a fitting retrospective of a legendary career.
My brother and I went to the First exhibition at the Science Museum in OKC. They were showing every week a different Day Film and I bought two tickets for myself and my brother because as children we both loved Clash of The Titans. That week they were showing Clash of The Titans with Diana who flew in from Scotland and we were able to watch it with her. They had a Q&A then afterwards we went up to the Exhibit.
Watching Adam inch that latex sculpture closer and closer to the edge of the table and then gesture his hands wildly all around it made me hold my breath.
Adam is a great guy but he should not be permitted to touch them and should seriously keep his hands behind his back or to his sides the entire time...let the prop store guy handle it...
Remember meeting Mr Harryhausen and he showed us the skeleton, and other things, it was such a freaky thing to see on TV as a kid, but so small in real life. He was a real gentleman.
Also worth mentioning is Bernard Hermann, the music conductor who did a lot of the music for these movies. The Sinbad movies, Jason and the Argonauts, Mysterious Island, along with many Alfred Hitchcock movies, Day the Earth Stood Still and many more. His music sets the tension throughout all these movies. Without Mr. Hermann, these movies wouldn't be as memorable as they are today.
I remember watching Jason and the Argonauts with my dad in the late 80s. Seeing Talos for the first time was a core memory. From the head turn to the music is just amazing. Even though the movie was 25+ years old at the time. It held up. Now 61 years later. I can still say the same.
The Talos scene has everything that lovers of well made movies desire. All is quiet as the men look up at the massive statue of Talos. After discovering a treasure chamber and picking up a six foot golden hair pin, there is a grinding sound from above and a thick door shuts the men in. Once Hercules forces the door open, the men exit only to find the wind has picked up. Suddenly, the huge head of Talos comes to life and with the echoing sound of grinding metal, turns to look at them. As a kid, this made me tremble. The heavy music and metallic sounds as Talos stood to his feet, made for a amazing moment in cinematic history...
I met Mr. Harryhausen at Comic-Con many years ago. We looked at an original flying saucer from 'Earth vs the Flying Saucers' someone had brought in and spent hours talking about his life's works. I asked why he had to make these by himself and he repeated what he's said before, "I had to learn to do everything because I couldn't find another kindred soul. " Incredible man and great friend.
The creatures and stop motion on Jason and the Argonaughts was so wonderfully created that even as someone without the lens of nostalgia, It was still captivating watching them.
I remember Harryhausen’s special effects appearing so unnerving and alive to my young eyes while watching his films on a Sunday afternoon at grandma’s. Even in the 80s and 90s, the stop-motion skeletons still worked so well - actually, the slightly juddery stop-motion animation effect worked better with skeletons as it seemed to make more visual sense that dry, hard bones moving wouldn’t be smooth, (like CGI animation), there’s something visceral and organic in stop-motion that the human eye appreciates - which, to this day, CGI just can’t quite capture. Amazing stuff.
Seeing his films in a theater is the way to truly appreciate his films. I’ve always been a fan of stop motion movies since I was a child. Seeing the these models are amazing. They have been beautifully preserved.
Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema. Seen every one of his models earliest,Mighty Joe Young, and props and modelling kit he used. My bucket list from when I watched his films in the 60s. Seen his storyboards, sketches, filming techniques and his honorary Oscar. The Kraken, skeletons and bubo and tons more. Thanks to his daughter Diana Harryhausen preserving his work and showing it around the world. The detail in the Kraken, Talos and crabs/bees has to be seen to be believed.
OMG! Even though they are just non-poseable stand-ins for lighting while filming.....HOLY CRAP!!! Made and painted by Ray Harryhausen!!! And to be able to actually TOUCH them. Just incredible. I've loved his work since I was a kid in the 1960's, and then later when I decided I wanted to make movies and I studied a lot about him and his techniques. Yes, he inspired so many people. I am very envious that you had this opportunity. The dream of so many to be able to see such things in person, and especially to touch them.
