RAY HARRYHAUSEN:
SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN
Written and directed by Gilles Penso
Produced by Alexandre Poncet, Co-produced by Tony Dalton
Featuring Ray Harryhausen, James Cameron, Terry
Gilliam, John Landis, Nick Park, Steven Spielberg, Peter
Jackson, Tim Burton, Joe Dante, Guillermo Del Toro
Release date: On DVD and Blu-ray from 11th March 2013
Running time: 97 mins (film),
Cert: tbc
“I think all of us who
are practitioners in the arts of science fiction and fantasy movies now, all feel
that we’re standing on the shoulders of a giant. If not for Ray’s contribution
to the collective dreamscape we wouldn’t be who we are.†James Cameron
The
remarkable career of the movie industry’s most admired and influential
special-effects auteur, the legendary Ray Harryhausen, is the subject of Ray
Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan. Described as “A continual delightâ€
(The Observer), “the stop-motion maestro gets the respect he deserves†(Daily
Express) in this definitive and critically acclaimed documentary coming to DVD
and Blu-ray on 4th March 2013,
featuring an extensive range of special features.
Leaving
no doubt as to Harryhausen’s seminal influence on modern-day special effects,
the documentary features enlightening and entertaining interviews with the man
himself, Randy Cook, Peter Jackson,
Nick Park, Phil Tippet, Terry Gilliam,
Dennis Muren, John Landis, Guillermo Del
Toro, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and many more. These
filmmakers pay tribute to the father of Stop Motion animation and films such as
‘The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms’, ‘It
Came From Beneath The Sea’, ‘The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad’, ‘Mysterious
Island’, ‘Jason And The Argonauts’ and ‘The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad’ – the
films that enthralled them as children and
inspired them to become filmmakers
in their own right.
The interviews are combined with archival
footage and contemporary clips plus the added delight of behind-the-scenes
footage, stills and original drawings with recently discovered unseen takes of
tests and experiments. The filmmakers were granted
unprecedented access to film all aspects of The Ray Harryhausen Collection
including models, artwork and miniatures as well as Ray's private study, where
he designed most of his creations, and his workshop where he built them.
This story of how a hobby became a profession,
from Ray’s first childhood experiments with dinosaurs, to the ground-breaking
techniques he developed to intricately interweave Stop Motion animation with
live action and the birth of Dynamation is essential
viewing for any fan of science-fiction, fantasy and adventure filmmaking.
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan
(Arrow Films) is available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray from 4th March 2013.
SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE: Audio Commentary with Gilles Penso, Alexandre
Poncet, Tony Dalton and Tim Nicholson; Featurette "A Treasure Trove";
Q&A at the Cinémathèque française; ‘A Chat With...Edgar Wright, Peter Lord,
Rick Baker, Simon Pegg; Interview Outtakes from Colin Arthur, Dennis Muren,
Greg Broadmore, Joe Dante, John Lasseter, Ken Ralston, Martine Beswick &
Caroline Munro, Nick Park, Phil Tippett, Randy Cook, Steve Johnson, Vanessa
Harryhausen; 8 Deleted Scenes; Special Effects Titan Trailer; On the Set of The
7th Voyage of Sinbad; A Message to Ray; Trailer collection : Mighty Joe Young,
The Beast From 20 000 Fathoms, It Came from beneath the sea, 20 Million Miles
to Earth, Earth Vs The Flying Saucers, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The 3 Worlds
of Gulliver, Mysterious Island & Jason and the Argonauts.
The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation - http://www.rayharryhausen.com/
For press information please contact
Lisa Richards – lisa@lisarichardspr.net Tel:
07798 876 352