R.I.P. Ray Harryhausen

[O.Supreme]

Man... this is tough... I just finished getting all his classic films on DVD too... So glad I got to meet him in person at SDCC a few years back. He will be truly missed

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=103886

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

[MouthForWar]

[O.Supreme]

[MekaGojira3k]

[Dr Kain]

[Jinzo Ningen]

I only learned of Mr. Harryhausen's passing while checking in at SciFi Japan's main website this past weekend. Very depressing news. I vividly remember my mom (bless her!) taking me to the revival screenings of his earlier work when I was a tyke, and the amazement of getting to see "Golden Voyage...," "...Eye of the Tiger" and "Clash of The Titans" when they first premiered at our sadly long since torn down theater; some here will remember those great, old places: huge velvety curtains with golden tassle along the bottom, art deco sculpting everywhere... totally old-fashioned classic age cinema art houses. Some of my greatest childhood memories were spent in the balcony there, watching Ray's creatures unleash their unique brand of mayhem as the rampaged across the screen.

Ray's work was/is truly unlike anything else. I recall being able to catch "Jason & The Argonauts" one afternoon on TV and rightly thinking it just might be the single greatest film ever made. He was one of a kind, and it's unlikely that we'll ever have such a single, powerful influence affect film-making in such a way ever again. A true loss for cinema. Our lone blessing is that he leaves such an awesome body of work behind that, thankfully, has been well-preserved, and still manages to enthrall new generations of fans with each viewing. His work turns every viewer back into a giddy, google-eyed 10 year-old again - for 85 minutes. Perhaps that's the true magic of Ray Harryhausen & Dynamation. Farewell, Sir. You were a true pioneer and you will never be forgotten.