I had the outstanding luck to meet Ray Harryhausen in Berlin in 1991. I was terribly nervous, but he was very friendly and patiently answered all my many questions...😊
Stop-motion and puppetry. Really sucks that no one wants to take the financial risk to fund these styles again. Looking at you, Netflix, canceling Age of Resistance.
if your refering to stop-motion as an animation, it never went away, companies like Aarmdan and Liaka are still carrying the artform forward with shorts, sereis and feature films. But if your refering to Stop-motion for creature effects, I do agree, it should make a come back, Tippett Studios have already some stop-motion shots in the Mandalorian series, Star Wars, Alien Romulus, and of course Phil's film "Mad God", but it would be nice if other companies would open up to the idea of using stop-motion creatures, the trick is even though its easier now to composite models into film now using digital tech, the trick is now how to blend them in so they dont stand out.
My high school Film production teacher Mr. Kunert was a film preservationist who pressured the Academy to finally give Ray Harryhausen his much deserved lifetime achievement Oscar.
I saw these up for auction, it's great that you always get a phone call to make a new video and can share them on UA-cam. It's hard to believe Ray is gone, he contributed so much to the stop mo industry.
I would love love LOVE to have that Talos on display. Hands-down the most terrifying Ray Harryhausen creation. The sound-design, and the movement of Talos makes that scene jaw-dropping .
Obviously I couldn't help pulling up Kali's battle scene, which I have seen many times but never enough. Watch her FEET.. I've always been so fixated by the swordplay and all those arms...but the subtle way she shifts on her feet, the way her ankles rise just slightly as she puts the weight on the ball of her foot to strike and then back down again, you would swear an actual human model was somehow composted in just for the footwork. I also, like Adam, saw this in the theater, I would have been about 4? I might have slept through much of it, but I definitely woke up for this scene because I definitely remember it scaring the ever loving sh*t out of me. Truly incredible to think that JC's The Thing was only NINE YEARS later
Maybe Harryhausen studied traditional Indian dances for that. Kali definitely has poise and grace (and to be honest she also has a nice figure despite all those arms).
How cool for you, Mr. Savage! I actually had the great honor to briefly meet Ray Harryhausen at the, “Son of Famous Monsters” con, back in’95! So great to be able to shake his hand, explain how his incredible works have been such an amazing part of my existence, & even receive an autograph! 😁😲😉😃
Ray was my hero when I was a kid. I wish I could even bid on one of these pieces. Especially Kali. Golden Voyage was the first Harryhausen film I ever saw in a theater.
I met Ray Harryhausen when he spoke at a screening of, "It Came from Beneath the Sea" in Boulder, CO in the mid 1990s. He was so fascinating and an extremely kind man.
Ray Harryhausen gave a presentation at a Visual Effect Society event back in the early 2000's that I attended in Santa Rosa. He came up after a presentation by Weta for the Cave troll scene in LOTR, his first comment was "When did everything go and get so darn complicated!" . Hilarious and an excellent presentation as well!
I managed to see the Ray Harryhausen 'Titan of Cinema' exhibition when it was running in Edinburgh. Jason and the Argonauts is one of my favourite films, especially the scene with the Children of the Hydra's Teeth.
Many years ago a friend of mine was lucky enough to go and film Ray at his home for an acceptance speech for an award (I'm afraid I cannot remember which one) he filmed it in Ray's study surrounded by many of the models Ray had created
I have no doubt, watching the trilogy as a young man made me so infatuated with Greek mythology. Ray is a legend, as are you Adam. Thank you as always for your knowledge and entertainment.
I've been a fan for years, and follower of the Harryhausen foundation on Facebook for a long long time. It's so cool seeing some actual props, especially since he was known to reuse armatures.
As a fellow Ambassador for the Foundation (Angus has also posted his comment ealier in the thread) I was lucky enough to be mentored by Ray back in 2012. He was such a lovely person, so humble, very encouraging towards young filmakers and animators. I miss him dearly, but being apart of the foundation is a real honor to keep Ray's work and stories alive. I took his approach to encorage young animators who want to make thier own stop-motion puppets through the company I now work for Animation Toolkit, which also has connections with the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation. I hope to whom these artifacts end up with, they will be cherished and looked after, and also be alowed to be seen to inspire other generations of future film makers and animators.
I've seen on UA-cam where people have remastered the animation scenes so their motions are smoother and they look so much more realistic with those extra added frames and realistic motion blurring or whatever other tricks they used. The skeleton fights look amazing!
