The Ray Harryhausen Podcast

Podcast Episode 51 features an entertaining conversation with Andy Gent, director of London-based Arch Model Studio.

Best known for creating the puppets and animation for classic films such as ‘Isle of Dogs’ and ‘The Fantastic Mr Fox’, the studio were presented with the inaugural Ray Harryhausen Award for ‘Best Commercial Film Animation’ in 2022. Their short feature ‘Save Ralph’ saw thought-provoking exploration of animal testing and vivisection, featuring the voice talents of Ricky Gervais and Taika Waititi.

Andy discusses his history as a Harryhausen fan, and his later encounters with Ray. He explains how Ray’s work has gone on to influence and inspire his own career, as well as the ongoing legacy that the stop-motion master’s work has left upon the wider industry.


Many thanks to Andy for taking part in the show! For more information on Arch Model Studio, see:

https://www.ams.london/

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of 'The Golden Voyage of Sinbad', we reunited two of the stars of this classic film! Watch as Caroline Munro (Margiana) and Kurt Christian (Haroun) reminisce on working with Ray Harryhausen in 1973, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and treasured memories. Hosted by Foundation Trustee John Walsh and Collections Manager Connor Heaney, both actors reflect on Ray's legacy, decades after their work with him.

Kurt would also star in 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger', and happily discusses his villainous turn as Prince Rafi. As we look back on Ray's beloved films of the 1970s, it is wonderful to have these first-hand accounts of their creation. Many thanks to Caroline and Kurt for speaking with us!

A video version of this show is also available via Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYdoNEXp8IY

Join us for Episode 49 of the Ray Harryhausen Podcast, as we take a deep dive into the making of ‘Clash of the Titans’ with visual effects artist Brian Smithies!

Foundation trustee John Walsh and collections manager Connor Heaney are joined by Ray’s daughter Vanessa Harryhausen to chat with Brian for a double-length interview. A visual effects artist whose work includes also such classics as Superman, The Dark Crystal, Dune, the James Bond series, Aliens and much more besides, Brian assisted Ray Harryhausen during the making of Clash of the Titans. Listen to exclusive anecdotes as Brian shares his behind-the-scenes memories of working with Ray, and on the creation of visual effects for this iconic 1981 film.

A must for all fans of ‘Clash of the Titans’, Ray Harryhausen and filmmaking! Many thanks to Brian for taking the time to speak with us in such detail.

An video version of this show is also available through YouTube:

https://youtu.be/ULVoxbLw9XA

Find out more about Brian Smithies on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810451/

Listen to an in-depth interview with director and producer Arnold Leibovit about his fantastic restorations of The Puppetoons!

'The Puppetoons' series of short films were a very important part of Ray Harryhausen's early career, being his first paid work as an animator in the 1940s. Created by legendary director George Pal, the films used replacement animation, whereby a series of individual models were created to portray different movements or facial expressions, frame by frame. Trustee John Walsh and Collections Manager Connor Heaney speak with Arnie about his friendships with George Pal and Ray Harryhausen, and his decades of work with The Puppetoon films.

Wonderful news for fans of Ray Harryhausen and stop-motion animation, as 'The Puppetoon Movie Volume 3' is now available to purchase. The release showcases high quality, restored versions of these wonderful films, many of which not been available to view in decades. Amongst other short films on this new release, Volume 3 contains 'Western Daze'- the first Puppetoon film that Ray Harryhausen worked upon.

Find out more about The Puppetoon Movie Volumes 1, 2 & 3, and purchase through the link below:

https://www.puppetoon.net

Celebrate 90 years of King Kong in Episode 47 of The Ray Harryhausen Podcast!

To mark this landmark movie, we look back at the ‘King Kong at Ninety: Visualization in the Art of Stop-Motion Animation’ exhibition which ran at Eastern Michigan University earlier this year. Foundation trustee John Walsh and collections manager Connor Heaney speak about King Kong, Willis O'Brien, and their influence on Ray Harryhausen.

