When the news of what for many of us was clearly more than just the master of stop motion animation broke, the reaction on the Internet and particularly on Twitter once again made clear how important Harryhausen and his work were for so many people. Not just the expected movie guys, but comics artists, writers and musicians shared their love for the man's work, driving again home that those of us interested in the worlds of imagination live in a house Ray helped build, a place of the imagination that connects many people in all their differences.
For me, as for many of us geeks, nerds and mutants, Harryhausen was a creator of childhood memories right next to the smile of my parents, the first book I read hidden under the covers of my bed, and that perfect moment of awe when I discovered Lovecraft for the first time. Harryhausen's films (and they were so often clearly his films), particularly the mythologicals, added a sense of wonder not just to the screen but to life which for me never had much to do with "escapism" but helped me realize that, however much crap life throws at you, there's also imagination, and love, and kindness; call it teaching me truth, call it optimism. For that, thank you Ray.
(If you want to read the handful of pieces about movies with Harryhausen's involvement I did on here, please follow this useful link. Unfortunately, they don't concern my very favourite part of Harryhausen's body of work, the mythologicals, for I've still not figured out how to write about movies this close to my heart.)
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