@ATEC101 oh, that is one of cinematic histories greatest tragedies. I still can't get over how you can establish a classic for 20 years and then turn around and not only crap all over it with "improvements" but make sure that its original glory is near buried to the future.
I grew up watching Ray's movies and loved every one of them. Although the stop motion is so cool there are some interesting videos online where the edit they scenes in 4K and 60 fps. The technology nowadays is fascinating.
He opened the door in my mind as a boy to a world of mythical fantasy ,.. his imagination to create movie magic excited me as a child , as it does today ...he's the godfather of animation
I think the stop action animation adds to the effect. It is much better than a fluid motion for these creatures. I remember watching these in the movie theater as a youth in the 70’s. I absolutely loved them.
As a kid, I grew up watching Mythbusters, which fueled my love for science, engineering, and experimenting in pursuit of the truth. Now at age 27, I watch Tested, where Adam's infectious passion fuels my love for art, film, and living authentically. Thank you so much for being a pillar of my life, Mr. Savage! I am hoping to meet you when you next come to Denver :)
I'm surprised that anyone is surprised how hard it was to animate Kali. You have head movement, body movement, the movement of the legs, the six arms and the co-ordination of fighting with a live actor. And you have to know in advance every movement that every part is going to make in each shot. You then have to pose and shoot each movement and if you make a mistake or forget what path you're taking or someone has a change of mind about what the character needs to do then you end up having to either scrap hours of work and redo it or work around what you have and leave in the errors. It's like choreographing the end battle of Infinity Wars but you have to construct it by hand frame by frame. The claymation film Boxtrolls released in 2015 took 18 months to film with a crew of 350 people. It took at least a week's work for every two minutes of animation. Harryhausen did most and sometimes all of his animation work by himself. It's no wonder that few people reach anywhere close to the level of skill and dedication achieved by Ray Harryhausen.
If I recall right Harryhausen went to work AFTER principal photography and editing had been done so that he would only need to animate what was needed. He made impossible real.
It was on The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms that Harryhausen first used a technique he created called "Dynamation" which split the background and foreground of pre-shot live action footage into two separate images into which he would animate a model or models, seemingly integrating the live-action with the models.
Born in 1962 & I remember begging Begging to go & then getting a ride & going to the theater & watching all! Back to back Sinbad movies! & The 7th Voyage of SINBAD! Always comes to mind! As do the others! As I was a die hard Sinbad fan! Was so sooooo believable! To a young child & don't forget the Dragon! Haha 😁
Willis O’Brian designed and engineered the stop motion creatures for The Lost World movie in the 1940’s. Legend has it he brought about 10 minutes of scenes from Lost World to an auditorium on the campus of UCLA and played it for a number of scientists there. He allegedly told them this was real footage filmed on some unexplored island in the Pacific. He wanted to see if his animations were convincing enough for movie audiences. The scientists were blown away by what they thought was actual footage of living dinosaurs. He did finally disclose to the scientists it was all Hollywood magic. I love his dedication to his craft.
I remember much of this stuff. My family was always a little behind in tech and movies due to money. So a great deal of old stuff was watched by us in the 90s.
The Kali figure particularly stands out for me as I remember being mesmerised by it as a kid coming to life when it's head first turned around and then dancing then fighting with the swords , Harryhausen did a fantastic job
My grandfather (born in 1893!), loved films, and took me to see "Jason and the Argonauts", when it first came out. Talos, the skeletons, incredible! Pop loved it as much as I did, and we talked about it with great gusto in the car ride home.
Ray Harryhausen is definitely a legend. Sad that he's mostly forgotten, as newer generations never learn about him. I was fortunate to grow up in the 70's. I got to see his older stuff cause back then they were still being shown, and got to see his newer stuff in the 80's. And to my knowledge, some of the techniques he created & pioneered are still being used in some movies. I like CGI, but sometimes stop motion just works better for certain scenes.
Awesome, thank you Adam! I loved watching anything with Harryhausen creatures in it when I was a little un in the 80's, I was amazed at the creatures back then and probably didn't realise the films and effects were already around 20 years old in some cases. I still love re-watching them today, they still amaze me now - timeless. The creatures are all wonderfully detailed and the effects just bring them to life, no matter how old the movie or how many times I've seen them. Talos is a particular favourite, the moment he first moves in Jason and the Argonauts is seared into my brain from childhood 😁
OMG this is so cool! I grew up watching Sinbad and Clash of the Titans and I would always be in awe of the magical and mythical creatures brought to life in those films. SO COOL you get to be that up close to them!
