Stop-Motion Magic: The Best Of Ray Harryhausen

A look at 5 great films by Ray Harryhausen, the stop-motion animation legend.

In the days before computer-generated special effects, unusual and fantastic elements of a film were often brought to life using stop-motion animation. With this technique, models are filmed one frame at a time, with the model being moved slightly in-between frames. For decades the top name in stop-motion animation was Ray Harryhausen.

During his legendary career, Ray Harryhausen worked on many films. They are all fun to watch, but these five represent what I consider to be the best of Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion magic:

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is the quintessential 1950's sci-fi movie. Harryhausen's flying saucers are perfect, especially during the climactic battle scenes over Washington, DC. This is a 1950's B-movie, but the special effects are some of the best of their era. The classic scenes of saucers crashing into the Washington Monument and the dome of the Capital Building are from this film. If you enjoy the 1950s sci-fi genre, this movie is a must-see.

Internet Movie Database: Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was the first of Harryhausen's movies filmed in color. This Arabian Nights fantasy was the perfect showcase for Harryhausen's stop-motion magic. For this film he created a fire-breathing dragon, a giant cyclops, the dancing cobra-woman, and a sword-fighting skeleton. The excellent musical score is from Bernard Herrmann, who scored many well-known films, including several Alfred Hitchcock classics.

Internet Movie Database: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

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Jason and the Argonauts is Ray Harryhausen's masterpiece. It tells the story, from Greek mythology, of Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece. The film includes perhaps the most famous stop-motion scene of all time, a sword fight in which seven stop-motion skeletons rise up out of the earth to do battle with three live actors. Other superb Harryhausen creations in this film include Talos (a giant bronze statue that comes to life), screeching winged harpies, and a seven-headed hydra. Once again, the film is enhanced by a Bernard Herrmann score.

One Million Years B.C. is the movie that made Raquel Welch a star, but for fans of stop-motion animation, Harryhausen's dinosaurs are - almost - as interesting as Raquel herself. This movie was produced by Hammer Films, the British film company known primarily for a series of horror films starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. You could quibble about the fact that humans and dinosaurs never actually coexisted, or you could just make some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the movie.

Harryhausen returned to the world of Sinbad in the 1970's, with The Golden Voyage of Sinbad in 1973 and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger in 1977. Golden Voyage is the better of the two films. As usual, Harryhausen created several new and fantastic creatures, the best of these being the dancing, six-armed statue of the goddess Kali. Another highlight of the film is Tom Baker's convincing portrayal of the evil wizard Koura. Baker would later become one of the most popular Doctors on the British TV series Doctor Who.