AllMovie

Ray Harryhausen was one of the finest and most influential special effects artists ever to work in Hollywood. Inspired by Willis O'Brien, who created the giant ape and other creatures for the original version of King Kong, Harryhausen was a master of stop-motion animation, in which lifelike, articulated scale models were manipulated one frame at a time to create the illusion of dinosaurs, marauding aliens, or mythical beasts. Harryhausen's creatures, which had an emotional force and personality missing from most movie monsters, enlivened such films as The Valley of Gwangi, Jason and the Argonauts, and Clash of the Titans, among many others. The Harryhausen Chronicles is a documentary which looks at Harryhausen's remarkable career, from his early amateur films up to his final works, and reveals some of the secrets (as well as the hard work) behind his movie magic. Harryhausen fans George Lucas and Ray Bradbury also lend their perspectives on his work; Leonard Nimoy narrates.