What strikes me about the detail on the statue peices is they look exactly as a bronze statue should look at the scale. The amount of scale is perfect and you can see how skilled he was because of the last one. Believable as a living creature instead of a bronze statue.
Learn more about this prop and check out the full Propstore catalog at: bit.ly/propstore_tested2024
The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation: www.rayharryhausen.com/
Nothing better in the 80's than watching a Ray Harryhausen movie on a rainy Saturday afternoon on local television.
With an easter egg.
Even better doing it in 2004, with your box set
Or the 60’s or 70’s
100% agree! Still do it now.😁👍
Or in 2024. Jason and the argonauts. My favourite.
I wrote Ray Harryhausen when I was like 16 and he sent me back a signed photo. I still have it and cherish it to this day.
That is great, truly valuable.
Lucky you. Clash of the Titans was the 1st film I saw in the theater..4 ys .. Hopefully one day we can get a 4K version of this film🫡🫡
@@bryondevine4224 Clash was not my 1st movie memory, but it is an outstanding one.
That's cool
Protect that with your life
Jason & The Argonauts is a timeless classic! Amazing how RH made Talos look so huge and intimidating! That blank faced head-turn never loses its impact!
That's one of my favourite moments in cinema full stop. Scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid.
@@julianburnell3165 Yeah when I first saw the stature I thought, " Is that going to start moving?"
Goosebumps still!
The Skeletons that come to life to do battle, never get sick of watching.
Watching the Skeletons coming up from beneath the ground was scary , But the blood curling scream that was really frightening .
I met Ray Harryhausen -96 at a cgi event in London. He held a talk about his work for us computer graphics nerds. Talked with him a bit after his talk and he let us have a close-up look at his Medusa puppet. It was absolutely incredible. He was almost as enthusiastic about cgi as we were about his works. An absolutely gem of a man.
As a once special effects worker, I would have given anything to have been there...
That is so neat to hear that he felt CGI was a continuation of his craft and not a replacement. So many people would feel threatened or insecure, he just wanted to put impossible things on screen using Movie Magic to entertain people and see dreams come to life
Jason and the argonauts, a classic and the scene with the skeletons,unforgettable
It’s one of those movies, like the Wizard of Oz, that every child should see. It blew me away.
scared the living daylights out of me as a kid ! awesome !
They scared the shit out of me when I was a kid....😂
I watched his films as a child and they made me fall in love with Greek mythology. I thank him for that.
Same goes with me. While the movies were slightly different than the myths, it was a gateway for me to learn more.
The Kali fight scene from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is amazing. I can watch it over and over again!
Scared the shit out of me when I was a little kid in the 70's. Of course having the the new Dr Who on board.... but that was a few years later.
Talos was always my fave in Jason And The Argonaughts
Every child’s nightmare. It was his silence that scared me.
Same
The noise when he moved always scared me,even to this day.
Mine too
Fantastic memories....
I’ve been lucky to be an ambassador of the Foundation and a lifelong Harryhausen fan. I’ll treasure the moment I met the man himself in 2008 at the Edinburgh Film Festival. The Titan of Cinema exhibition in Edinburgh was incredible, a fitting retrospective of a legendary career.
I’m so glad to see that his work has been preserved, especially considering the material!
One of the first things I saw after the pandemic when I was allowed out of the house
My brother and I went to the First exhibition at the Science Museum in OKC. They were showing every week a different Day Film and I bought two tickets for myself and my brother because as children we both loved Clash of The Titans. That week they were showing Clash of The Titans with Diana who flew in from Scotland and we were able to watch it with her. They had a Q&A then afterwards we went up to the Exhibit.
Watching Adam inch that latex sculpture closer and closer to the edge of the table and then gesture his hands wildly all around it made me hold my breath.
Adam is a great guy but he should not be permitted to touch them and should seriously keep his hands behind his back or to his sides the entire time...let the prop store guy handle it...
@helisoma He will have had permission
@@stevedickson5853 I'm sure he did. But he sometimes gets distracted by his fandom and is a little absent-minded with the objects.
