Visual-effects legend Ray Harryhausen passed away earlier today at the age of 92. A visionary in the use of stop-animation and practical effects in live-action movies, Harryhausen’s work had a tremendous impact on the films of George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and basically every science-fiction filmmaker of the last 60 years. Inspired by seeing King Kong at a young age with his childhood friend Ray Bradbury, Harryhausen dedicated himself to bringing cool monsters and creatures of all sorts to the big screen. Working on movies like Mighty Joe Young, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and 20 Million Miles to Earth, his work helped define mid-century science-fiction cinema. He is probably best known for the skeleton army scene from 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts. In 1992, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for “technological contributions [that] have brought credit to the industry.” Watch some clips of his work below, because they’re awesome and the best.
