Description

Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life                        Over-sized Hardcover w/ Dust Jacket
Third Printing
By: Ray Harryhausen & Tony Dalton
Foreword by: Ray Bradbury
Front Cover of Dust Jacket by: Movie Photo {Jason and the Argonauts (1963)}

Ray Harryhausen is arguably the greatest stop-motion animator in the history of motion pictures, blazing new trails in special effects from the 1950s to the 1980s creating realistic dinosaurs, fantastic aliens, and imaginative mythological creatures. In the animator’s own words, accompanied by hundreds of previously unpublished photographs, sketches, and storyboards from his personal archive, this book details Harryhausen’s entire film career, from 20 Million Miles to Earth and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers to Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts. In words and images, this book explains the basics of special effects and stop-motion animation, along the way telling entertaining tales of working with the film stars of the day, such as Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, and Lionel Jeffries. Film buffs will relish such revelations as how Raquel Welch was picked up by a flying dinosaur in One Million Years B.C., why the octopus in Mysterious Island was really only a sixtopus, and what Medusa’s blood was made from in Clash of the Titans. Featuring 366 color and 691 black & white illustrations.

Inspired by the film King Kong, at the age of thirteen Ray Harryhausen knew his future lay in special effects. Following on from his mentor Willis O’Brien, creator of Kong, Ray took the art and skills of stop-motion animation one step further, weaving his magic on dinosaurs, aliens and mythological creatures alike. In his time he has created mammoths, tyrannosaurus, giant crabs, Selenites, cyclops, centaurs, battling skeletons, the Kraken, flying harpies and a host of other terrifying models. However, he is keen to point out that they are ‘creatures, always creatures, never monsters’.

From humble beginnings working in his father’s garage in Los Angeles animating a selection of Fairy Tales, to blockbuster movies filmed on location in Jordan, Italy, Malta, and Spain, Ray has seen and done it all. Not only did he work with the likes of Frank Capra and Sam Birkin during his army days, but his films have also starred some of the world’s great actors, including Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Lionel Jeffries and Tom Baker. But perhaps he is best known for his collaborations with producer Charles Schneer, which led to Mysterious Island, The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver and Clash of the Titans, to name but a few.

The films’ journeys – from original concept, key drawings, storyboards, directing the actors’ interactions with creatures, filming through to the final reviews – are all covered. Furthermore, he reveals the secrets to the amazing special effects he created. Learn how Raquel Welch was picked up by a flying dinosaur in One Million B.C., why the octopus in It Came From Beneath the Sea was only a sixtopus, and what Talos’ ichor was made from in Jason and the Argonauts.

As the creator of DYNAMATION, Harryhausen explains how the models were made, constructing armatures from ball and socket joints and then covering them in the appropriate materials; the incredibly patience and precision needed to ensure their movements were fluid; how they were matted into the final pictures; and the techniques he used to give them ‘contact’ with the live actors. Yet his work involved far more than just animating models: frequently it is the little details that give the films that all-important sense of reality. Consequently, he has spent hours creating the right size of bubbles for underwater scenes and ensuring that blood was mixed to the right consistency.

However, if you think that Ray’s role was confined to animator, you are very much mistaken. As the Associate Producer, frequently it was his original ideas that provided the basis to the films, and he was heavily involved in the story development, sent round the world to recce locations, designed sets and promoted the final picture.

The last great animator before the introduction of CGI, Ray Harryhausen takes us through the pleasures and pitfalls of sixty years’ bringing inanimate objects to life. Anecdotal, insightful and honest, An Animated Life features hundreds of previously unpublished photos from his personal archive. It explains the basics of special effects and stop-motion animation, what working with film stars of the day was like and how his creations were really the stars of the movies.

Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life contains:

Foreword by Ray Bradbury
Preface by Tony Dalton and Ray Harryhausen
Introduction
Discovery of a Giant Ape
Another Ape and a Beast
From Beneath the Sea to Outer Space
Sinbad has been good to me
Another Lost Land
Almost Human
Absolutely Imperial
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, Everywhere Dinosaurs
Return to Legends
Goodbye Old Friend
In the Lap of the Gods
Lost Projects, Lost Worlds
Filmography
Glossary

Hardcover w/ Dust Jacket is bagged and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly. 

Third Printing
Publisher: Billboard Books / Watson-Guptill Publications, Inc.
Publication Date: 2005
Format: FC, 304 pages, HC/DJ, 11.5″ x 10″
ISBN-10: 0823084027
ISBN-13: 9780823084029

Collectible Entertainment note: Hardcover w/ Dust Jacket is in Very Fine to Very Fine + condition.  Beautiful!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Ray Harryhausen collector and/or enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read. Very Highly Recommended. 

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