Remember meeting Mr Harryhausen and he showed us the skeleton, and other things, it was such a freaky thing to see on TV as a kid, but so small in real life. He was a real gentleman.
Also worth mentioning is Bernard Hermann, the music conductor who did a lot of the music for these movies. The Sinbad movies, Jason and the Argonauts, Mysterious Island, along with many Alfred Hitchcock movies, Day the Earth Stood Still and many more. His music sets the tension throughout all these movies. Without Mr. Hermann, these movies wouldn't be as memorable as they are today.
I remember watching Jason and the Argonauts with my dad in the late 80s. Seeing Talos for the first time was a core memory. From the head turn to the music is just amazing. Even though the movie was 25+ years old at the time. It held up. Now 61 years later. I can still say the same.
The Talos scene has everything that lovers of well made movies desire. All is quiet as the men look up at the massive statue of Talos. After discovering a treasure chamber and picking up a six foot golden hair pin, there is a grinding sound from above and a thick door shuts the men in. Once Hercules forces the door open, the men exit only to find the wind has picked up. Suddenly, the huge head of Talos comes to life and with the echoing sound of grinding metal, turns to look at them. As a kid, this made me tremble. The heavy music and metallic sounds as Talos stood to his feet, made for a amazing moment in cinematic history...
My favourite movie effects from Harryhausen, love watching these films.
The scene with Talos scared the living hell out of me. The sense of irresistible power was immense. True genius.
Harryhausen is the GOAT.
I met Mr. Harryhausen at Comic-Con many years ago. We looked at an original flying saucer from 'Earth vs the Flying Saucers' someone had brought in and spent hours talking about his life's works. I asked why he had to make these by himself and he repeated what he's said before, "I had to learn to do everything because I couldn't find another kindred soul. "
Incredible man and great friend.
Ray managed to elevate models beyond props, and made them believable characters, with a range of emotions.
The creatures and stop motion on Jason and the Argonaughts was so wonderfully created that even as someone without the lens of nostalgia, It was still captivating watching them.
Argonauts.
@@williamwilson6499I always spell Argonauts wrong, oh well I'm not going to change it. I'll own that mistake.
I remember Harryhausen’s special effects appearing so unnerving and alive to my young eyes while watching his films on a Sunday afternoon at grandma’s. Even in the 80s and 90s, the stop-motion skeletons still worked so well - actually, the slightly juddery stop-motion animation effect worked better with skeletons as it seemed to make more visual sense that dry, hard bones moving wouldn’t be smooth, (like CGI animation), there’s something visceral and organic in stop-motion that the human eye appreciates - which, to this day, CGI just can’t quite capture. Amazing stuff.
RIP Ray and thank you for all the movie magic! ❤🙏
The Talos comes alive scene still gives me shivers to this day. I watched that movie when it first came out.
That noise when Talos first turns his head... Oh man!
Me too. I was 10. Never forget it.
Seeing his films in a theater is the way to truly appreciate his films. I’ve always been a fan of stop motion movies since I was a child. Seeing the these models are amazing. They have been beautifully preserved.
Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema. Seen every one of his models earliest,Mighty Joe Young, and props and modelling kit he used. My bucket list from when I watched his films in the 60s. Seen his storyboards, sketches, filming techniques and his honorary Oscar. The Kraken, skeletons and bubo and tons more. Thanks to his daughter Diana Harryhausen preserving his work and showing it around the world.
The detail in the Kraken, Talos and crabs/bees has to be seen to be believed.
OMG! Even though they are just non-poseable stand-ins for lighting while filming.....HOLY CRAP!!! Made and painted by Ray Harryhausen!!! And to be able to actually TOUCH them. Just incredible. I've loved his work since I was a kid in the 1960's, and then later when I decided I wanted to make movies and I studied a lot about him and his techniques. Yes, he inspired so many people. I am very envious that you had this opportunity. The dream of so many to be able to see such things in person, and especially to touch them.
2 experts (nerds) enjoying themselves telling each other things they already know and agree on, you love to see it
For us Gen Xers Harry's work is just seminal. This was a special treat to see all this stuff. Thank you for posting.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. One of my favorite films ever and the reason I became an artist.
Love how excited Adam gets over these!
