Ray Harryhausen, Visual Effects: Clash of the Titans. Ray Harryhausen, American filmmaker best known for his pioneering use of stop-motion animation effects. With Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, One Million B.C., and three Sinbad movies, stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen created fantasy worlds that enchanted young moviegoers in the pre-CGI age. The original 1933 film of King Kong used stop-motion to make the great ape seem alive and menacing, and Ray Harryhausen was 13 when that film was released. His work can be seen in Mighty Joe Young, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Jason and the Argonauts. He was awestruck, and to state the obvious, the film changed his life. A massively influential artist and filmmaker who inspired some of the greatest talents in the field, Ray Harryhausen was born 100 years ago today. When it comes to motion picture special effects, there is only one name that personifies movie magic--Ray Harryhausen. Before the advent of complex digital effects, the monsters and magic of cinema had to be created physically, and no one was better at realizing our fantasies like Ray Harryhausen. He went to the library to research King Kong's special effects, and wrote a letter to the film's effects chief, Willis O'Brien. A t 85, Ray Harryhausen is the world's greatest living stop-motion animator.

He’s perhaps best known for his innovative work in stop-motion animation, particularly his own technique, dubbed Dynamation. He developed Dynamation to make actors appear to interact with animated characters. From his debut films with George Pal to his final film, Harryhausen imbued magic and visual strength to motion picture special effects as no other technician has, before or since.