News & Events
Sunday 16th June 2013
Join The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation for a screening of Jason and the Argonauts on the 16th June 2013 at the BFI Southbank. This special screening not only celebrates Jason and the Argonauts' 50th anniversary, but also remembers the genius of Ray Harryhausen's career. Jason showcases some of the best-loved creatures made by Ray including Talos, the Hydra and the iconic Skeleton Army.
We also invite you to take part in the BFI's Funday Workshop, where using Jason and the Argonauts as inspiration, you can create your own Harryhausen-esque creatures. With the usual prizes for the most inventive storyboards and arts and craft stands, this day is a must for Jason fans new and old!
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Foundation Curator, film historian, and Ray's official biographer Tony Dalton.
For more information head to the BFI's website.
Ray and the Foundation have recently had to take action to protect the Harryhausen name against unauthorised use. This has been undertaken against the company Strictly Inc who have been selling trading cards which had not been authorised either by Ray or the Foundation. We would encourage Harryhausen fans to buy only genuine Harryhausen merchandise.
We have to advise anyone who has sent memorabilia asking Ray to autograph them or who might be considering sending materials, that he is no longer able to send back posted fan mail. For many years Ray has tried to answer all fan mail but now regrets that this can longer continue. Any mail already received by him will hopefully be dealt with in time but any further items that arrive dated the 5th April or after will not receive a reply and cannot be returned. Ray hopes to continue to be able to carry out book signings at future London events at which he will also autograph other memorabilia that relate directly to his films, but he will not be able to approve items by other people or persons. April 2010.
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As announced on the Home page, Ray and the Foundation are pleased to announce the opening of a special Harryhausen Facebook page and Twitter. Phil Boot, The foundation cataloguer and assistant to Tony, will be updating them on a regular basis, showing items of interest and discovery in Ray's vast collection.
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The Foundation is pleased to announce the completion of the definitive Harryhausen documentary - RAY HARRYHAUSEN: SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN, which has been produced by Frenetic Arts in Paris, and the Foundation.
Aside from interviews with the great man himself, shot over ten years, there are also interviews and tributes from Vanessa Harryhausen, Randy Cook, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Phil Tippet, Terry Gilliam, Dennis Muren, John Landis, Ken Ralston, Joe Dante, John Lassiter, Guillermo Del Toro, James Cameron and many more.
For the first time Ray and the Foundation have provided unprecedented access to all aspects of the collection including models, artwork and miniatures, as well as Ray's private study and workshop, where he designed and built most of his famous creations. In addition the documentary will use unseen footage of tests, experiments and dailies found in London and during the clearance of his old LA garage. Never before has so much visual material been used in any previous documentary about Ray.
The 92-minute production will not only illustrate the influence that Ray's work has had on film makers during the past sixty or so years but will also disclose secrets which Ray has been reluctant until now, to reveal.
Ray, the Foundation and Frenetic Arts are very grateful to the copyright holders, namely Aardman Animations, AMPAS, The British Academy of Film & Television Arts, the British Film Institute, Walt Disney Studios, Gaumont, Jerry Bruckheimer Prod's, Lucasfilm, New Horizon Pictures, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Studio Canal, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Walsh Bros and Copperheart Ent. All of these companies have kindly allowed us to use their footage and images without charging us a license fee for use in this film.
We are also extremely grateful to all those individuals who have given their services to the production without charge and who have helped us to bring this film to fruition namely: Colin Arthur, Rick Baker, Martine Beswick, Phil Boot, Ray Bradbury, Greg Broadmore, Sam Buckland, Tim Burton, John Cairney, James Cameron, Randall W. Cook, Joe Dante, Guillermo del Toro, Matt Dravitzki, Sacha Feiner, Terry Gilliam, Vanessa Harryhausen, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Andy Johnson, Steve Johnson, Andrew Jones, John Landis, John Lasseter, Mark Mawston, Caroline Munro, Dennis Muren, Vincenzo Natali, Nick Park,Ken Ralston, Henry Selick, Rel Pinto, Steven Spielberg, Phil Tippett, Robert Townson, John Walsh, Christopher Young and Tim Nicholson who has spent nearly seven months securing clearances and approvals.
All the proceeds, after production costs, will go to the Foundation to help with preservation and restoration of the more vulnerable items in the collection, so allowing us to exhibit these unique objects into the foreseeable future.
View the new trailer for Ray Harryhausen - Special Effects Titan
Please click on the images below, to view larger versions:
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Gilles Penso (director) and Alexandre Poncet (producer) during the filming of models, including the sabre-tooth tiger (shown).
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Tony Dalton (Curator of the Harryhausen collection) shows Alexandre Poncet the Cyclopean Centaur that featured in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.
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Tony Dalton and Gilles Penso pose with the armature of the Cyclops that featured in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
© Frenetic Arts & The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation. |
9th November 2012.