I've been a special effects enthusiast since I was about 4 or 5. I get to live vicariously through him because he's as excited as I am. lol
I had the outstanding luck to meet Ray Harryhausen in Berlin in 1991. I was terribly nervous, but he was very friendly and patiently answered all my many questions...😊
Khali is still one of the coolest effects still gives me chills to this day
Harryhausen's stuff was so amazing! Legendary in every sense of the word.
Insane . I got hear him speak way back at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles . Humble and a wealth of knowledge
Any time a Harryhausen movie is on the TV, we watch it. It's a must do, doesn't matter how many times we've seen it.
Thanks again, Adam.
👍👍👍👍😎😎😎😎
Stop-motion should make a comeback like vinyl records. I love it.
Stop-motion and puppetry. Really sucks that no one wants to take the financial risk to fund these styles again. Looking at you, Netflix, canceling Age of Resistance.
Add model miniatures to that list and I'm all fucking in!
if your refering to stop-motion as an animation, it never went away, companies like Aarmdan and Liaka are still carrying the artform forward with shorts, sereis and feature films. But if your refering to Stop-motion for creature effects, I do agree, it should make a come back, Tippett Studios have already some stop-motion shots in the Mandalorian series, Star Wars, Alien Romulus, and of course Phil's film "Mad God", but it would be nice if other companies would open up to the idea of using stop-motion creatures, the trick is even though its easier now to composite models into film now using digital tech, the trick is now how to blend them in so they dont stand out.
There’s a new Wallace and grommet movie next month - but I can’t remember if it’s Netflix or prime that’s showing it .
@@lasarith2 Nice, Thanks!
My high school Film production teacher Mr. Kunert was a film preservationist who pressured the Academy to finally give Ray Harryhausen his much deserved lifetime achievement Oscar.
I saw these up for auction, it's great that you always get a phone call to make a new video and can share them on UA-cam. It's hard to believe Ray is gone, he contributed so much to the stop mo industry.
Wow +40 years old and they look amazing.
Ray is the GOAT. He is to practical FX as Stan Lee is to comics.
I would love love LOVE to have that Talos on display. Hands-down the most terrifying Ray Harryhausen creation. The sound-design, and the movement of Talos makes that scene jaw-dropping .
My mom had my siblings and i watch all the stop motion classics in the 80s that used these types of figures, great memories seeing the originals here
I would happily take the effects of Ray Harryhausen over CGI any day. Super jealous you got to see those up close and personal!
Obviously I couldn't help pulling up Kali's battle scene, which I have seen many times but never enough. Watch her FEET.. I've always been so fixated by the swordplay and all those arms...but the subtle way she shifts on her feet, the way her ankles rise just slightly as she puts the weight on the ball of her foot to strike and then back down again, you would swear an actual human model was somehow composted in just for the footwork.
I also, like Adam, saw this in the theater, I would have been about 4? I might have slept through much of it, but I definitely woke up for this scene because I definitely remember it scaring the ever loving sh*t out of me.
Truly incredible to think that JC's The Thing was only NINE YEARS later
Maybe Harryhausen studied traditional Indian dances for that. Kali definitely has poise and grace (and to be honest she also has a nice figure despite all those arms).
Harryhausen was the BEST bar none!! He was the KING! Period! Man love those figures.
Ray was the GOAT. No one comes close. Nothing more needs to be said.
The Kali model is just amazing. I can only dream of owning it.
How cool for you, Mr. Savage!
I actually had the great honor to briefly meet Ray Harryhausen at the, “Son of Famous Monsters” con, back in’95!
So great to be able to shake his hand, explain how his incredible works have been such an amazing part of my existence, & even receive an autograph!
😁😲😉😃
Jason and the argonauts, love that movie ❤
Golden Voyage of Sinbad was my favorite. Fantastic monsters and lovely Caroline Munro❤
The VERY lovely Caroline Munro (and still is!) 😊
Just been to see these today they look so stunning in person.
I have always had a soft spot for his Medusa in clash of the titans...a truly epic piece of fantasy cinema 🎥 ❤
Ray was my hero when I was a kid. I wish I could even bid on one of these pieces. Especially Kali. Golden Voyage was the first Harryhausen film I ever saw in a theater.
