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Ray Harryhausen Would Be Proud

By TK | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (11)

thecyclops1.jpg

This is one of those puzzling projects about which almost no information exists, but that I’m strangely excited about. Like many of you (probably not Dustin, since he has no soul), I’ve got incredibly fond memories of the old genre films featuring the effects of master stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, creator of Dynamation. The most memorable ones are the original, non-shitty Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts, Mighty Joe Young, and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. That last one is probably my favorite, and it’s also the reason I’m curious about Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage.


Developed by Giant Film Flicks and directed by David Winning (who has a series of SyFy movies to his name), it’s also narrated by Patrick Stewart and stars Shahin Sean Solimon as the titular Sinbad. It claims to be inspired by The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, a compilation of Middle Eastern folk tales, of which “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor” is but one of many. According to IMDB, the film is described thusly:

When the Sultan’s first born is taken by an evil sorcerer, Sinbad is tasked with traveling to a desert of magic and creatures to save her.

The trailer looks spartan, low-budget, and kind of silly. But what what warms my little heart is that the effects are decidedly old-school, and in fact are done using Harryhausen’s Dynamation techniques. Harryhausen, who just turned 90, is a clear source of inspiration, and is given a very special thanks in the film’s credits.

It’s unlikely this is going to make it into theaters, but whatever venue it shows up in, I’ll give it a shot. For nostalgia’s sake, if nothing else.

Check out the teaser trailer:







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Comments

The trailer looks like a polar bear in a snow storm with it's eyes closed, but the stop motion annimation of that is perfect.

Posted by: BWeaves at July 29, 2010 9:06 AM

I thought it said "Giant Film Fucks" up there and I got really excited about such an awesome filmmaking company. But no. Not today.

Posted by: Kballs at July 29, 2010 9:25 AM

Awww, I can't see the trailer, but you made me all nostalgic with the mention of Mighty Joe Young, TK. My family's Thanksgiving Day ritual always included King Kong followed by Mighty Joe Young (they were always shown right in a row, probably on TBS or some such). I think I'll need to pick up the latter on DVD (already have the former) and start doing that again.

I love claymation. I love Harryhausen.

Oh, and I just got BWeaves' comment. Looks like I need more coffee.

Posted by: Anna von Beaverdouche at July 29, 2010 9:29 AM

It's an Apple trailer -- they don't allow embedding, if I recall correctly.

Here's a link.

Click on the blue "Watch Now" button.

Posted by: Rykker at July 29, 2010 9:45 AM

And now that I've had a chance to see it myself, just the couple of glimpses of Dynamation creature effects in the trailer was enough to spark an anticipatory chubby for this film.
Bring it on.

Posted by: Rykker at July 29, 2010 9:53 AM

I'll definitely give it a chance.

Posted by: John W at July 29, 2010 9:58 AM

Ray Harryhausen helped make my childhood complete. There was a summer day in 1972 at Sandia AFB in New Mexico when I had enough lawn-mowing money to go to the movie theater on base. I was so disappointed when I saw the marquee - it was some weird movie about cowboys and dinosaurs, and even my 11-year-old mind couldn't figure out how that concept ever came to be.

I grudgingly went in anyway, my best friend was on vacation & there was nothing else to do. When 'Valley of the Gwangi' started in that near-empty theater, I let out an audible gasp of excitement when I saw Harryhausen's name as special effects director - I'd only seen '7th Voyage of Sinbad', but I owned a stack of 'Famous Monsters of Filmland' magazines, and one of them was filled with stills from Harryhausen's films, and I worshipped the guy, and loved every minute of that crazy cowboy/dinosaur movie.

I was a total 'fanboy' before the term was ever thought of, but the original fanboys were from decades earlier: Harryhausen, his friend Ray Bradbury and 'Famous Monsters' publisher Forrest Ackerman.

It was so great growing up when these guys were in their prime and sharing their love of sci-fi and fantasy with us. Good times.

Posted by: abliac at July 29, 2010 10:23 AM

I was a total 'fanboy' before the term was ever thought of, but the original fanboys were from decades earlier: Harryhausen, his friend Ray Bradbury and 'Famous Monsters' publisher Forrest Ackerman.

The original fanboys, indeed. I was fortunate, on several occassions, to listen to Misters Harryhausen, Bradbury and Ackerman discuss their youth spent admiring the original King Kong together and how it was the foundation of their friendship.

Posted by: lubeg at July 29, 2010 10:53 AM

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Posted by: kaly at July 29, 2010 11:27 AM

I saw them as a child, and then, what could be better than seeing them as a stoned college literature major with others of the same. Mythology come to life, without cheapening the imagination. I told these myths plus the entire Odyssey as bedtime stories to my kids, and you have never seen children listening and imagining better, but, they were scared sometimes! (I reassured them, it was okay).Once in the basement of the old high school there was a loud groan from some pipe, and I answered my son's query with, "It's just the Minotaur." I had a kid wrapped around my leg in a second flat. Bad dad! Or I wouldn't be reading this site!

Posted by: rafael bolero at July 29, 2010 12:26 PM

I will be creating the Dynamation for this film and I totally appreciate your support! Ray Harryhausen is my greatest hero and it was a dream come true for me when I got this job.

I'm so happy to see so much of a desire to return to Ray's techniques and I hope I don't disappoint you.

Posted by: Ron Cole at August 29, 2010 10:53 PM


















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