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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 5.05 - AUGUST 2000
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Ray Harryhausen, A Celebration
Other noted speakers included Wah Chang, Richard L. Bare and Nathan Juran, alumni from Harryhausen's days as an animator at George Pal's Puppetoons in the early 1950s; Jean Picker Firstenberg, director and CEO of the American Film Institute; and Robert Rehme, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Aardman Animations' Nick Park and Peter Lord added a jubilant greeting, posing in front of an enormous English country manor. Matte artists Syd Dutton and Bill Taylor also sent greetings from in front of a giant Harryhausen-esque painting at Illusion Arts, while VFX artist Jon Berg added a moving reminiscence from stop-motion artist David Allen, who died recently. A re-creation of the original Argonauts skeleton fight was next interrupted as animated skeletons griped about the punishment their animator was giving them, animating eight seconds a day. "Ray said if we do good, he'll put us in a Spin Bad movie," one slow-witted skeleton said, just as a background column fell flat, revealing an apple box and C-stand. Peeved, one headless performer stormed off, fumbling for its head, only to find a cube-shaped Earth instead, which signaled the animated antics were courtesy of Flat Earth Productions.
One of the most elaborate pranks came from MTV Animation's Celebrity Death Match team, who dropped a Jules Verne time machine into foggy London to reveal a stop-motion Harryhausen inside. A death match ensued between Harryhausen and two mean-spirited but extremely clumsy skeletons, which both met grisly ends. Harryhausen later received his own puppet facsimile encased in Plexiglas, presented by representatives of the MTV Animation team. Rolf Giesen and members of the Berlin Film Museum (Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek) introduced themselves to camera in front of their museum, where they have been preparing a permanent exhibition housing all of Harryhausen's work. Giesen also introduced a special guest from Harryhausen's past, Paul Christian Hubschmid, star of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. The actor, now in his 90s and partially disabled, gave one of the most spirited greetings of the entire assembly, saying, "From one dinosaur to another." Other personal greetings included a message from Diana Harryhausen, Ray's wife, who teased her husband that she was not going to flatter him in public; and one from a group of young women all wearing false noses and glasses, one of whom was Vanessa Harryhausen, Ray's daughter. Atkin concluded the 30-minute presentation, recalling Harryhausen's appearance at the VES Festival of Visual Effects 1999, where Muren introduced Harryhausen to the crowd, which rose to its feet in a standing ovation. "I asked Ray, 'Does this happen everywhere you go?'" Atkin said. "Without missing a beat and with no ego at all, he said, 'Everywhere.' Ray is definitely a standard bearer for all the people in this room and most of the people in this industry."
VFX designer Phil Tippett recited a breathless recap of Harryhausen's 16 movie titles, followed by a swaggering barbershop chorus of seven computer-animated skeletons who wailed "Happy Birthday to You" until they exploded upon hitting a high note, falling into a pile of bones that spelled out Tippett Studios' greeting. Harryhausen replied, "I'm so grateful that we were able to make films that inspired people. It's a little worrying what some of the films do to young people today. I don't want to get on a soapbox about that, but I'm glad that everybody found a little more in our films than a few hours of entertainment. Thank you so much for this wonderful, wonderful celebration. I'll never forget it."
Atkin finally delivered a congratulatory card from Washington, D.C., signed by President Clinton and the First Lady. Clearly moved and thrilled, Harryhausen remarked amid loud applause, "And I didn't even vote for them!" After an official cake-cutting, festivities continued until after midnight, proving the Harryhausen legacy endures, as noted in the video tribute from the Secret Lab, Disney Feature Animation and the Walt Disney Co. Modifying an excerpt from their remake of Mighty Joe Young -- where a modern-day rendition of Harryhausen's giant ape shone a searchlight into clouds to reveal a birthday greeting -- Charlize Theron's final voiceover from the film stated: "The people here are saying the sacred guardian has returned to protect the mountains. Other people say this is just a legend. Legends live forever." Joe Fordham is the editor of VFXPro.com. Republished from VFXPro, a fellow Creative Planet community Web site, and on-line news resource for the visual effects community affiliated with the Visual Effects Society.
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