I met Ray Harryhausen when he spoke at a screening of, "It Came from Beneath the Sea" in Boulder, CO in the mid 1990s. He was so fascinating and an extremely kind man.
Possibly among the most amazing, most badass, most important pieces you've reviewed 😂❤
I grew up watching Harryhausen with my mother, such pleasant memories associated with his work
Ray Harryhausen gave a presentation at a Visual Effect Society event back in the early 2000's that I attended in Santa Rosa. He came up after a presentation by Weta for the Cave troll scene in LOTR, his first comment was "When did everything go and get so darn complicated!" . Hilarious and an excellent presentation as well!
I managed to see the Ray Harryhausen 'Titan of Cinema' exhibition when it was running in Edinburgh. Jason and the Argonauts is one of my favourite films, especially the scene with the Children of the Hydra's Teeth.
Many years ago a friend of mine was lucky enough to go and film Ray at his home for an acceptance speech for an award (I'm afraid I cannot remember which one) he filmed it in Ray's study surrounded by many of the models Ray had created
Ray is the reason I love the Ionian sea
Every time a video of Adam starts with the words "London Props Store"... you KNOW he is GEEKING OUT BEYOND CONCEIVABLE for the duration!
Ray Harryhousen was my favourite animator when I was a kid and he still is.
I have no doubt, watching the trilogy as a young man made me so infatuated with Greek mythology. Ray is a legend, as are you Adam. Thank you as always for your knowledge and entertainment.
Harry was one of the greatest and I’m so glad he gets the tribute and respect he deserves.
I've been a fan for years, and follower of the Harryhausen foundation on Facebook for a long long time. It's so cool seeing some actual props, especially since he was known to reuse armatures.
As a fellow Ambassador for the Foundation (Angus has also posted his comment ealier in the thread) I was lucky enough to be mentored by Ray back in 2012. He was such a lovely person, so humble, very encouraging towards young filmakers and animators. I miss him dearly, but being apart of the foundation is a real honor to keep Ray's work and stories alive. I took his approach to encorage young animators who want to make thier own stop-motion puppets through the company I now work for Animation Toolkit, which also has connections with the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation. I hope to whom these artifacts end up with, they will be cherished and looked after, and also be alowed to be seen to inspire other generations of future film makers and animators.
I've seen on UA-cam where people have remastered the animation scenes so their motions are smoother and they look so much more realistic with those extra added frames and realistic motion blurring or whatever other tricks they used. The skeleton fights look amazing!
Yes, but no. CGI can put the Mona Lisa in a crop top. That adds nothing. Remember when Star Wars was 'remasturd'?
@ATEC101 oh, that is one of cinematic histories greatest tragedies. I still can't get over how you can establish a classic for 20 years and then turn around and not only crap all over it with "improvements" but make sure that its original glory is near buried to the future.
Even without the ai upscaling it still looks phenomenal
Ray Harryhausen was so cool!
I grew up watching Ray's movies and loved every one of them. Although the stop motion is so cool there are some interesting videos online where the edit they scenes in 4K and 60 fps. The technology nowadays is fascinating.
He opened the door in my mind as a boy to a world of mythical fantasy ,.. his imagination to create movie magic excited me as a child , as it does today ...he's the godfather of animation
If I had unlimited funds, I would absolutely stock my living room with these.... 😱😲
Absolutely beautiful pieces, these are works of art.
I think the stop action animation adds to the effect. It is much better than a fluid motion for these creatures. I remember watching these in the movie theater as a youth in the 70’s. I absolutely loved them.
As a kid, I grew up watching Mythbusters, which fueled my love for science, engineering, and experimenting in pursuit of the truth. Now at age 27, I watch Tested, where Adam's infectious passion fuels my love for art, film, and living authentically. Thank you so much for being a pillar of my life, Mr. Savage! I am hoping to meet you when you next come to Denver :)
Wow, love RH's work. Clash of the Titans is amazing.
The best, creepiest Medusa ever.
