Announcement

It is with the deepest sadness that we must announce Ray’s death in London on May 7th 2013.  Thankfully his passing was quick and painless, but it has of course left a very large void in the lives of Diana, Vanessa and everyone at the Foundation.  It really is the end of an era and a very bright, irreplaceable  light has gone from our lives.

Since first making the announcement on Facebook and Twitter yesterday afternoon, we have been overwhelmed be the number of tributes and messages of sympathy from everyone.  We feel very humbled by your kind words and would like to extend our most heartfelt thanks to you all. 

Needless to say the tributes will continue to come in over the coming days, and we know you will understand that we cannot respond to your messages personally. 

It goes without saying that our home already feels very quiet without Ray, but thankfully we are surrounded by his creations and so his presence is never far away.

There will be a private family funeral but there will be a memorial service in London later this year, details of which we will post nearer the time.

Our sincerest thanks and best wishes to you all,

Diana, Vanessa, Tony, and the Foundation      

“We couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.  He possessed one of the greatest imaginations of the 20th century.  His absolute passion for his work radiated from the screen and made our imaginations run wild”
Mark Caballero & Seamus Walsh

“Ray was one of a kind.  The best.  He will be missed terribly.”
Dennis Muren
 

Welcome

The name Ray Harryhausen may not be familiar to everyone but to those who do know it, his name stands as a landmark in the history of a genre and cinematic art, the art of dimensional stop-motion animation.  Ray made his name by developing fantastic stories and creatures based on legends and mythology and creating a unique genre of fantasy films during the 1950s, 60s and 70s that took the movie making world, and the public, by storm.

Ray Harryhausen stands as a beacon to today’s fantasy filmmakers as the creator who inspired them and made the impossible possible.  

There are a number of websites that either devote themselves to Ray’s work or at the very least mention his name prominently, but it is hoped that this official website will provide everyone who requires a true account of his life and work a first and final stop for all that is Ray Harryhausen. 

The site provides details of news and events as well as exclusive and previously unavailable information and images that will complement the five books written by Ray and Tony Dalton.

We are pleased to announce that we now have a Harryhausen Facebook page and Twitter so you can keep right up to date with all that is happening with Ray and the on-going work of the Foundation.