Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
The Creatures and Effects of Ray Harryhausen, Master Stop-Motion Animator
Speaker
Professor Mark Glassy
Coordinator
Mark Stadler
When it comes to motion picture special effects,
there is only one name that personifies movie magic,
Ray Harryhausen (1920–2013). Harryhausen was
a master animator and special effects creator who
produced stop-motion animation effects known
as “dynamation,” in which animated stop-motion
characters interact with the live action world. Some
of Harryhausen’s films include Earth vs. the Flying
Saucers, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Jason and the
Argonauts. The stop-motion battle between Jason
and seven skeletal figures is considered the greatest
stop-motion frame-by-frame sequence ever filmed.
This lecture will detail some of Harryhausen’s work
and feature some of his creatures.
there is only one name that personifies movie magic,
Ray Harryhausen (1920–2013). Harryhausen was
a master animator and special effects creator who
produced stop-motion animation effects known
as “dynamation,” in which animated stop-motion
characters interact with the live action world. Some
of Harryhausen’s films include Earth vs. the Flying
Saucers, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Jason and the
Argonauts. The stop-motion battle between Jason
and seven skeletal figures is considered the greatest
stop-motion frame-by-frame sequence ever filmed.
This lecture will detail some of Harryhausen’s work
and feature some of his creatures.
Speaker Bio
At the age of four, Mark Glassy saw the
Ray Harryhausen film Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,
and he hasn’t been the same since. He grew up to
become a science fiction movie superfan, collector
and scholar. At the same time, he obtained his Ph.D.
in biochemistry from UC Riverside. He became a
Research Fellow at the Scripps Research Institute
and joined the UC San Diego faculty in 1980. Mark
is currently a Visiting Scholar in the Translational
Neuro-Oncology Laboratory at the UC San Diego
Moores Cancer Center.
Ray Harryhausen film Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,
and he hasn’t been the same since. He grew up to
become a science fiction movie superfan, collector
and scholar. At the same time, he obtained his Ph.D.
in biochemistry from UC Riverside. He became a
Research Fellow at the Scripps Research Institute
and joined the UC San Diego faculty in 1980. Mark
is currently a Visiting Scholar in the Translational
Neuro-Oncology Laboratory at the UC San Diego
Moores Cancer Center.
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