I'm surprised that anyone is surprised how hard it was to animate Kali. You have head movement, body movement, the movement of the legs, the six arms and the co-ordination of fighting with a live actor. And you have to know in advance every movement that every part is going to make in each shot. You then have to pose and shoot each movement and if you make a mistake or forget what path you're taking or someone has a change of mind about what the character needs to do then you end up having to either scrap hours of work and redo it or work around what you have and leave in the errors. It's like choreographing the end battle of Infinity Wars but you have to construct it by hand frame by frame. The claymation film Boxtrolls released in 2015 took 18 months to film with a crew of 350 people. It took at least a week's work for every two minutes of animation. Harryhausen did most and sometimes all of his animation work by himself. It's no wonder that few people reach anywhere close to the level of skill and dedication achieved by Ray Harryhausen.
If I recall right Harryhausen went to work AFTER principal photography and editing had been done so that he would only need to animate what was needed. He made impossible real.
Love Ray's work
It was on The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms that Harryhausen first used a technique he created called "Dynamation" which split the background and foreground of pre-shot live action footage into two separate images into which he would animate a model or models, seemingly integrating the live-action with the models.
Such remarkable pieces. Definitely cornerstones of the whole film industry, and pieces of history.
Love how excited Adam gets with something he’s really passionate about. The happiness pours over to others.
Born in 1962 & I remember begging Begging to go & then getting a ride & going to the theater & watching all! Back to back Sinbad movies! & The 7th Voyage of SINBAD! Always comes to mind! As do the others! As I was a die hard Sinbad fan! Was so sooooo believable! To a young child & don't forget the Dragon! Haha 😁
Willis O’Brian designed and engineered the stop motion creatures for The Lost World movie in the 1940’s. Legend has it he brought about 10 minutes of scenes from Lost World to an auditorium on the campus of UCLA and played it for a number of scientists there. He allegedly told them this was real footage filmed on some unexplored island in the Pacific. He wanted to see if his animations were convincing enough for movie audiences. The scientists were blown away by what they thought was actual footage of living dinosaurs. He did finally disclose to the scientists it was all Hollywood magic. I love his dedication to his craft.
😍😍 I loved this Sindbad Movie and still do
Adam’s hands are so busy I am nervously waiting for the entire collection to fly off the table.
I work in a museum and it's making me very nervous...
Adam, I love how much you geek out around these pieces of history!
I love it when people furiously wave their arms around near delicate objects
I remember much of this stuff. My family was always a little behind in tech and movies due to money. So a great deal of old stuff was watched by us in the 90s.
DAMN RIGHT IM JEALOUS!!!!!AWESOME!!!!RAY HAS INSPIRED ME MY WHOLE LIFE!!!
I love Ray Harryhausen movies 🍿 🎥 👌🥰❤️👍
The Kali figure particularly stands out for me as I remember being mesmerised by it as a kid coming to life when it's head first turned around and then dancing then fighting with the swords , Harryhausen did a fantastic job
My grandfather (born in 1893!), loved films, and took me to see "Jason and the Argonauts", when it first came out. Talos, the skeletons, incredible! Pop loved it as much as I did, and we talked about it with great gusto in the car ride home.
Ray Harryhausen is definitely a legend. Sad that he's mostly forgotten, as newer generations never learn about him. I was fortunate to grow up in the 70's. I got to see his older stuff cause back then they were still being shown, and got to see his newer stuff in the 80's. And to my knowledge, some of the techniques he created & pioneered are still being used in some movies. I like CGI, but sometimes stop motion just works better for certain scenes.
For generations, every dude with even the remotest interest in scifi or fantasy has appreciated Jason and the Argonauts. EVERYBODY.
Awesome, thank you Adam! I loved watching anything with Harryhausen creatures in it when I was a little un in the 80's, I was amazed at the creatures back then and probably didn't realise the films and effects were already around 20 years old in some cases. I still love re-watching them today, they still amaze me now - timeless. The creatures are all wonderfully detailed and the effects just bring them to life, no matter how old the movie or how many times I've seen them. Talos is a particular favourite, the moment he first moves in Jason and the Argonauts is seared into my brain from childhood 😁
OMG this is so cool! I grew up watching Sinbad and Clash of the Titans and I would always be in awe of the magical and mythical creatures brought to life in those films. SO COOL you get to be that up close to them!
What strikes me about the detail on the statue peices is they look exactly as a bronze statue should look at the scale. The amount of scale is perfect and you can see how skilled he was because of the last one. Believable as a living creature instead of a bronze statue.
Thank you! I loved those movies!
Shocked these are being sold