Ray Harryhausen, Hollywood Effects Legend, Dies at 92

Ray Harryhausen, master of stop-motion animation and award-winning special effects guru, has died. [...]

By Russ Burlingame

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Ray Harryhausen, master of stop-motion animation and award-winning special effects guru, has died. He was 92. Harryhausen, whose name is synonymous with films like Mighty Joe Young and the original Clash of the Titans, passed away in London, according to The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation Facebook page. "Harryhausen's genius was in being able to bring his models alive," said a statement on his official Facebook page. "Whether they were prehistoric dinosaurs or mythological creatures, in Ray's hands they were no longer puppets but became instead characters in their own right, just as important as the actors they played against and in most cases even more so." Darren G. Davis, Publisher at Bluewater Productions, issued a statement that read in part, "Ray was an inspiration for me. From the first time I saw Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans, I was spellbound. There are no superlatives worthy enough to let him know what his work meant to me. I feel so blessed for the opportunity to have worked with him throughout the years on numerous comic book adaptations, graphic novel sequels and other projects based on his visionary work.  In an entertainment industry dominated by computer generated effects, Ray Harryhausens's hand-crafted mastery still sparks the imagination like no other—it truly emphasizes the word "special" in special effects."

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