RIP Ray Harryhausen (1920 - 2013)

Art by Gary Pullin

I was saddened to hear of the passing of a legend of cinema yesterday, Ray Harryhausen. I grew up with the screenings on TV of the classic 'Sinbad' films, 'Jason And The Argonauts', 'First Men In The Moon', 'The Valley Of The Gwangi' and I do remember seeing 'Clash Of The Titans' in the cinema as well.

All of those films had that Harryhausen magic and are firmly entrenched as some of my favourite films, especially the Sinbad films. They were very believable because of the way the creatures interacted with the actors, check out the infamous skeleton fight in 'Jason And The Argonauts', and Sinbad's sword fight in 'The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad' as prime examples.

Check out some of Ray's concept art and posters from some of my favourite Harryhausen films below.

I'll leave you with a quote from the man himself:
"I'm very happy that so many young fans have told me that my films have changed their lives. That's a great compliment. It means I did more than just make entertaining films. I actually touched people's lives -- and, I hope, changed them for the better."

The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958)

Jason And The Argonauts (1963)

The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1973)

Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger (1977)

Clash Of The Titans (1981)