In an interview from the 'King Kong at 90' exhibit, Connor is joined by Gregory Kulon (independent scholar, and researcher of the history of Stop-motion animation), Professor Tom Suchan (Art History, The University of East Michigan) and Ben Harry (curator of Audiovisual Materials and Media Arts History of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections of Brigham Young University) for a discussion on the legacy of King Kong, the story of Willis O'Brien and the incredible artwork which had been created for this film and other stop-motion projects.

Celebrate one of the most important pieces of cinema of all time with our 90th anniversary celebration of King Kong!

Episode 46 of the Ray Harryhausen Podcast sees an exclusive interview with Nigel Glockler, drummer of legendary heavy metal band Saxon!

Nigel chats with Foundation Collections Manager Connor Heaney about his love of Ray Harryhausen films, and of his dinosaur pictures in particular. Occasionally nicknamed 'The T-Rex', Nigel describes the impact that films such as 'The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms' and 'Jason and the Argonauts' had upon him growing up.

Find out more about Saxon on their official website and social media channels- new album coming on January 19th 2024!

https://www.saxon747.com

Many thanks to Nigel for taking the time to chat about his Harryhausen memories!

'A life changing award’ - Guillermo Del Toro

A special bonus episode of the Ray Harryhausen Podcast, where we speak to some of the previous winners of our Ray Harryhausen Awards. Listen to Guillermo Del Toro, Phil Tippett and Mark Gustafson speak about how much their Harryhausen Award wins have meant to them. We speak with 'Best Student Film Animation' winner Kheyal Roy-Meighoo and 'Best Children's Film Animation' winner Kristian Harding on how the Harryhausen Awards are helping to maintain Ray's legacy for a new generation of filmmakers.

The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation are delighted to open submissions for 2024 Harryhausen Awards, established in honour of the legendary master of stop-motion animation.

We are now accepting submissions for animated films of all types within the following categories before the deadline of May 31st 2024.

Best Feature Film Animation

Best Short Film Animation

Best Student Film Animation

Best Children’s Film Animation

Harryhausen Hall of Fame Award

https://www.harryhausenawards.com

https://www.filmfreeway.com/harryhausenawards

We look forward to seeing your films- please get in touch with any queries about The Ray Harryhausen Awards 2024!

Episode 45 of the Ray Harryhausen Podcast details an exciting visit to the studios of Aardman Animations!

Ray's daughter Vanessa Harryhausen and Collections Manager Connor Heaney chat with Aardman archivists Tom Vincent and Zoe Critchley about their important work in taking care of such legendary stop-motion creations. Aardman's founder Peter Lord also joins for a discussion on Ray's ongoing legacy, and the importance of keeping such valuable items for future generations to enjoy.

Our episode is capped off with an update on the latest Star Ace Toys unboxing videos by author, filmmaker and trustee John Walsh. Watching his exclusive previews of each new model for a chance to win one of these incredible replicas.

Enjoy this latest episode, packed with stop-motion magic from Harryhausen and Aardman! Check out a video version of this episode on our official YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sem14e4Tz4A

The Ray Harryhausen Podcast is back with a look back at the winners of the Ray Harryhausen Awards 2023!

Marking Ray's birthday on the 29th of June, the winners of this year's awards were announced at the Cameo Cinema in Edinburgh. Collections Manager Connor Heaney hosted, as judges Vanessa Harryhausen, John Walsh and Steve Henderson announced our winners. We were delighted to share recorded messages from Pinocchio directors Guillermo Del Toro and Mark Gustafson, who kindly spoke about their love of Ray Harryhausen's creations.

Stay tuned as John and Connor share updates on future Foundation events and screenings. Special thanks to Ben Page for filming the Awards event!

Check out https://www.harryhausenawards.com for information on how to enter your film into our 2024 awards.

Are you a fan of Harryhausen classic 'Clash of the Titans'? Check out our exclusive interview with some of the crew responsible for making the film!

We caught up with 'Clash' first assistant director Anthony Waye, second assistant director Terry Madden, and stills photographer Keith Hamshere. Hosted by Foundation trustee John Walsh , the three speak with Ray's daughter Vanessa, who was also present during the filming of this iconic movie.

Don't miss this incredible behind-the-scenes insight into one of the most legendary fantasy films of all time! Watch the video version of this show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNG92_LhRKU