The Life of Ray Harryhausen (Part Five): Retirement and Legacy

After Clash of the Titans (1981), there were a number of subsequent projects that were never realised, including two Sinbad feature films and a collaboration with Michael Winner entitled People of the Mist (1983). These projects were sadly abandoned in light of new computer generated graphics that were, by that point, beginning to push Harryhausen’s stop-motion techniques further into obsolescence. He retired in 1984, but occasionally returned to work for television specials and the completion of his 1952 fairy-tale short film The Story of the Tortoise and the Hare in 2001. In 1992, more than a decade after his final feature film effort, Harryhausen was presented with an Oscar, and in 2010, he was awarded a BAFTA. Additionally, in 2011, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Visual Effects Society.

The Story of the Tortoise and the Hare (completed 2001)

Until his death in 2013, he lived in London with his wife Diana. The couple continued to support the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation (established 1986) until his death. The foundation protects Harryhausen’s legacy and preserves his many models. In 2010, a substantial portion of his collection was donated to the National Media Museum in Bradford. Ultimately, Harryhausen regarded himself as being the father of stop-motion animation, referring to Willis O’Brien as the grandfather of the genre.

Harryhausen inspired a substantial number of contemporary filmmakers and directors, including Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, and, upon his death in 2013, Aardman’s Nick Park credited him as being a “true great of stop-motion animation”, citing him as one of his greatest influences*.

He is survived by his wife Diana Livingstone, and his daughter Vanessa.

More info:

*BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22441567. Accessed 23/11/15.

Ray Harryhausen. http://www.rayharryhausen.com/. Accessed 23/11/15.

The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/07/ray-harryhausen-dies. Accessed 23/11/15.

Image Sources:

Clash of the Titans. [DVD] (2010) Warner Home Video, Burbank, California.

Jason and the Argonauts. [DVD] (2008) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Culver City, California.