Ray Harryhausen was an American visual and special effects artist most known for creating an animation technique called “Dynamation”, which blends stop motion model animation with live action. He first applied this technique to “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)—later perfecting it in one of his most iconic films, “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958); the Archive has elements of both titles. Harryhausen worked closely, during his early years, with George Pal on “Puppetoons” (TV Series 1932–1942) before enlisting in the U.S. Army and becoming a combat photographer under Frank Capra, with whom he created a series of war time content, such, “Harryhausen WWII Animations for Capra Unit” (1944) and “How to Bridge a Gorge” (1941), both of which were preserved by the Archive and are included in the collection. Other preserved titles include a series of fairy tale shorts called “Mother Goose Stories” (1946) which were intended for circulation within the educational system. The Archive has preserved several of Harryhausen's films, including tests from "War of the Worlds" (1949), and the unproduced film, “The Elementals” (1953). Since 2004, the Archive has housed over 150 items related to Ray Harryhausen including elements on deposit through his estate and elements made from preservation work.
Click here for a list of the Academy’s holdings related to Ray Harryhausen.