The European Premiere of Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan took place at The Gate Cinema in Notting Hill, London on Friday 9th November. It was a full house with the public joining family and friends such as Vanessa Harryhausen, Honor Blackman, Gary Raymond, Leslie Silver (Charles Schneer's daughter), Peter Lord, Barry Purves and David Sproxton. Remarkably Ray was not only able to attend but stayed until the end of the Q&A, which included the film makers Gilles Penso and Alexandre Ponset, John Landis, Carline Munro, Nick Park and Tony Dalton.
Please click on the images below, to view larger versions:
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| Ray arrives at the theatre.
Photo: Simon Harvey. |
Front L-R - Vanessa Harryhausen, Ray, John Landis, Tony Dalton.
Back L-R - Gilles Penso (Director), Caroline Munro, Alexandre Ponset (Producer). Photo: Simon Harvey. |
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| Happy to be amongst friends.
Photo: Simon Harvey. |
The Q&A.
L-R - Alexandre Ponset, Caroline Munro, Gilles Penso, John Landis, Nick Park and Ray sitting on the edge of the stage (he couldn't climb the steps). Photo: Simon Harvey. |
5th October 2012
Tony appeared at the Anifest in Canterbury to deliver a lecture about Ray and his art in front of a audience of students and representatives from Pixar and Dreamworks. Accompanying him were two of Ray's emissaries - one of the seven skeleton's and the saber-tooth tiger from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. Afterwards Tony signed copies of all five books.
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Photo: Images by Ralph.
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29th June 2012
Ray celebrated his 92nd birthday at home with Diana and Vanessa with a surprise lunch of Hamburgers, French Fries and champagne. Ray was quoted as saying 'I have nothing to say'.
Vanessa adjusts the balloons to read 92 rather than 29!.
Photo: Tony Dalton.
Vanessa sits on her dad's lap whilst he looks slightly bemused.
Photo: Tony Dalton.
With the help and generosity of UK film maker John Walsh, chief executive of Walsh Bros Productions, we have begun to record new, and we hope, more entertaining feature and shorts commentaries with Ray. The Foundation discovered that at least seven of Ray's feature films do not have commentaries and so it is these that we are concentrating on before recording new ones for the remaining titles.
On the 17th May we begun with Clash of the Titans and since then Ray has recorded full commentaries for Mysterious Island and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver. We hope to record one a month with, we hope on occasions, other various guests joining in. All these commentaries will be owned by the Foundation for the future and will contain many new revelations by Ray on how his films were created and produced. When completed we will approach the copyright owners to offer this new and exciting extra for DVD and Blu-ray releases.
Tony with young Ray during the recording of Clash of the Titans on the 17th May 2012.
Photo: Simon Harvey.
Following the recording of Mysterious Island on 7th June 2012. Left to right - Tony, John Walsh (Producer/Director), Ray and Phil Boot, the new Foundation cataloguer for the collection.
Photo: Simon Harvey.
31st May 2012
At the suggestion of visual effects artist Phil Tippett, the Foundation decided to cast Ray's hands for posterity. The Foundation's restorer Alan Friswell made sure that both hands were accurately reproduced in a suitable pose. Perhaps we should call them The Beast With 10 Fingers or The Hands of Harryhausen?
Friday 9th December 2011
Ray and Tony at Ray's London home celebrating the release of their 5th book - Ray Harryhausen's Fantasy Scrapbook. The book has received exceptionally good reviews from the UK press and is due for release in the US early in 2012. Also in the picture are the original models of Medusa, one of the living skeletons and the Figurehead.
Ray and Tony celebrate their fifth book.
View the book in collectables
Wednesday 29th June 2011
Ray has a relaxed 91st birthday at home with his wife Diana and daughter Vanessa. The cake was a present from Vanessa and the household and pictured Ray relaxing (very unusual) on location on Clash of the Titans.
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1st March 2011
On Tuesday the 1st March 2011, Ray was presented with an exact copy of the Mighty Joe Young armature by Jeff Taylor of Taylor Design Inc.
Jeff flew over from Las Vegas for the special presentation of the armature to Ray at his London home. Ray received Number 1 of 4 limited edition copies of the original large armatures (the same number as were made for the original film). The armature was made by Dolphin Machine Inc and the Project manager was Dan DiCello, the Lead Machinist was Bret Bernhard and the Supervising Engineer was Jeff Taylor. A special plaque was placed on the base that reads Presented to Mr Ray Harryhausen. March 1st 2011. In Memory of 'Jennifer'.
As soon as Ray received the armature, which he originally had helped to design in 1947, he immediately began manipulating it into stop-motion poses. Until now Ray had always said, 'Everyone has an armature but me'. Ray also noticed that certain stops, or pins, (to make sure the armature was not able to go beyond practical poses) had been left off the design. Jeff was impressed that after all the intervening years Ray had noticed such a small detail.
Please click on the images below, to view larger versions:
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Ray and Jeff Taylor.
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Ray with 'Jennifer'. Photo: © Jeff Taylor
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Ray posing 'Jennifer'.
Photo: © Jeff Taylor. |
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